DENISE USON - ON COMING BACK STRONGER
“I injured 4 ligaments in my left knee, I thought that was it for me, I wouldn’t be able to dance again.”
For most (if not all) athletes, their sport is a big part of their life. It’s their source of pride and joy, and of self-fulfilment. And when accidents happen, they fear losing not just a hobby or an activity, they fear losing a part of themselves. I’m sure you’ve heard athlete stories end this way. But for some, this is only the beginning to be something greater than they ever was.
Denise Uson, 24, has been dancing for eight years. She fell in love with the craft because it allows her to express emotions that she can’t put into words. “There is a special feeling I get every time I move. And I love the energy that’s exchanged between dancers when we’re all dancing together.”
Denise loves performing and competing on stage. During University, she was part of their College dance team, Romancon in St. Benilde, under a scholarship, and is currently a member of A-Team Philippines. She’s competed and performed with both teams locally and internationally.
While training a stunt that they considered one of their piece’s highlights for Hip Hop International, Denise remembers landing badly and immediately felt pain on her left knee. This was in June 2018, two months before the international competition in Phoenix Arizona that year, with her Romancon team.
“I didn’t think it was too serious because I was able to return to training after resting it for a while. But when the MRI results came, I found out it was a complete ACL tear, partial MCL tear, and damaged PCL and LCL.”
Denise, with her Orthopaedics’ clearance, was able to continue with her training, and was able to compete in the US in August 2018. She underwent surgery in September of the same year.
She recalls, “there were days that I really felt I’m at my lowest because it was the longest time I went through without dance, which was a big part of my life. I’ll admit, it also hurt my ego seeing all my teammates getting better as each month passed, and all I could do was watch. I knew I had to go back to zero, but this mindset also made me want to recover as soon as I could. I wanted to make sure that when I stepped on the stage again, I was ready.”
And in January 2020, Denise was again presented with another opportunity to dance in a competition. Since she hasn’t done any type of strengthening and therapy for a while and decided it’s best to have her knee checked again. “I was told to go through PT and strengthening. I also felt like my legs were weak when it came to single leg exercises like squats and jumps.”
To be able to perform at her best in the competition set in April 2020, Denise decided to join Pinnacle Performance in February 2020. Coach Bernice, her Lead Coach shares, “With damage to all four ligaments in her left knee that support and keep the joint safe from excessive movement, Denise’s goal is to get stronger in order to compete in dance without the anxiety of re-injuring herself.” With Coach Bernice's guidance, they set to improve Denise’s Back Squats, Bench Press, and Deadlifts to increase strength.
But when fitness facilities were forced to close mid-March due to COVID-19, without a fully functional gym, Coach Bernice had to re-align her approach towards hitting the same goal - get Denise competition ready. Through online sessions, Coach Bernice first conducted a PMR (Pinnacle Movement Rating) which is a screening test to assess Denise’s body weight strength ability. Body weight exercises, particularly Pistol Squats were used to check improvement of Denise’s single leg strength and stability. Coach Bernice shares, “our initial target was to do one pistol squat by May 30. She does her Strength & Power sessions online three times weekly and does another three sessions weekly for her tailored prehab program.”
And in just 8 weeks, from not being able to get up from a pistol squat on her injured leg at the beginning of the quarantine, Denise was able to do 7 Pistol Squats by May 15.
“Now we’re working on transferring that strength to more explosive movements while staying stable through single leg broad jumps. The goal is to eliminate the discrepancy between her left and right leg, which is currently at 20% during testing week,” Coach Bernice shares proudly the result of Denise’s discipline and hard work.
“Since joining Pinnacle, I feel more confident doing single leg exercises like pistol squats and single leg broad jumps,” Denise shares. “Pinnacle helps me to see the things I need to work on even after achieving a certain goal. There’s always room for growth!”
She adds that Coach Bernice has always been there to guide and motivate her in reaching her goals. “There’s always a process you can’t skip, but the end results are always so fulfilling. When I feel like it gets harder, I remind myself that I’ve been through worse, and at the end of all the pain, you always come out stronger. And being surrounded by people from the Pinnacle community who has the same mindset is so uplifting, and has made my Pinnacle journey enjoyable while achieving my goals.”
Denise is on her way to reaching her Pinnacle! And with the correct guidance and the right attitude, this could also be you!
