Written by the Phoenix Rehab physiotherapy team. Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H. Last reviewed 12 October 2026.
Most dance injuries are in the foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back.1 Many build up over weeks of repeated relevé and pointe work and jump landings, or from turnout forced at the knee and foot when the hip does not have the rotation. The table below lists every dance injury we see, by body part.
Dance in Singapore happens on many floors. The barre in a ballet studio above a shopping mall. A K-pop cover group running the same chorus in front of a community club mirror until the timing is clean. Breakers on the concrete of a void deck. Adults in a Tuesday contemporary class who last danced at fifteen. Acrobatic dance and cheer share their wrists, ankles and backs with gymnastics, covered in the gymnastics and trampoline injuries guide.
The style changes the injury, but the pattern under it stays the same. Dance asks the foot and ankle to work at the far end of their range, over and over, and asks the hip to turn out further than many hips turn. Where the hip runs short, something lower down makes up the difference. The knee twists. The foot rolls in. The back of the ankle pinches at the top of the rise.
Dancers are also good at working through pain. Class goes on, the showcase is close, and the ankle gets taped. By the time they come to us, they want to know why it keeps coming back.
The answer is usually measurable: a calf that tires early on one side, a big toe that will not bend back, a hip that turns out less than the position asks.
The movements, and what they load
| Movement | What it loads | What it most often irritates |
|---|---|---|
| Relevé, demi-pointe and pointe | Calf, Achilles, the back of the ankle, the big toe, the bones of the midfoot | FHL tendon, the back of the ankle (posterior impingement), the second metatarsal, the sesamoids under the big toe |
| Turnout, plié and grand plié | Hips, knees, the inner arch, the front of the ankle | Kneecap pain and the inner meniscus when turnout comes from the knee; the front of the ankle in a deep plié |
| Jumps and landings, from grand jeté to choreography jumps | Achilles, shin, the tendon below the kneecap, the ankle ligaments | Jumper’s knee, shin splints, stress fractures, ankle sprain |
| Développé and high extensions | The front of the hip | Snapping hip, hip flexor strain, the hip labrum |
| Arabesque, cambré and back bends | The lower back in extension | Pars stress fracture (spondylolysis), mostly in young dancers |
| Partner lifts | The lower back | Low back strain |
Every dance injury, by body part
Start from where it hurts. Rows with a link go to the page that covers that injury in full. Rows without one are covered on this page and at your first visit.
| Where | Injury | How dance usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Lower back | Pars stress fracture (spondylolysis) | Repeated back arching in arabesque and cambré, mostly in young dancers |
| Lower back | Low back strain | Partner lifts |
| Hip | Snapping hip | Développé and lowering from a high extension |
| Hip | Hip labral tear and hip impingement (FAI) | Working at the extreme ends of hip range |
| Hip | Hip flexor (iliopsoas) strain or tendon pain | Holding high extensions |
| Knee | Kneecap pain (patellofemoral pain) | Turnout forced from the knee instead of the hip |
| Knee | Pain below the kneecap (jumper’s knee) | Jump landings |
| Knee | Meniscus tear | Forced turnout twisting the knee |
| Lower leg | Achilles tendon pain | Jumps and repeated relevé |
| Lower leg | Shin stress fracture | Jump volume, at the front of the shin bone |
| Lower leg | Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) | Jumping volume |
| Ankle | Pinching at the back of the ankle (posterior ankle impingement, os trigonum) | Full pointe and high demi-pointe, where the foot points as far as it goes |
| Ankle | Big toe tendon pain behind the inner ankle (FHL tendinopathy, dancer’s tendinitis) | Pointe work and repeated relevé |
| Ankle | Ankle sprain | Rolling the foot outward on a landing |
| Ankle | Pinching at the front of the ankle (anterior ankle impingement) | Deep plié |
| Foot | Metatarsal stress fracture | Pointe work, at the base of the second metatarsal |
| Foot | Pain under the big toe joint (sesamoiditis or sesamoid stress fracture) | Relevé and jump landings |
| Foot | Stiff, painful big toe joint (hallux rigidus) | Demi-pointe, which bends the big toe back as far as it goes |
| Foot | Bunion pain (hallux valgus) | Pressure from pointe shoes |
| Foot | Pain on the outer midfoot (cuboid syndrome) | The foot rolling out in relevé |
Not on the list, or not sure which row is yours? That is what the first visit is for.
