Dance Magazine reports on the availability of dance medicine specialists and what a dancer can do if he or she does not have easy access to a medical provider who has experience with dancers.

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.