Saw the film Black Swan last week (I know…I’m so December 2010), and it stimulated some thoughts on dance and chiropractic. The latest thriller from one of my favorite film-makers, Darren Aronofski, is an outstanding piece on the human psyche under the self-imposed pressures of excellence. But I’m not writing this as a film critique; instead, I want to talk about something that grabbed my attention immediately: the accurate portrayal of the physical demands of ballet, and interestingly, what the lead character, Nina, used to help her handle the rigors of her art–chiropractic!
Now let me start by saying that I could find nothing by googling “Black Swan+chiropractic,” making me wonder if I had just imagined what I saw. But…well, I did see Natalie Portman‘s character, Nina Sayers, getting her spasmed diaphragm released, a favorite therapy among some chiropractors. And, for sure, I saw her get her ankles and feet adjusted. I know I did, because it is a regular service I provide for my Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood chiropractic clients…so it caught my eye.
It was a fast scene, split second, easy to miss. But because it’s a treatment I do every day, I was like…“Wow! A tibiotalar adjustment. Cool!
But my exhaustive research brought up nothing. Hmmm….Let me try, “Black Swan+physical therapy,” and…there…it…was…hidden right under my nose (on IMDB no less, du-uh-uh-uh!):
“Due to a twisted rib injury, Natalie Portman had to receive physical therapy during filming. According to the director Darren Aronofsky, Portman is actually undergoing a real physical therapy session in one scene with the actual physical therapist.”
OK, ok…physical therapist…performing chiropractic…something that profession, along with medicine, condemned as quackery only three decades ago. Harumph…
Well I guess that doesn’t take away from the fact that professional dance is grueling–a sport, similar to basketball in the types of moves a performer makes; similar in the stresses placed on the body. Professional dancers need regular bodywork, and for many of them chiropractic is the choice.
In fact, dancers are the professional athletes that have gravitated to my office the most for sports chiropractic care. When the dancer’s body aches or is acutely injured, nothing beats chiropractic to help him or her return to the stage.
I treat the dancers in my office with safe, effective chiropractic care. Like other athletes, a professional dancer’s livelihood depends on his or her optimally functioning body. Nothing supersedes chiropractic in helping the body heal, musculoskeletally. Nothing.
Black Swan is a great movie–check it out. But keep your eyes open for the chiropractic treatments performed by a physical therapist; and remember, ballet and all other dance forms require an optimally functioning body for optimal performance. Chiropractic is the right choice for dancers to stay healthy and heal from any injuries sustained in their grueling art.
Dance…chiropractic…of course.
