Dance Medicine & Physical Therapy Services
Your Local Dance Medicine Center in the Farmington Valley
Are you a dancer searching for “dance physical therapy” or “dance medicine PT” in Avon, Canton, or nearby towns like Simsbury, West Hartford, Farmington, and Bloomfield? At Magna Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center, we specialize in dance-specific rehabilitation and conditioning designed to prevent injuries and enhance performance. Our expert clinicians provide customized dance fitness evaluations in our state-of-the-art 500 square-foot professional dance studio, ensuring you receive the precise care you need to perfect your technique and stay in peak condition.
Dance Conditioning Exercises & Strength Training for Dancers
To help you perform at your best, our programs focus on dance conditioning and strength training for dancers. We offer:
- Targeted resistance training for dancers to enhance muscle endurance and balance
- Strength and conditioning for dancers to build core stability and reduce injury risk
- Customized dance conditioning exercises to address individual movement patterns
- Ongoing assessments to track progress and optimize your performance
Professional Dance Studio for Specialized Rehabilitation
At Magna Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center, we feature a 500 square-foot professional dance studio to evaluate and monitor your progress in a realistic setting. Our facility allows our dance physical therapist to:
- Observe your technique and correct imbalances in real-time
- Demonstrate safe movement patterns for injury prevention
- Provide immediate feedback on alignment and posture
- Develop a performance-specific rehabilitation plan that simulates on-stage or in-class conditions
Performing Arts Expertise Beyond Dance
While our focus is dance medicine, we also consider ourselves experts in the broader performing arts community. Our clinicians have extensive experience working with:
- Figure skaters requiring balance and flexibility training
- Musicians dealing with repetitive strain injuries
- Gymnasts needing core strength and joint stabilization
- Singers who can benefit from vocal cord musculature massage to improve control and sound
July 21, 2023The Dance Stretch Series
True or False: A warm up can consist only of static stretching? The answer is false, stretching is important however, static stretching does not increase the blood flow needed to prepare the muscles for dancing.
December 23, 2022A Year in Review for Magna Dance Medicine
Dr. Meagan Robichaud and Dr. Laura Fetko spent a weekend at the CT Classic where they offered a parents seminar and then provided injury consultations for the dancers during the competition!
October 22, 2022How’s your Turnout? A Dancers Guide to Alignment
Raise of hands, how many of us have forced our turnout to attain that beautiful aesthetic of an 180 degree first position. All of our hands should be raised, I will admit I too have forced my turnout back in the day during my dancing career! I understand we want to be perfect and show no deficits during an audition or on stage, but at what cost? What does forcing turnout do to our bodies?
September 30, 2022Pointe Shoe Health
Written by Dr. Laura Fetko, PT, DPT There are many tools in a dancers toolbox such as foam roller, tape, our favorite water bottle and of...
June 24, 2022Broadway Q & A with Dr. Meagan Robichaud
As the Broadway season finishes up for summer, we sit down with the Director of Dance Medicine and Avon Clinic Coordinator, Dr. Meagan...
April 22, 2022A Dancer’s Mental Wellness: Through the Eyes of a PT, Dance Educator, and Dancer
Written by Dr. Laura Fetko PT, DPT Many of you may not know that I received my undergraduate degree in dance. I am a choreographer, an...
March 18, 2022From Pointe Shoes to Dumbbells
Written By Dr. Meagan Robichaud, PT, DPT The ideas behind weight training as a dancer have certainly come a long way over the years and...
January 20, 2022Achilles Tendinitis in Dancers
Written by Dr. Laura Fetko, PT, DPT What is Achilles tendonitis? It is an over-use injury of the tendon that attaches the calf muscle to...
November 19, 2021Kinesiology Taping for Dancers
How you golf could be creating pain in your shoulder, neck, knees, lower back or wrist - and assessing what that looks like is the key to...
October 29, 2021Cupping Therapy
How you golf could be creating pain in your shoulder, neck, knees, lower back or wrist - and assessing what that looks like is the key to...
August 20, 2021The Benefits of Cross-Training to Prevent Injuries in Dancers
Written by: Dr. Laura Fetko, PT, DPT True or False: A warm up can consist only of static stretching? The answer is false, stretching is...
June 19, 2021Preventative Exercises for the Acro Dancer
Written by: Dr. Laura Fetko, PT, DPT True or False: A warm up can consist only of static stretching? The answer is false, stretching is...
June 19, 2021Preventing Dancer Burnout Through Physical Fitness & Self Care: A Perspective From One of Our Own
Being a highly-trained dancer, I know that our “M.O.” as dancers is to spread ourselves way too thin, which will inevitably lead to fatigue, burnout, and even sports injuries. Although it feels like there are never enough hours in the day, it is important to take care of your physical and mental well being in order to limit, and preferably prevent, the occurrence of these negative consequences.
