FEET FIRST

Let's face it, Dancing on the tips of the toes is not natural and Pointe Work is never pain free or without risk.

There are many stresses that can be suffered by the feet (and the rest of the body) through the very nature and ever increasing demands of dance and even more so wearing Pointe Shoes and dancing En-Pointe.

Potential problems to watch for :

Fungal Infections, Blisters, Bruised Toe Nails, Corns, Bunions and Bunionettes,

Hardened Calluses, Curled or Hammer Toes and other nail problems to mention just a few.

Correct Pointe Shoe fitting is important to minimise these problems and there are also useful foot healthcare and Pointe Shoe accessories that can be used to help to prevent problems and also relieve the toes and feet further from irritation and damage.

Doing regular self checks of your feet and if necessary visiting a Podiatrist who specialises in Foot Health and Biomechanics is important to avoid long term problems, as often foot and nail problems can be slow to resolve.

Some injuries often caused by continuous repetition, fatigue, or poor technique and weakness, may need a period of rest and thermotherapy to reduce swelling and inflammation and later after the acute injury stage, massage and remedial exercises are often indicated and are beneficial to manage longer term recovery.

Visit my on-line shop for pointe accessories and foot care products or arrange an appointment for advice.

Foot Shapes

There are many different foot types but mostly they fall into one of the following categories.

Greek or Morton’s Foot
Egyptian Foot
Peasant or Giselle Foot (Square)
Compressible Foot

Greek Foot – The second toe is longer and width tends to be narrow to medium. Care needs to be taken to protect the second toe from friction and pressure.

Egyptian Foot – The First or Great Toe is the longest and the rest of the toes taper to the little toe. Care needs to be taken to alleviate too much pressure on the tip of the Great Toe alone, reducing risk of bunions developing and bruised toe nail of the big toe.

Peasant/Giselle Foot – The first three toes are of a similar length, toes are generally shorter in length and foot is medium to wide width. This is the most ideal foot shape for Pointe Work.

Compressible Foot – This describes a foot that is extremely flexible in particular in the metatarsal area, there is not a great deal of fleshy areas in between the bones and tendons on the top of the foot, so that when standing the feet spread and when en-pointe the foot compresses so the bones become squeezed together. This is common amongst dancers.

Many stresses can be suffered by the feet through the very nature of dance and even more so wearing Pointe Shoes and dancing En-Pointe. The feet can suffer many problems – Bruised Toe Nails, corns, bunions and bunionettes, hardened calluses, curled toes and nail problems to mention just a few.

Correct Pointe Shoe fitting is important to minimise these problems and there are also a number of simple but useful products that can be used to protect and relieve the toes and feet further from irritation and damage.