You can listen to the full episode at ESPN West Palm Tonight. 

Read the full article at rockettes.com. 

Kathleen L. Davenport, MD, sports medicine physiatrist at HSS, shares how dancers can stay cool, safe, & performance ready when performing outdoors. 

Read the full article at dance-teacher.com. 

Dr. Davenport said the activity has physical and psychological benefits for people of all ages. “I have patients ranging in age from young children to 90-year-old adults who enjoy dancing,” said Dr. Davenport.

“I like to say that dancing checks a lot of boxes. In social dancing, you interact with different people and can make new friends, which has multiple psychological benefits,” Dr. Davenport explained. “On the physical side, you need good balance, you need core strength, you need strength in your lower and upper extremities if you’re doing partner work. Dancing can also be an excellent cardio workout," said Dr. Davenport. 

Physical therapists often say, “motion is lotion,” which refers to movement that provides natural lubrication needed for healthy joints. This is especially important for older adults. “Bringing movement to the body can address joint stiffness from arthritis and improve quality of life,” explained McAdam.

“Regular exercise such as dancing is essential for successful aging in terms of maintaining heart health, muscle strength, and bone health,” McAdam added. 

This article appeared in the September 2023 print edition and online at digitaledition.pub. 

"I have patients ranging in age from young children to 90-year-old adults who enjoy Latin and other styles of dancing," said Dr. Davenport.

"Dancing checks a lot of boxes. In social dancing, you interact with different people and can make new friends, which has multiple psychological benefits," Davenport explained. "On the physical side, you need good balance, you need core strength, you need strength in your lower and upper extremities if you're doing partner work. Dancing can also be an excellent cardio workout."

For those who love it, dancing can just feel good, Dr. Davenport said. "When you do something enjoyable, particularly physical exercise, endorphins are released, which are our 'happy' hormones," she explained. "By releasing these hormones, our body encourages us to keep engaging in these activities."

Read the full article at consumer.healthday.com. 

Dr. Davenport explained, “Many health conditions can be mitigated or prevented with attention to fitness, diet, stress and sleep. It really can be optimizing the most basic elements that make the latest difference in our health.”

She continued, “Many people have changed their training during COVID-19 and are just now returning to some of their former activities."

Dr. Davenport noted the importance of easing back into a dance or a sport after a break. She explained, “Even if you have kept physically fit, it can be a high-risk time for the body to transition back to the full volume of a sport or dance style that had been previously performed. It’s essential for my dancers, performing artists and patients of all activities to ramp up gradually to their former level of exercise.”

 Dr. Davenport recommended 20 minutes of exercise per day, balancing cardio (running, elliptical, biking, swimming), core strengthening (Pilates), balance (yoga) and weights.

“In terms of stress reduction, I recommend meditation and prioritizing sleep as an important element of health,” she added.

 This article appeared in the Winter 2022 print issue.

Tulberg said of the experience, “[Dr. McLawhorn] was great. HSS was very conservative in their approach, which I liked.”

Tulberg tried physical therapy, dry needling and acupuncture, and finally made the personal decision to schedule replacement surgery in September 2020.

Just three months after surgery, she was performing splits, and a year later she feels better than she has in years.

Tulberg said, “Now I’m auditioning again for shows. I’m having callbacks for shows, on hold for a couple of projects. I feel like I’m able to dance better than I was before. I have a full range of motion, if not better than before I had the replacement done.”

She continued about the shattering the stigma of injury in her field of dance, “The strangest thing has been figuring out who to talk to, if I should be vocal about having this surgery. There is certainly a stigma in the dance world that once you have a hip replacement, your career is over. That was my fear.”

Read the full article at Brooklynreporter.com.

To listen to episodes featuring Dr. Davenport, visit Thedancedocs.com.

Dr. Davenport cited telehealth is useful for dancers who have busy schedules and can’t show up to doctors appointments during typical office hours, and for dancers who travel or tour. Being able to chat on-the-go allows them to see the same doctor consistently. “If you get started with a treatment plan, and then you have to go see a new doctor in a different state every month—or a different country, even—that is a very disjointed health-care plan," she explained. "Telemedicine can help that continuity of care."

However, before trying telehealth, if an injury is not straight forward, Dr. Davenport recommended seeing a doctor in person. “There can be an increased risk of missing something if I’m not there in person to actually be able to lay my hands on someone,” she said. She also advised to check with your insurance company on coverage and to choose the relationship that will make you feel most comfortable (virtual or in-person), as you know yourself best.

Read the full article at Dancemagazine.com.

Kathleen L. Davenport, MD, director of physiatry at HSS Florida, explains that even things as minor as how a foot fits in a pointe shoe might not be familiar to physicians without dance knowledge. “That can be everything in terms of how that dancer got injured.”

According to Dr. Davenport, if there are no dance medicine specialists available, the next best provider would be a sports medicine specialist as there is overlap in diagnoses between dancers and runners.

Dr. Davenport recommends being your own advocate and not being afraid to get a second opinion especially if you feel that your doctor may not understand rehabilitation needed for dancers.

Read the full article at DanceMagazine.com.