Ok, if this isnt allowed you can delete it--thats fine. But, I think that I am devolping tendonitis in left ankle/calf. I have a lot of rehersals this week and dont have time to get to a doctor. So, i was wondering if anyone knew how I would tape it so I can make it through my rehersals without it hurting really bad. Thanks!

Born2Dance.....if you want advice on taping you will have to go to your teacher.<P>In my opinion, you should not dance with tendonitis. I have had tendonitis and it doesn't get better with usage - it gets worse. It can quite severely affect the stability and health of the muscles. My foot lost strength because of it and took quite a bit of rehabilitation.<P>If it is your Achilles tendon, this can result in a severe career ending injury. You are young and you want to dance for many years, give this careful consideration before attempting to dance on it. It needs to rest.<P>Tendonitis can become chronic. Even all these years later, it occasionally still hurts me. I urge you to talk to your teacher, to find out what is causing it, and to take care of it. <P>If anyone wants to respond, please do, but please do not give medication advice. <P>

I'd like to second Basheva's advice. Don't risk it. Another problem with taping is that it provides the suuport to a weak area. That can make the weak area even weaker because it's not doing the work. Muscles atrophy under those conditions fairly easily and that can set you up for worse damage down the road. There are certainly times where taping is useful but a professional needs to tell you that. Also, you can cause damage by improper taping, so I'd automatically be concerned about taking someone's advice over the Internet. Get a recommendation from a doctor to see a physical therapist who can determine how to proceed.

Also things like taping or wearing support bandages only mask the problem - they make it seem not so bad and that makes you think you can do things that you perhaps should not be doing - in other words you can make the condition worse.<P>I am the world's worst at going to the doctor - but you must make time for your health, especially when you are really busy. Please speak to your teacher and doctor asap.<P>It really is better to go sooner that later -even if you have a lot on.

Here we are....<P>You can see in the posts above Joanne mentioned that taping would only mask the problem. Great advice from her.<P>JM gave you excellent advice too.<P>I gave you my opinion.<P>and now you have continued to dance, taping doesn't help... and I hope you have not injured it further.<P>You really have no choice but to take care of this. I am sure if your teacher knows you are in pain, and injured she will not want you to dance. No responsible teacher would.<P>Please take care of it - doctor checkup and then rest and rehabilitation. <P>

Born2Dance,<BR>Please please follow the advice given here. I know it is a difficult thing not to dance but really in the long run it is worth it. I'll share a few little stories here..not to make you sad but to show you the seriousness of it all..<BR>1) I have not danced for an entire year (I have danced professionally & on university level, this is my first time away from dance and it came as a big blow!)..I am just now beginning to do a daily barre (and only 20 minutes of work at that!) this is because I had surgery (non dance related) that requried a long healing process..but guess what? Half way through it I got impatient, I felt a little better so I thought "what the heck! I miss dancing so much..I'll be ok" so I tried to take class for a week. It was the dumbest thing I ever did. That week of class set me back a few months at least. My surgical incision began to split back open. Gross but true. I know your injury/problem is quite different and not surgical but think about it..you do not want to be out of dance for months & months just because of one or two performances.<P>2) another sad story (but not stupid like mine) This one is to inspire you! It involves my friend.. she is a dance major and only a freshman so its been an exciting year of dancing so far for her but over Christmas break she was the victim of a drive by shooting. She was shot twice, once in the chest, once in the arm. By some miracle she survived. After being hospitalized for a month she returned to school..unable to dance until next fall..she has had to observe every single dance class every single day..she grows impatient to dance again but she knows that risking her health could result in never dancing again. She still wants to dance more than ever and can't wait for the fall. But the point is, SHE IS waiting and I hope you will too!!!! Save yourself more off time & pain. Give your body a break, it is telling you something and you should listen!

Thank you Misa Danseuse - they truly are words of wisdom. I hope your friend continues to get better.