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At what stage radiographically can a girl go 'en pointe' in ballet? I assumed it would be after closure of primary growth centers, but what about secondary growth centers? Common consensus in the ballet world seems to be about 12 years old, but I'm not sure what to advise an 11 year old girl who has just presented asking if her feet are ready? Any ideas? I've sent for x-rays to check the growth centers, awaiting results.
How long has she been dancing for as well? It is not advisable to go en pointe if she is a beginner. It is advised that they have a few years ballet experience before pointe to strengthen leg muscles and develop good technique. The ballet teacher should also be able to give advice as to whether she is ready. I don't know radiographically.
At what stage radiographically can a girl go 'en pointe' in ballet? I assumed it would be after closure of primary growth centers, but what about secondary growth centers? Common consensus in the ballet world seems to be about 12 years old, but I'm not sure what to advise an 11 year old girl who has just presented asking if her feet are ready? Any ideas? I've sent for x-rays to check the growth centers, awaiting results.
-Adrian
Age aside, I think it depends on whether this girl is good enough and wishes to make a career from ballet. If not, why would you want to do this to yourself? Lets face it, it isn't great for your feet.
Age aside, I think it depends on whether this girl is good enough and wishes to make a career from ballet. If not, why would you want to do this to yourself? Lets face it, it isn't great for your feet.
Amen!!!!
Other than that I generally suss out the teacher. A good teacher will be the best guide.
Having done a lot of ballet in my time, and with a number of patients since, it is generally the standard you have reached in ballet (ie. the grade/class/exams passed etc) that dictates when the teacher brings pointe work into the class. It tends to be that those acheiving a level where it is required for examns etc, are around 14-15 years old at least, assuming they have participated in ballet since younger childhood. I speak only about the UK - I have no idea the exam structure in other countries. Certainly in the UK it is fairly difficult to progress through the grades much earlier than this.
Ella
Last edited by Ella Hurrell : 10th April 2008 at 11:08 AM.
Reason: typing error
Thanks all for this!
The patient in question has been dancing for years and appears to want to make a career with it. I wil enquire with a dancing teacher and see what I can come up with.
Why someone would want to be a professional ballerina I'll never know.. pink tutu's just dont do it for me.
Thanks again!
-Adrian
Pointe shoes, which elongate a dancer's legs and accentuate the beauty of classical ballet technique, come with their own set of biomechanical principles- and their own set of risk factors for lower extremity injury. http://lowerextremityreview.com/arti...nics-of-ballet
Magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle in female ballet dancers en pointe.
Russell JA, Shave RM, Yoshioka H, Kruse DW, Koutedakis Y, Wyon MA. Acta Radiol. 2010 May 18. [Epub ahead of print]
Quote:
Background: Ballet dancers require extreme range of motion of the ankle, especially weight-bearing maximum plantar flexion (en pointe). In spite of a high prevalence of foot and ankle injuries in ballet dancers, the anatomy and pathoanatomy of this position have not been sufficiently studied in weight-bearing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a beneficial method for such study.
Purpose: To develop an MRI method of evaluating the ankles of female ballet dancers standing en pointe and to assess whether pathological findings from the MR images were associated with ankle pain reported by the subjects.
Material and Methods: Nine female ballet dancers (age, 21+/-2.9 years; dance experience, 16+/-4.1 years; en pointe dance experience, 7+/-4.9 years) completed an ankle pain visual analog scale questionnaire and underwent T1- and T2-weighted scans using a 0.25 T open MRI device. The ankle was scanned in three positions: supine with full plantar flexion, standing with the ankle in anatomical position, and standing en pointe.
Results: Obtaining MR images of the ballet dancers en pointe was successful in spite of limitations imposed by the difficulty of remaining motionless in the en pointe position during scanning. MRI signs of ankle pathology and anatomical variants were observed. Convergence of the posterior edge of the tibial plafond, posterior talus, and superior calcaneus was noted in 100% of cases. Widened anterior joint congruity and synovitis/joint effusion were present in 71% and 67%, respectively. Anterior tibial and/or talar spurs and Stieda's process were each seen in 44%. However, clinical signs did not always correlate with pain reported by the subjects.
Conclusion: This study successfully established an ankle imaging technique for ballet dancers en pointe that can be used in the future to assess the relationship between en pointe positioning and ankle pathoanatomy in ballet dancers.
Ballet
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