The common ones, in more depth
Pain at the back of the ankle: the FHL tendon and posterior impingement
What it feels like. Pain deep at the back of the ankle when you rise onto full pointe or high demi-pointe. With the FHL tendon, it sits behind the inner ankle bone and can run toward the big toe, and some dancers feel the big toe catch or click as it bends. With posterior impingement, it is a pinch at the back of the ankle at the top of the rise.
What is usually going on. The FHL (flexor hallucis longus) is the tendon that bends the big toe. It runs through a narrow groove at the back of the ankle, and pointe work loads it hard and often. Posterior impingement is bone and soft tissue squeezed at the back of the ankle when the foot points fully. Some people have a small extra bone there, the os trigonum, which tightens the squeeze. The two often travel together, and both get called a tight Achilles.
What we measure. How far the big toe bends back with the ankle up and with it pointed, single-leg heel raises counted on each side, ankle pointing range, and exactly where it hurts at the top of the rise.
What you can do now. Bring full pointe and high relevé down to a height that does not bring on the pinch, and keep the rest of class. Avoid clawing the toes to hold the rise. Whether you need imaging is a decision for your doctor.
Stress fractures in the foot and shin
What it feels like. Pain at one spot on a bone. In ballet the classic site is the base of the second metatarsal, on the top of the foot toward the middle. In jump-heavy styles it is more often the shin. It starts as an ache after class, then arrives earlier in class, then at rest.
What is usually going on. Bone remodels in response to load, and a stress fracture is that process falling behind. A jump in pointe or rehearsal volume before a show, a new floor or new shoes, and low energy availability, where training uses more than you eat, all add to the risk. A period that stops or turns irregular during heavy training is one sign of low energy availability.2
What we measure. Where the bone is tender, whether hopping reproduces it, calf strength on each side, and your class and rehearsal hours over the last six weeks.
What you can do now. Pain at one spot on a bone that hurts more with every jump goes to a doctor first, who decides on imaging. Stop jumping on it until then. Training that does not load the sore spot can usually carry on.
Ankle sprain from a landing
What it feels like. The foot rolls outward on a landing. Pain and swelling build on the outside of the ankle, with bruising over the next day or two.
What is usually going on. The ligaments on the outside of the ankle stretch or tear. The ankle also loses strength and its sense of position, and both have to be trained back. Repeat sprains are covered in ankle instability, and a first sprain in ankle sprains.
What we measure. Single-leg balance with eyes open and closed, heel raises counted, hopping and landing, and relevé on the injured side against the other.
What you can do now. If you could not take four steps straight after it, a doctor checks for a fracture first. Otherwise protect it for the first few days, keep walking within comfort, and start balance work once standing on it is comfortable. Pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication are a decision for your doctor or pharmacist.
The front of the hip: snapping, the hip flexor and the labrum
What it feels like. A clunk or snap at the front of the hip as the leg comes down from a développé. Or pain deep in the groin at the top of a high extension or in full turnout.
What is usually going on. A painless snap is usually the iliopsoas tendon flicking over the front of the hip, and on its own it needs nothing. Snapping with pain points to an irritated hip flexor. A deep catch or lock in the groin points to the labrum, the rim of cartilage around the hip socket. More on the snap itself in snapping hip.
What we measure. Hip rotation on each side, hip flexor strength with the leg held high, and which positions reproduce the pain.
What you can do now. Keep extensions at a height that does not snap painfully. A hip that locks, or groin pain that changes how you walk, needs a doctor’s opinion.
The knee and forced turnout
What it feels like. Pain around or under the kneecap on pliés and landings, or pain on the inner side of the knee.
What is usually going on. Turnout comes from the hip. When the hip does not rotate as far as the position asks, dancers find the rest by twisting at the knee and rolling the foot in. That twist loads the joint behind the kneecap and the inner meniscus. Jump landings add the tendon below the kneecap.
