Inner thigh pain

by Heather
(Canada)

I have a question about the pain on the inner thigh when sitting on the pole and doing the up-side down stunts where you are squeezing with the inner thighs. The skin really hurts and the pulling of the skin produces bruising. Does this ever improve? Is there anything I can do to improve the situation.

Thank you so much, love your website.

Comments for Inner thigh pain

Click here to add your own comments

Tips for dealing with pole burn and bruising
by: Susan from PDFF

Thanks for the great question Heather, and rest assured you're not alone!

It's very common to have bruising and "pole burn" when learning new moves, as you probably know if you've been pole dancing for any length of time!

Whether it's the palms of your hands, your forearms, or the delicate skin on your inner thighs, you will need to go through a period of adjustment and adaptation before things feel better.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to say how long this might take, as it does seem to be different for everyone. But rest assured that these moves WILL get less painful.

Most pole dancers report that it takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months to toughen up a new body part, but again, this is very individual.

Part of the issue is the sensitivity of your skin. The inner thigh is a highly sensitive area with many nerve endings, and the skin here is typically softer and more delicate than many other areas of the body.

Therefore, this area of the body is not only more susceptible to the burns and bruising associated with learning to pole dance, but is typically more sensitive as well, meaning we feel pain here more acutely than other places on our bodies.

(cont'd in next comment block)
Tips for dealing with pole burn and bruising, cont'd
by: Susan from PDFF

Here's an analogy that might help explain why things hurt so much at first, but tend to get better as we do them more.

As a baby, our skin is very delicate and sensitive, not having been exposed to extremes of temperature, for example. When preparing a bath for a baby or young child, we ensure the water is lukewarm so it doesn't burn delicate young skin.

For an adult, a hot bath, or even a nice soak in a hot tub, can feel wonderful. But for a small child these temperatures would be extremely uncomfortable and even painful, because their skin is still so delicate and the nerves unused to temperatures that are very hot or very cold.

However as the child grows and their skin becomes exposed to greater temperature extremes, they are better able to tolerate heat and cold.

As you practice release moves on your pole, your skin will gradually toughen up so that these moves don't produce as much burning. But you will have to go through an initial period of adjustment.

The trick is to persevere and practice regularly so the skin starts to toughen up, but no so much that you aren't able to recover well between sessions.

If your skin still feels hot or appears red or bruised, take another day away from the types of moves that cause pain. There's nothing to be gained from continuing to dance when you're in pain!

Once your skin starts to feel better, return to practicing the new moves for short periods to build up your resistance.

As you do this, you'll also start to become more aware of how much pressure you need to apply to maintain your grip. Soon you'll find you'll be able to adjust this so that you can safely hold yourself on the pole without applying too much pressure with your thighs. This will help to reduce the amount of bruising you experience.

In the meantime, applying ice to any areas of bruising or burning can do wonders and really help to shorten your recovery time. Plus it feels great on hot skin!

Just be sure NOT to apply ice directly to the skin...wrap it in a cloth or thin towel first so as to avoid frostbite!

Learning new moves can be a painful experience until your skin gets used to them, but it's well worth it in the end when you've mastered a tough move.

Stick with it Heather, and before you know it you'll wonder what you were ever complaining about!
Thank you
by: Heather

Dear Susan,
Thank you so much for your response.
Simple inexpensive pole burn remedies
by: Anonymous

I have been pole dancing daily for nearly 2 years now, and also suffer from pole burn. I have found diaper rash cream to be immensely helpful when applied before bed, followed by exfoliation using st Ives apricot scrub blackhead control in the shower...my thighs are soft again after this daily regimine...hope it's found helpful!
Pole Burn
by: Anonymous

I had a question about the diaper rash cream... is it the white one or the yellowish one? Thanks!
Diaper Rash Cream
by: Susan from PDFF

I'm not sure which diaper rash cream the previous poster was referring to, but I know that zinc is the active ingredient in many diaper rash creams.

When my kids were babies I just bought a jar of generic zinc cream and it did the trick. The others may have extra ingredients that you don't necessarily need for healing a simple friction burn, so you may end up paying more.

I had a quick peak on Amazon and I found this bulk size zinc oxide ointment that might be handy to keep on hand. There are also many options for diaper rash cream and other brands of zinc cream as well.

I recommend you start there, as you're unlikely to have a reaction or unwanted side effects with pure zinc oxide cream.

And do let us know how it works for you!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and make your own submission! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Pole Dancing FAQ.