Karis Pendleton

This week has been really eventful a lot has happened…

A few weeks ago I found out that I was accepted into the Dance Theater of Harlem summer intensive! I was so excited!!! Not only did I get accepted, but this week I found out that I received a 1/4 scholarship. Unfortunately I cannot accept the scholarship because the requirement would be that I would have to attend the intensive for no less than three weeks. I am a little sad that I don’t get to use the scholarship but I will get to attend one week! Dance Theater of Harlem is one of my FAVORITE companies, so to be accepted into their summer program is amazing!! I’m super excited to get to be apart of their summer intensive. I can’t wait to learn from them! 😁



On to more personal news…

For the past 6 months my knees have been hurting when doing physical activities. After dancing or working out, my knees hurt badly. The first time I felt discomfort, I told my parents, they said it was probably just growing pains. Unfortunately the pain kept persisting. So within the last two months we scheduled an appointment with the specialist. The doctor told me that I have Patellofemoral Joint Syndrome. He said that this is very common in young high training athletes. He went on to explain that the cause of Patellofemoral Joint Syndrome is hereditary and he found that my growth plates are open on my knees which makes it more uncomfortable. It is aggravated by running or jumping sports that put repeated stress on the knee joint, which can cause irritation and imflamatioin under the kneecap. It can also cause, muscle imbalances or weaknesses.

I am encouraged because once treated, Patellofemoral Joint Syndrome won’t take long to heal. Since my diagnosis, I have been going to Physical Therapy twice a week. PT is helping strengthen the muscles that are weak and helping relieve some of the pain in my knee. This week I went to a special store to get shoes, knee braces, and orthotics to better support my condition. Theses shoes give me support when exercising and doing everyday activities . I have also taken a few days off of dance which has also helped a lot! So far recovery is going well and I am relieved that the pain is not a reflection of anything torn or broken. My PT said I should be pretty much healed within two months. I just need to not overdo it and take it easy when I need to, so that way I will heal quickly. I am excited to get back to 100% in time for summer intensives. But until then, I will keep doing what I need to do for healing and back to dancing pain free. 🩰💕