Ballet Orthotics

As someone with collapsed arches and feet that are quickly deteriorating, I've tried every padding or tip known to the dance world. I use big tips for my big toes, little tips for my smaller toes and jel pads for covering all of the toes. I find that if I dance in pointe shoes without these necessities, I pay dearly the next day.

All of this padding however, only works for the toes and forefoot area. I've had heel bursitis since August 2007 and extended periods of allegro work, especially sautes, exacerbate the issue. So for people like me (and maybe you too!) who suffer from heel pain injuries, like bursitis and plantar fasciitis, if there any relief?

Allied OSI Labs from Indiana has developed a ballet orthotic called Braver Ballet, an insert which will fit right into your ballet slipper or pointe shoes. I have not ordered them yet, but I am curious to know if there is anyone out there who uses them and has had good results. From what Allied OSI Labs reports, these orthotics should alleviate pain from plantar fasciitis, shin splints, ankle instability, or stress fractures. Ballet orthotics are typically made from thin thermoplastic materials.

You should always visit your podiatrist first with any questions you have regarding if you are a candidate for ballet orthotics.

Dancingly,
Jenn

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.

Shaping the Foot: An Impossibility

I wish I had beautiful feet. But alas, I do not. Relatively flat footed, with a long, narrow, and thin foot, there is little I can do to change the basic shape of my foot. There are some dancers in my class who astound me with how lovely their feet and arches are.



When I first started ballet, I sickled my foot, which means that I let the foot "collapse" inwards. In tendu the foot went in at an angle. I never noticed until my first teacher pointed it out to me. It was a rookie mistake.



Both of my ballet teachers have made shaping the foot a priority this year. We are at the level where we will be graduating from ballet slippers to pointe shoes, and making the foot appear as part of a long leg line is more crucial than ever. Having a "dead fish" at the end of our leg is something none of us want. They keep bringing in pictures from Dance magazine and Pointe magazine, telling us how it is possible to create a shape like they have. I had received my copy in the mail that same day and had walked up the driveway saying "How does she do that?"



If you notice in the picture above, from the top of her thighs to the point of her foot is a straight line (well, fairly straight; her leg does go in slightly at the knee). The foot is perfectly turned out so we see all of the heel and inside of her shoes. We tried this in class that day. Let me tell you, it is not as easy as it looks. Almost all of us got horrible foot cramps, but a select few came close to that picture.

For those of us who have to work extra hard to create that shape, we have a lot of painful work ahead. Some things to keep in mind are:

• When in tendu a la second, make sure that you have your heel turned out. By this I mean that from your toes to your heel should be a straight line. If you stand on a line with your foot in tendu, there should be an imaginary straight line.
• When in tendu devant, think of pushing your heel forward. This motion forces your toes back and creates the line desired.
• When in tendu derriere, your toes should be pointing upwards, like in the picture to the left.

To do this at home, try working with a Theraband to create strength. When you are sitting on the couch, stretch your legs out in a stretched releve and try to touch your toes to the couch.
It is important to remember however, that your foot has only a certain range of motion and it will only go so far. You can't break your foot doing these suggestions, but it will hurt.
Dancingly,
Jenn
Central CT Foot Care Center
Dr. Tina Boucher, DPM
www.centralctfootcare.com
jenn@centralctfootcare.com

Rolling Through the Foot

I've been told it a thousand times by my teachers, but have you ever stopped and actually thought about how important it is to roll through your foot?

What do I mean by rolling through the foot? Rolling through the foot can be done either from toe to heel or heel to toe, but most commonly in ballet it is the former. When you roll through your foot you should do exactly that: from your toes, to the ball of your foot, and then finally your heel.

This is extremely important in ballet. Think of how you not only bring your tendu out, but in as well. Are you gripping the floor? Then you are not rolling through your foot. When you make the transition from ballet slippers to pointe shoes, you need to be able to roll through your foot both on your way up and on your way down. If you do not roll through your foot in pointe shoes on the way down, then you will land flat footed and make that dreaded pointe shoe on floor noise (We all know that sound, right?)

