OK -- but I'll let experts do the 'splaining. Here's a nice, quick overview article:
http://carefirst.staywellsolutionson...tedItems/1,152
To protect our knees as dancers, we want to:
- be sure we're working our hamstrings when we crosstrain to correct the common muscle imbalance mentioned.
- be sure we're not working on really bent knees (the duck stance we used to learn years ago) but with soft knees. Having bent knees will overdevelop the quads and can cause your kneecap to track incorrectly.
- Be sure to stretch the quads after dancing/practicing/drilling
- Be aware of how your weight is distributed on your feet. Try this -- stand flat and roll your weight from the inside edges of your feet to the outside and back again, very very slowly. Can you feel the difference in your knees? When we overpronate the feet (roll the weight to the inside) it exaggerates that 'knock-knee' tendency that endangers the female knee.
- When stretching the hamstrings (by sitting or standing with straight legs and bending forward from the hips) always tell students to avoid a sensation of burning in the back of the knee.
Here's a graphic representation of the difference between men's and women's knees:
http://www.genderknee.com/micro/z/ct...avid/44/pid/40
And here's an article specifically about carrying or losing extra weight -- even small amounts -- and its effect on knees. Especially women's knees.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538408