Leaping in your Pointe shoes or
maneuvering those highly athletic moves may give you an adrenaline rush as a
ballet dancer, but they could be causing you foot pain and injuries too. From
improper technique and fatigues to wearing toe shoes or thin slippers that
aren’t designed to absorb shock (and thus making your lower extremities absorb
most forces of impact), there are several factors that can make your life and
especially, your feet, prone to problems and injuries. Here are four such
common foot conditions
that a podiatrist can help you with:
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1.
Corns and calluses: Ill-fitting shoes that trigger
fiction between your feet and the shoes, or wearing pointe shoes without
breaking them in, can cause corns and calluses. Apart from being painful and
interfering with your performance, these may even cause ulcers, if left
untreated. If you already suffer from corns or calluses, a podiatrist can help
treat and remove them. If you aren’t yet affected by these conditions, a
podiatrist can help you select the right shoes, suggest tips on proper foot
care and even offer insights into breaking in pointe shoes the right way to
prevent corns and calluses.
2. Cuboid syndrome: This
condition is triggered when the ligaments and joint close to your foot’s cuboid
bone become torn or injured. When you perform pirouettes or jumps, your foot
may sometimes fail to hold its proper alignment, which in turn may cause cuboid
syndrome. With joint manipulation, assessing your technique, strapping, and use
of in-shoe devices for offloading pressure, a podiatrist can help you continue
with your dance moves while letting the injured region get healed.
3.
Epiphysitis: Extreme bio mechanical demands that ballet
places on the dancer may cause this condition when the first metatarsalphalangeal joint
is subjected to extensive (90 to 100 degrees of) dorsiflexion. Epiphysitis is
characterized by inflammation, tenderness and pain that subside with rest. A
podiatrist can help by suggesting modified activities that you should continue
with for four to five weeks until your symptoms subside. After this, your foot
doctor would let you resume your normal routine gradually, based on your tolerance
level.
4. Stress fractures:
Ballet’s repetitive movements often trigger stress fractures, particularly of
the metatarsals and toes. When diagnosed with a stress fracture, your
podiatrist would suggest you rest, to let your bone get healed properly. This
is usually followed by a series of rehabilitation exercises (dance-specific)
that would let you return to your dance routine sans any discomfort or pain.
Since healing bones is a long procedure that can take about six weeks,
consulting a podiatrist is the best way to keep yourself well-conditioned (by
following the advised strategies and exercises) while letting your injured bone
have the rest necessary for its healing.
Ignoring
your foot pain or dancing with troubling issues can often worsen the situation
and may even threaten your career as a professional, or even force you to stay
away from your dancing shoes in case you are a hobbyist. So, it’s best to
consult a podiatrist at the first signs of a problem to make sure the root
cause is diagnosed the right way and treated promptly. After all, you don’t
want to hang up your dancing shoes due to a foot injury or serious foot
condition, right?
