Assoc. Prof. Dr. Demet TEKİN, PT, Ph.D.
Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department / English
Faculty of Health Sciences
Fenerbahce University
Turkey
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Demet Tekin, PT, Ph.D. is recognized as the first and only Dance Physiotherapist in Turkey. Now, she is working as the Head of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences in Fenerbahce University which is established by one of Turkey's most famous sports team. She has 2 masters and 1 PhD in Sports Science and has worked with many sports (football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, swimming, oarsmen, motorcyclists ...). However, as she has been dancing for 18 years, she has worked on injuries especially in dancers and has also treated many neurological, pediatric and geriatric patients by making them dance. Demet Tekin, who has been trained in many dance fields, has made Flamenco professionally for 13 years and has performed many shows. Flamenco is seen as a form of life for her. She gives Flamenco dance course in her academy and other dance academies in İstanbul. She is the director of the ‘Labranza Dance and Music Company’ that includes Turkish and Spanish artists. She has performed in many cities of Turkey, especially in Istanbul. With her special project which is called Fasl-ı Flamenko that brings together the Turkish and Spanish culture, she organized a Europe Union Intercultural Project. As it is known, a sedentary lifestyle leads individuals to suffer from chronic diseases and decrease their quality of life, resulting in serious problems such as early mortality. For this reason, Tekin works on what should be done in order to increase and improve the quality of life of individuals and societies. Therefore, Tekin works on what should be done in order to increase and improve the quality of life of individuals and societies.
Treatment with Dance in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation: Perspective of a Sports Physiotherapist and Professional Dancer from Turkey
The dance therapy method, which was used quite frequently in the past centuries, has become an official practice in the 21st century; also it is one of the most important parts of complementary medicine in the treatment of physical, mental, social and psychological problems. In this period, it is implemented at hospitals, health centers, special education centers, day care places, orphanages, private clinics and homes. It is used in many pediatric diseases such as autism, Down syndrome, mental retardation, eating disorders, on adults, vision and hearing problems, physical disabilities, on elderly, in neurological diseases such as Parkinson, multiple sclerosis, in cancer, on pregnant women. It is a method often preferred by people who want to protect and increase health. In addition to all these, dance creates a balance in the lives of people who want to increase their quality of life, thereby improving mental health affects positively. The positive effects of dance have been proven by many scientific studies; but It is not well understood how to use it as a treatment model. The relationship of purpose, method and outcome has been described in a less number of diseases. Giving information about dance treatment methods, explaining how it can affect will be very useful for people working in this field. As a physiotherapist, dancer and dance instructor, I share with people my knowledge and experience that I have gained over many years by working with healthy people and different disease groups in Turkey. However, in order to help more people, it is necessary to educate new people who will work in this field. For this reason, courses should be organized for training of people who want to work in this field.