Are Bunions in Dancers Avoidable?

One of the things I have been most concerned about as a ballet dancer are bunions. It seems like so many dancers, across disciplines, get bunions and suffer greatly from them. Last year at my dance studio our best dancer had bunion surgery and she was only a senior in high school. Her podiatrist had to put pins in her big toe joint. She was off her feet for many weeks, in therapy, and cautious on her foot when she got back to class.


One of my ballet teachers talked to us last year about bunions and preventing them. She had us stand in arabesque sideways to the mirror and look at how our foot was shaped. Many had "curled" their big toe under and the majority of the weight of their foot was resting on their big toe joint. This is a sure sign of things to come.


Take a look at your own foot in the mirror in arabesque. Where is the weight resting? Now point your foot in tendu devant. Is your big toe joint sticking out? If so, then you might be going down the bunion road.


I mentioned in my previous blog about the perfect ballet foot. Gaining this perfect foot, or "winging" it can also lead to bunion problems. In order to create the perfect line some dancers will move their big toe joint instead of keeping it in line with the rest of your inner foot. When we "wing" our feet, it creates more pressure on the big toe joint, leading to inflammation. Dance students should focus on healthy alignment, while trying not to sickle the foot.


Heredity is a factor dancers cannot overcome. If a relative of yours has bunions then you may get them as well. However, dancers in particular need to recognize the need for proper footwear. Narrow toe boxes in not only your pointe shoes, but your street shoes as well should be avoided. Narrow toe boxes may look better, but in reality you are squishing your toes together and setting yourself up for disaster.


For those dancers who have bunions but the problem is not serious enough to warrant surgery, they may want to consider orthotics for your shoes. If there is a biomechanical problem with your feet, orthotics will help alleviate those issues. There are also semi-custom orthotics that are available for your ballet shoes. A podiatrist would have access to these items.