May 21, 2021The Benefit of Performance Coverage by a PT
Written by: Dr. Laura Fetko, PT, DPT True or False: A warm up can consist only of static stretching? The answer is false, stretching is...
February 19, 2021Magna PT Warm Up For Dancers
Picture this, it’s the middle of the winter and you’re running late to your dance class. You sprint through the doors just in time to rip off your coat and begin with barre work, still shivering from the below freezing temperature outside.
January 22, 2021The Importance of Sleep for Dancers
It’s no secret that beauty rest is easily the most important and essential part of our day for many reasons as it helps improve our physical, mental, and metabolic health. But for dancers, logging the required and recommended 7+ hours of beauty rest per night can be nothing short of a challenge due to strenuous and demanding rehearsal schedules as well as debilitating mental stress that comes with the profession.
November 20, 2020Dizziness Got You Down? PT just may be your Solution!
Have you ever gone to an amusement park and ridden on a spinny ride like the swings? Some people love it. Some people don’t. That’s because these rides activate your vestibular system, or your inner ear, the system which gives your brain information about the position of your head in space. Some people have a more sensitive vestibular system than others, making them more uncomfortable with spinning and motion sickness. This does not mean you have vertigo, just that you are more sensitive.
October 23, 2020Overuse Injuries in Dance
When it comes to musculoskeletal injuries in the dance world, there are two types: traumatic and non-traumatic. Non-traumatic injuries, typically referred to as overuse injuries, are defined as repetitive stress to muscles, tendons, ligaments or bones. The most common injury for dancers is the variety of overuse injuries that can occur.
September 18, 2020Pointe Readiness
There comes a time for every young ballet dancer to be gifted the opportunity to finally begin pointe. This is one of the biggest rites of passage for every dance student and is undeniably a very exciting time in their life.
August 21, 2020Phasing Back to Dance
As the world starts to slowly open back up for business, we are starting to see many dancers return to their normal schedules in the studio, resuming classes and some even beginning late summer intensives. While this change is so exciting and exactly what many dancers have been anxiously awaiting for months…this is also a great time to pump the brakes and consider what you need to do to safely return to dance.
June 19, 2020Dance Conditioning in Quarantine
Written by Dr. Brian A. Magna, PT, DPT, ATC According to the most updated research in healthcare, musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are...
July 1, 2019How to Choose and Prepare Pointe Shoes
Written by Dr. Brian A. Magna, PT, DPT, ATC According to the most updated research in healthcare, musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are...
June 4, 2019The X-ray factor revolutionizing the way dancers deal with back pain
This article from Sydney, Australia explores modern research into pain and highlights a new approach to treating back pain in company artists at the Australian Ballet. This approach focuses treatment on the nerves transmitting pain signals.
May 30, 2019Dance Talk: Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Dancers
Do you train in nutrition with the same deliberation you train en pointe? Dancers often put a great deal of focus on how they use their bodies but not enough focus on what fuels it.
April 2, 2019Controlling Hyperextension
This article covers all things hyperextension! The author is a physiotherapist with 25 years of dance experience and she uses anatomy and examples to explain how and why dancers need to control hyperextension. I'll touch on my favorite points below and I encourage you to read the full article at the link above.
March 5, 2019The Powerful Psychological Benefits of Dance
Research is steadily discovering dance can change the way people think and even the health of the brain! This comes right alongside the developing field of dance neuroscience. This author collected insight from several experts who are studying the role which in movement, particularly dance, plays within brain function.
March 5, 20197 Tips to Success in Auditions
This article is geared towards pre-professional dancers getting ready to audition for professional companies. The author has excellent points on what dancers should keep in mind and what to avoid.
February 2, 2019Are you Warm Enough to Start Dancing?
Dr. Meagan Robichaud and Dr. Laura Fetko spent a weekend at the CT Classic where they offered a parents seminar and then provided injury consultations for the dancers during the competition!
September 1, 2017Eyes-Closed Dance Training for Improving Balance of Dancers
This study is an excellent resource for teachers! It investigates how training balance in technique class can help prevent injury and improve performance in dancers. What's in Balance?
August 11, 2017Upper Body Strength in Dancers
As this experienced physiotherapist explains, "Dance is a full body activity. From the tips of your fingers and toes through to deep within your abdomen, everything gets used." Dancers are quick to jump into exercises which improve their flexibility, but often ignore upper body strengthening because they do not see a direct connection within ballet.
Why Choose Magna Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center?
- Top-Rated Physical Therapy Near Me: A trusted choice for residents of Avon, Canton, and the wider Farmington Valley.
- Licensed Physical Therapists: Our team stays current with the latest techniques to ensure high-quality care.
- Wide Range of Services: From clinic physiotherapy to sports medicine, we tailor treatments to your unique needs.
- Patient-Centered Approach: Every plan is customized to match your goals, comfort, and schedule.
- Convenient Locations: Our Avon and Canton, CT clinics are easily accessible to the entire Farmington Valley region.