Knee Pain in Salsa and Bachata Dancing

Knee pain is tricky.

Before I delve into why, I need you to understand the anatomy of the leg.

The knee is a joint that is sandwiched in between the hip and the ankle joint. And they all affect one another.

You also need to understand that both the hip and the ankle move in three directions - forward and back, side to side, and in rotation. The knee only moves in one - forward and back.

With that understanding, if there is a tightness or weakness in the hip or ankle in the two directions the knee doesn’t move in (side to side and rotation) then it’s highly possible that the knee will compensate for it.

When you compensate long enough or hard enough then that’s when the knee pain starts.

And now let’s think about salsa and bachata dancing. Both of these dances have movement patterns that heavily go in the side to side and rotational directions. The joints and muscles that are required to support that movement are the hip and ankle. NOT the knee.

So this is why when a salsa or bachata dancer comes with knee pain, I always start my evaluation at the hip, go through the knee, and finish at the ankle.  This ensures that I figure out which areas need attention that will resolve your knee pain as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you find yourself not knowing where to start with your knee pain, strengthening your hip and ankle muscles is good place. However, if you’ve tried that and you’re not getting better, or maybe even worse, then set up a FREE CONSULTATION so that we can get you back to dancing as quickly as possible.