‘I got into this mentality…keep going even if it does hurt:’ A dancer’s road to recovery

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — It’s the end of dance recital and audition season and the next is fast approaching. And with dance, like with any physical activity, may come injury. One local teen dancer was injured after overworking herself — and right before auditions for college dance programs.

Things took a turn when Sadiyyah started feeling pain in the back of her ankle in early 2023, but she didn’t speak up for months because she thought it was all in her head. “I feel as if I got into this mentality,” El-Amin-Turner said, “of, unfortunately, keep going even if it does hurt.”

After struggling with an Achilles injury, tendinitis, and trying physical therapy for almost a year, Sadiyyah went to see Dr. Emilie Champagne Williamson. The doctor is an orthopedic surgeon, assistant professor at U of R in Orthopedic Surgery, and a dancer since she was two years old.

“I think I have a unique perspective in that I understand the desperate need to get back to dance,” said Dr. Williamson. “Being told you need to take a break is not something that any dancer wants to hear. So, at least if I’m going to tell them to take a break, at least I understand what this means, not just physically, but also mentally as a dancer.”

Luckily, things worked out for Sadiyyah after following Dr. Williamson’s instructions. She made it through auditions and will attend college in California in the Fall. But she may not have been as open to resting without the push from her dancer doctor.

“She saw me, and just, she heard me and I feel like I can be very vulnerable with her,” said El-Amin Turner.

If you’re a parent to a dancer and concerned, Dr. Williamson says to check if your child has a limp or is walking differently, and to check in with a doctor if there’s swelling that requires ice and ibuprofen for more than a couple of days to a week.

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