Try this: stand in first position and take a tendu a la second. Your heel should be the first thing that leaves the floor, then the ball of your foot, then your toes point. You should feel the resistance against the floor. Now bring your foot back in to first position. It should be ball of foot then heel. When you put the ball of your foot down, you should be thinking of Barbie shoes (You know how Barbie is perptually walking on her toes, almost like she is on pointe forever?). Think of bringing your heels together as well as your thighs. Now try a saute in first position. When you land back on the floor, are you going toe, ball, heel? You should be.

Dancers who do not roll through their feet are prone to many foot problems, including bunions, hammertoes (from gripping instead of relaxing your toes), cramping, as well as injuries from landing incorrectly from jumps. Rolling through the foot from jumps prevents injuries like sprains and breaks.

Dancingly,

Jenn from CT

PS: Picture is not of me. This is an example of doing a tendu in first, albeit not a very good one to demonstrate. Notice that the dancer has swayback knees, has her weight back on her supporting leg, and needs to turn out the working leg so we can see the innersole of her foot. Her arm a la second is behind her as well, which will prove a problem when she goes to turn.

Foot Cramps

While in class lately, I have been experiencing foot cramps. Dancers who suffer from foot cramps know how difficult it can be to make it through class or a performance. You need to be at your best when it counts, and foot cramps should not hold you back.
Typically, foot cramping is caused by dehydration, a lack of potassium which helps keep our body chemistries regulated, poor circulation and lack of oxygen being carried to the feet, and pinched nerves. Smoking or drinking alcohol can also contribute to this problem, as well as changing hormones in the body, and stress or fatigue in the foot. If the feet are overworked, they are more susceptible to foot cramps. Some birth control medicines cause cramping in the extremities, so if you are experiencing cramps and take birth control, contact your gynecologist immediately, as this may be a sign of a larger circulatory problem.
In order to prevent foot cramping, dancers should be drinking water consistently throughout the day. Eating foods high in potassium, like bananas and peanut butter will help increase the levels of this mineral in your body and re-regulate your body chemistry. Taking ibuprofen or aspirin before class may also help relieve your symptoms. Dancers with injuries to their feet should wrap an ice pack around the foot cramp, but not directly on the area that is affected.
If the foot cramps are chronic, dancers should use warm, damp washcloths on the cramp three times a day and wrap the affected foot with an elastic bandage. Dancers with persistent foot cramps should attempt to stay off that foot until the problem clears, or see a podiatrist who can further diagnose the source of the cramping.
Dancers who have portable bars in their studio should stand on the edge of the bar and let their feet hang off the edge. This will loosen up the muscles from the calves to the feet. Doing runner’s lunges (one leg in front of the other, back leg straight and heel barely touching the ground, front leg bent at the knee at a 90 degree angle and weight forward on the front leg) will also help stretch out the muscles. Before class, dancers should warm their feet up with Pinky Balls, a small rubber ball, by rolling their feet over and over the ball.

Dancingly,
Jenn
jenn@centralctfootcare.com

The Dancer's Foot

I always wanted to be a dancer, back when I was a small child, dancing in front of the television to the TJ Maxx commercial.

It was not immediately meant to be. Always tall for my age (I currently stand at 5'10"), my mother tried to get me into ballet classes when I was in fifth grade. Studio owners said that I was too tall, too old, and that there would be no shoes to fit me. So I took no ballet lessons.

When I started working at a law office, in the same building was a dance studio. I would frequently see dancers out in the hallway. On New Year's Eve, 2002/03 I saw the movie Center Stage. It was the impetus I needed to make that phone call. Very soon after, I was enrolled in ballet classes.

Six and a half years later, I've come a long way from beginner ballet. It's been a rough road: I'm dancing with people half my age, who have been dancing forever. Many of the basics I've missed and catching up is a constant. Building strength is key to prevent injuries.

At one ballet class I met a podiatrist who went to school with my next door neighbors. We became friends and she became my doctor when foot problems developed. I now currently work for her, advertising, marketing, and writing. Our relationship, personal and professional, has taught us that there are a lot of dancers out there who have foot ailments, both big and small. This blog will serve as a record not only of my classes and subsequent foot problems, but to educate dancers on proper foot and ankle care and prevention.

Dancingly,

Jenn

jenn@centralctfootcare.com

http://www.centralctfootcare.com/