Ballet and Your Feet

Ballet is a very demanding dance. Being on your toes for 6 hours is hard on your feet which is why sprains, tendinitis, and fractures are common injuries. However, ballet can also result in other injuries, three of which are described here.

Toenail Ailments The toe adapts to the pounding of the toe by thickening, this is desirable--the toenail is protecting itself from injury.

• Good maintenance: cut nails close to the quick in the center, then straight across out to the edges. Keeping the center of the nail trimmed close to the quick prevents bruising. If corners are too short, round each one slightly with an emery board.


• Partially torn nails: While some dancers will deal with a partially torn nail by avoiding pointe for a few days, this can be dangerous because it could result in a more severe injury. If the pain is severe, you should see a podiatrist as soon as possible.
  

Corns A skin secretion that is produced at pressure-sensitive sites, corns can become painful because they build at pressure sites.

• Infected Corns: Dancers are likely to experience infected corns between the third and fourth toes because most dancers have a degree of numbness in this spot. Infected corns looks swollen and red and is typically red and painful. Anything that looks like an infected pimple should be treated by a professional.


• Uninfected, Painful Corns: If you experience chronic corn pains, check to ensure that your shoes fit. If your corns don't go away after ensuring that you have properly fitting shoes, lambswool and corn pads can relieve the pain. It is important to keep in mind that corns and the buildup of callous skin is a normal adaptation for dancers, but regular visits to a podiatrist can reduce the pain from corns.

Blisters Developed when a new area of the foot is rubbed, blisters are a normal occurrence especially when experimenting with new shoes.

• Avoiding Blisters: Ensuring that your shoes are the right size for your feet is the first step to avoiding blisters. Applying band-aids to susceptible sites is also a good means of preventing blisters.


• Blister Care: If a blister breaks, it is important to apply ointment and a band-aid. You should never unroof a broken blister or puncture a non-painful blister. If a blister does need to be punctured, it should be done by a professional.

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