Foot Problems in Ballet Dancers

By | August 13, 2021

Ballet may be cruel on the foot. So much stress is placed on the foot through the techniques of ballet and the demands on the feet are very high. At the elite level all these demands may be nearly eight or so hours per day and all that is performed in flimsy unsupportive shoes. The research data is that ballet dancers get more foot problems versus the general population. Almost all ballet dancers will likely have their foot care actions which they do in order to strengthen the foot musculature and take care of their feet and toe nails. It's going to take a long time to succeed in ballet and the last thing which they wish to occur is for anything to go bad caused by a foot issue.

In an episode of the podiatry related chat show, PodChatLive, they had an elaborate chat about the foot difficulties in dancing and also the strains put on the foot. The 2 guests that the hosts talked to were Catherine Crabb and Sarah Carter who are both academics in Podiatry for the University of Western Australia in Perth, West Australia. Leading up to their podiatry work both were dancers at a quite high level which means this blended experiences and knowledge of both podiatry and dancing meant that they were both in a position to discuss this subject. They talked about if the prevalent concern of hypermobility is important to be a professional dancer and their reply might have pleasantly surprised lots of listeners. They discussed the commonest injuries seen in ballet dancers and since 85% of ballet injuries are usually in the lower leg, it without doubt demonstrates the significance of podiatry. They also compared the variations between female and male ballet dancers and the unique injuries noticed. They also talked about the significance of the ballet slipper along with the ridiculous things dancers do to them, and the requirement for a proper ‘pointe assessment’ and just what this could entail.