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Dancers feet

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by Berms, Dec 12, 2006.

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  1. Berms

    Berms Active Member


    Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
    Has anyone had much experience with complications arising from dancing, ballet, tap etc...? What are the most common foot injuries related to dance? and how are they best managed?
    (I am being hounded by the PTs I work with for better management of dancing injuries they see through their clinic, and I haven't personally seen enough cases).
    Any info would be appreciated. :)
    Cheers,
    Adam
     
  2. Admin2

    Admin2 Administrator Staff Member

  3. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    From Podiatry Today magazine:
    What You Should Know About Dance Injuries
    How To Identify And Treat Common Ballet Injuries

    From my lecture notes:
     
  4. Berms

    Berms Active Member

    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 14, 2006
  5. carolethecatlover

    carolethecatlover Active Member

    Hi Adam,
    years ago in London I lived in a house full of ballet dancers. I was interested in Pod but was told it was to be kept a male profession so I never looked further. But if you want to learn about them, put a flyer up in a dance school. Yoou will gets lots of enquiries. Carole P>S> love Burtitis.
    Hi
     
  6. Angela Foster

    Angela Foster Member

    Re: Dancers feet and arch supports

    Maintaining an Arch
    Would you use basic taping techniques to create an arch or are there insoles suitable for ballet shoes. A ballet student has been told that aesthetically she needs a better defined arch. I would prescribe basic insoles for her anyway, but do not know how to deal with the problem of ballet shoes
    Angela
     
  7. LCBL

    LCBL Active Member

    Remember...dancers are real people too. :p Not all their problems are dance related. :)
     
  8. Richard Chasen

    Richard Chasen Active Member

    Angela, apart from proprioceptive aspects, insoles really only work during weightbearing (many ballet movements involve the arch being out of contact with the ground) and would probably restrict the dancers' turn-out position. I think you'd get a better result from taping, particularly since toe shoes are so flexible that they wouldn't maintain the feet's position on the insoles in any case.

    I agree with LCBL though. I'd deal with the issues when she's out of her ballet shoes separately...
     
  9. Angela Foster

    Angela Foster Member

    Thanks for your advice guys. I have recommended insoles for other footwear. She feels that her jazz shoes may accomodate them but she did not bring them with her. I have also gone through taping with her. Low or high dye is best?.
    Angela
     
  10. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Second-toe length and forefoot disorders in ballet and folk dancers.
    Oztekin HH, Boya H, Nalcakan M, Ozcan O.
    J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2007 Sep-Oct;97(5):385-8.
     
  11. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    The influence of second toe and metatarsal length on stress fractures at the base of the second metatarsal in classical dancers.
    Davidson G, Pizzari T, Mayes S.
    Foot Ankle Int. 2007 Oct;28(10):1082-6.
     
  12. Angela Foster

    Angela Foster Member

    Thanks for the advice everyone.
    I will pass this on to the two dancers I am now looking after. One is much younger and not yet training full time, while the other is at college and arch height and shape is much more important
    Angela
     
  13. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

    Articles:
    1
    Injury patterns in elite preprofessional ballet dancers and the utility of screening programs to identify risk characteristics.
    Gamboa JM, Roberts LA, Maring J, Fergus A.
    J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2008 Mar;38(3):126-36.
     
  14. fixmyfeet

    fixmyfeet Welcome New Poster

    I am a former professionally trained ballet dancer in NYC and now a Certified Pedorthist. My career ended abruptly---attributed to what I found out was a fractured fibular sesamoid bone. Most of the pain in my feet as a dancer, occured on the ball of the foot with symptoms of neuroma as well.
    I attribute the sesamoid fracture to a few things: 1) anorexia and low caloric intake/possible loss of bone mineral density 2) lots and lots of walking in Manhatten and 3) the nature of ballet and the hours and hours doing it.
    Since the surgery my foot has never been the same. I have to limit my walking; cannot run; and cannot wear high heels. My foot tends to swell in the heat. I also have had fairly severe reynaud's syndrome in my toes only, and moved to the Southwest.
    I currently work at eSoles in Scottsdale, AZ
     
  15. Adrian Misseri

    Adrian Misseri Active Member

    Angela,

    As a dancer myself (with a severe symptomatic pes planus), I've experemented with a couple of different ideas in terms of padding and insoles in my dance shoes. Grinding up some PPT poron/low density EVA into an arch cookie with other accomodations (i.e. cuboid notch ect) will often be enough to get the patient through the dance sessions, provided they are wearing their orthoses (if they have some) the rest of the time. I've had some really good success in my ballroom shoes and jazz sneakers with 120-150 density EVA custom devices. Keep them narroy, and slightly longer than you normally would for an every day pair of orthoses. They will bend sufficiently with the shoes, and are great for ballroom, latin, jazz, tap etc. Be aware, they will be too bulky for ballet. As for ballet dancers, there's a product called an 'Arch Angel' which I've used in pateints with some good success. basically they are a 2 part plastic plate with a bent piece of plastic in the middle. They fit into balet slippers and will move with them brilliantly. I get them from www.archangels.com.au Have a look, see how you go. Anyways good luck with it!!!
    Cheers!
     
  16. Stanley

    Stanley Well-Known Member

    My experience is that ballet dancers do not like anything in their ballet shoes, as they cannot feel the ground as well. In the past I have used leather insoles, and felt pads to no avail.

    I now do manual therapy, and this works well. I work on balancing the pelvis, eliminating equinus, and then concentrating on the various foot dysfunctions treated by manual therapy:posterior calcaneus, lateral talus, lateral cuneiform, 3rd met cuneiform, dropped cuboid, foot compression, and dropped metatarsals. I have my own techniques for these, as I do not like to manipulate. There is a lot more involved, including acupuncture/pressure to get the muscles to function properly.
    Start small and learn as much as you can. I know of one podiatrist that just does Danenberg's manipulation for equinus before each performance on every performer for a professional ballet company.

    Regards,

    Stanley
     
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