The Mental Side of Returning to Dance After Instability

Gaining Confidence After a Joint Dislocation or Subluxation

By Lizzy Rothstein, PT, DPT

If you have ever experienced a joint dislocation (when the bones of a joint move out of their normal position, often due to an abrupt force or fall) or subluxation (when the bones of a joint partially shift, which may result in a feeling of instability or discomfort), you may have also experienced the hesitation that can come along with returning to dance:

The fear you aren’t strong enough, the worry that it might happen again, the doubt that you can get back to where you were.

While those emotions are your mind and body’s natural response to protect you, they do not always need to stop you from doing what you love.

Below are some practical ways to help boost confidence and create a more stable mind when working through an instability injury. 

Identifying Fear vs. Danger

After an injury, your body may continue to send signals that it isn’t safe. These signals can show up as pain, discomfort, or apprehension. As healing occurs and there is no longer an active threat to the tissues, these signals often quiet down and eventually resolve. Sometimes, however, they linger or intensify as a nervous system response attempting to protect you.

When you’ve received medical clearance to return to activity, this is a sign that the tissues have healed enough to tolerate load. If your nervous system has not fully caught up yet, gently remind yourself that you are safe. Reaffirming there is no longer an active injury can help reduce these protective responses.

Framing Success as Reproducible and Summative

If seeing is believing, then a crucial part of recovery is building evidence that you are ready to return. Reproducible success does not mean doing something once. It means being able to do it consistently and under a variety of conditions.

By setting progressive goals and recognizing small wins to yourself, you create a growing body of proof that you can handle challenging tasks successfully. Objective measures (things that you can actually measure, like strength tests or how much force you can produce) can provide concrete data showing that you’ve made meaningful progress and are on the right track.

Use Constraints to Feel Safe

Following return-to-dance guidelines provided by your healthcare team should always be the priority. When appropriate, additional constraints can help you progress gradually while building confidence. Examples include: 

• Working at a lower percentage of effort before increasing intensity (smaller ranges of motion progressing to full range) 

• Moving at slower tempos before increasing speed

• Choosing beginner classes before intermediate or advanced levels

• Dancing close to the barre or edges of the room before spending time in center

• Taking class with familiar teachers or watching a teacher’s choreography before trying a new class

Redefining Confidence

Confidence during your return does not have to mean being completely certain an injury will never happen again. In reality, no one can fully eliminate the risk of injury.

What is possible is developing trust in your ability to notice when something feels off, respond appropriately, and adapt as needed. In this way, confidence does not mean certainty. It means capacity. 

Seeking Additional Support

When the mental challenges begin to feel as demanding as the physical ones, seeking additional support may be helpful. Sports psychologists and mental performance coaches who work with athletes can offer tools to navigate fear, hesitation, and self-doubt during return to activity. It doesn’t mean that something is “wrong.” It simply means you are training your mind with the same intention that you train your body.

Final Thoughts

The key to returning with confidence is knowing you have identified and respected any necessary cautions. It’s like looking both ways before you cross the street.

Once you’ve checked that it’s clear, it’s okay to take that first step forward. It might be scary, but what’s on the other side is worth it. 

Looking For More Individualized Support?

Explore our services or get in touch.