A Ballet Dancer’s Guide to Foot Care

Ballet is one of the most intense and competitive physical activities. It puts excessive stress upon your feet, ankles and toes. Ballet dancers put themselves at risk for many painful foot problems, most commonly severe blisters and bone fractures.

Below are some tips for ballet dancers to help keep free from injury. They include:

• Wrap your feet. Most ballet dancers practice on a daily basis. This makes their feet susceptible to aches and pains. Wrapping your feet before every dance can relieve swelling and pain brought on by the pressure. Wrapping your feet can also prevent your feet from blistering.

• Find your correct size. If your ballet shoes allow your feet and toes too much room to move it can result in painful blisters.

• Massage your feet.  

• Give your feet a rest. Practice makes perfect, but too much physical activity can easily lead to an overuse injury. If you begin to experience pain in your feet, toes, or ankles, take a break. Allow your feet time to rest while icing and elevating your affected area to reduce swelling and pain.

Dancing, particularly ballet, places extreme physical demands on your feet, toes and ankles. The physical demands put your feet at risk for injuries or other ailments. Practicing proper foot care on a daily basis is important in maintaining the health of your feet.

If you experience a foot or ankle ballet injury contact our office at (713) 467-8886 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Bowman.

References:

http://www.dancersfeetct.blogspot.com/
http://houstonfootspecialists.com.edit.officite.com/blog/post/have-fun-dancing-without-injury-to-feet--ankles.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/362111-how-to-wrap-a-dancers-foot/

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