What we measure. Hip rotation on each side, lying and standing, set against the turnout you use in class. Single-leg squat and landing control. Thigh strength on each side.
What you can do now. Work at the turnout your hips give you today. Cut jump and plié volume for a while. Kneecap pain rarely settles on complete rest, and it tends to respond to load that goes down and then comes back up in steps. A knee that locks, or swells after a twist, needs a doctor.
The lower back in arabesque
What it feels like. Pain on one side of the low back when you arch back, or when you stand on one leg in arabesque.
What is usually going on. Repeated arching loads a small bridge of bone at the back of the spine called the pars. In young dancers it can develop a stress fracture, spondylolysis. In adults, back pain from partner lifts and back bends is more often a strain of the muscles and joints.
What we measure. Back extensor endurance, hip extension range, because arabesque height should come from the hip, and single-leg balance in arabesque.
What you can do now. A dancer under 20 with one-sided back pain on arching that has lasted more than two weeks sees a doctor first. Adults: keep moving, and reduce back bends and lifts while it settles.
Dance fitness classes: Zumba, K-pop, dance aerobics, barre and pole
Zumba and dance aerobics
Zumba and dance aerobics repeat pivots and quick turns for most of an hour. The foot stays planted and the knee takes the twist. Knee pain after Zumba is the complaint we hear most from these classes.
| Where | Injury | How it usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Knee | Kneecap pain (patellofemoral pain) | Pivoting on a planted foot, so the knee twists |
| Ankle | Ankle sprain | The foot rolling outward on a side step |
| Heel | Plantar heel pain (plantar fasciitis) | Several classes a week on the balls of the feet |
| Calf | Calf strain | A quick push-off on a tired calf |
We test single-leg squat control, heel raises counted, and a turn on one foot at class tempo.
K-pop dance fitness
K-pop dance fitness runs one chorus until the timing is clean. The choreography drops to the floor and back up: knee drops, floor slides, a hand planted to turn through. Hair flips whip the neck on the beat.
| Where | Injury | How it usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Knee | Swelling over the kneecap (prepatellar bursitis) | Repeated knee drops onto a hard floor |
| Hip | Hip flexor strain | Kicks and fast lunges to the floor |
| Neck | Neck strain | Hair flips and head rolls on the beat |
| Wrist | Wrist pain | Body weight on a bent-back wrist in floor transitions |
We test kneeling on each knee and neck movement in each direction. For the wrist, we test how far it bends back under body weight.
Barre
Barre holds small pulses at the end of a position: high on the toes, low in a plié, a leg lifted behind. The load is light, but the same muscle works for minutes without rest.
| Where | Injury | How it usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle and calf | Achilles tendon pain | Long holds and pulses in relevé |
| Knee | Kneecap pain (patellofemoral pain) | Pliés pulsed in turnout taken from the knee |
| Hip | Hip flexor strain | Leg lifts held to the front and side |
| Lower back | Low back strain | Leg lifts behind, with the low back arching for height |
We measure heel raises counted, hip rotation against the turnout used in class, and hip extension.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
Pole fitness and aerial
Pole, hoop and silks hang the body from the hands and shoulders. Every climb and invert hangs on grip, carried by the forearm tendons at the elbow. The shoulder takes the hang. Pole burn and skin bruising are outside what we treat.
| Where | Injury | How it usually causes it |
|---|---|---|
| Elbow and forearm | Tennis elbow | Gripping hard with the wrist cocked back |
| Elbow and forearm | Golfer’s elbow | Long squeezing grips on the pole or silks |
| Shoulder | Rotator cuff pain | Hanging and pulling into inverts |
| Wrist | Wrist sprain | Handstands with the wrist bent back under body weight |
| Wrist | Wrist fracture | A fall onto an outstretched hand |
We measure grip strength and wrist extension under load. For the shoulder, strength with the arm overhead. A wrist out of shape after a fall goes to the emergency department now. Swelling and tenderness over the bone means a doctor the same day.
Return on tests, not dates
You go back to full class, pointe or the full routine when the measures say so. These are the usual tests, adjusted to your style.
- Calf and ankle. Single-leg heel raises to full height, counted, within 10% of the other side.
- Relevé and pointe. Rise and hold on the injured side with no pinch at the back of the ankle, then repeated rises, then pointe in short blocks before full variations.
- Jumps. Hop and land on one leg with the knee tracking over the foot. Hop distance within 90% of the other side before full allegro or choreography with jumps.
- Turnout. The turnout you use in class matches the rotation your hips measure.
- Full class or full routine. Done at performance tempo, with any soreness settled by the next morning.
This is Stage 4, Return & Perform, of The Phoenix Recovery Protocol. Pain is the first thing to leave. Strength is the last to train and recover.
Is this normal?
Usually expected: calf and foot soreness after new choreography or a week of extra rehearsals, on both sides, easing over 24 to 72 hours.
Worth getting checked: pain on one side, at one spot, that is there at the start of the next class, that changes how you rise or land, or that is still there after a lighter week.
When to see a doctor first
- Call 995 after a fall from a lift or a jump with a head knock followed by confusion, vomiting, a worsening headache, drowsiness or a seizure, or any neck injury with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs. Do not move a dancer with a suspected neck injury. Also for collapse or chest pain in class.
- Go to the emergency department now if the ankle or foot is visibly out of shape, if a kneecap has moved out of place and stayed there, or if back pain comes with numbness between the legs or new problems passing urine or stool.
- See a doctor the same day if you cannot take four steps after a landing, if a kick or snap at the back of the ankle stops you rising onto the ball of the foot, which can be an Achilles rupture, or if a knee swelled within hours of a twist.
- See a doctor soon for pain at one spot on a bone that hurts more with every jump or aches at night, one-sided low back pain on arching in a young dancer lasting more than two weeks, a hip that locks or catches, or periods that stop or become irregular during heavy training.
Questions people ask
What are the most common dance injuries?
Most dance injuries are in the foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back. Many build up over weeks of repeated relevé and pointe work and jump landings, or come from turnout forced at the knee and foot when the hip does not have the rotation the position asks for.
What causes pain at the back of the ankle on pointe?
Two common causes are FHL tendinopathy, an irritated big toe tendon that runs behind the inner ankle bone, and posterior ankle impingement, where tissue at the back of the ankle is squeezed when the foot points fully. Some dancers have a small extra bone there, the os trigonum. The two often occur together.
Can dancers get stress fractures?
Yes. In ballet the classic site is the base of the second metatarsal, on the top of the foot toward the middle. In jump-heavy styles it is more often the shin. Pain at one spot on a bone that hurts more with every jump needs a doctor first, who decides on imaging.
When can I go back to full class after a dance injury?
When the measures say so, not on a date. The usual tests are single-leg heel raises to full height counted against the other side, a rise and hold with no pinch at the back of the ankle, hopping and landing with the knee over the foot, and a full class with soreness settled by the next morning.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
If it eases week by week while you mark the steps that hurt, you are on the right road. Bring them back in steps: half height before full, demi-pointe before pointe, single jumps before combinations. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.
2. It has stopped improving
It settles over a quiet week and comes back with the first full class. You mark the jumps without saying why, you land on the other leg, or you need a longer warm-up to get through barre. That pattern is usually a strength and load problem, and rest alone rarely changes it. It is worth measuring. If it has been months, the Stalled Recovery Review is three visits over three weeks with the same therapist.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
Hip arthroscopy, ankle arthroscopy for impingement, an ankle ligament reconstruction or a knee operation each has a shape, with protected weeks before jumping and pointe come back. See the Hip Arthroscopy Recovery Program, the Ankle Ligament Reconstruction Recovery Program, physiotherapy after surgery and the recovery programs. All of it runs on the four stages of The Phoenix Recovery Protocol.
Next step
Find out which stage you are in
Pain is the first thing to leave. Movement and strength are the last things trained back, and most people stop before that part is done. One Assessment and Treatment is a single 45-minute appointment at $230, nett, no GST. Your therapist finds what is limiting your rise, your landing or your turnout, treats it in the same appointment, and you leave with your current stage and a written plan.
Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.
Related reading
Sources
- Hincapie CA, Morton EJ, Cassidy JD. Musculoskeletal injuries and pain in dancers: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89(9):1819-1829.
- Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097.
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