Feet - Why should we care?
Feet Care
52 out of 208 bones in your body are bones of the feet. As dancers, we expect a lot of the feet. We expect them to dance well, stretch well, and look good. Which is why we must take extra care of them – we’ll be stuck with them forever, afterall!
Bloch has some good tips on how we can support our feet…
Toe nails
“Toe nails should be cut straight across and kept relatively short, but not too short – you should have a small amount of white nail growth at the end,” says Kemp. “Regular nail polish is a no-no. It tends to affect health of the nail, but also, if you get bruising or an ingrown toe nail, you can’t see what’s happening. Nail polish also tends to make you more prone to things like fungal infections. It’s ok for short term use, if you’re going to a party or something like that, but not for long term use.”
Air your shoes
“If a dancer is full-time or in class for a number of hours per week, it’s good to have a couple of pairs of shoes on rotation, so you can air them between classes,” suggests Kemp. That goes for both pointe shoes AND soft ballet pumps. “Usually shoes need at least 24-36 hours to dry out properly. None of your shoes should be stored in your bag. Ideally shoes should be kept out of your bag and hung up after class, to air and dry.”
Skin care
Remember to clean your skin after dance. As sweat flushes out bacteria it is important to clean it off your skin as well as any dirt from the studio if dancing in bare feet. “It’s good to keep the area in between the toes really dry, so you can use surgical spirits in between the toes to keep them dry,” advises Kemp. “For rest of the foot, use a good moisturising cream on a daily basis.”
Feet Accessories - Toe pads - for pointe
“We see really gross toe-pads! Dancers need to wash toe pads on a regular basis.” Make sure to air your toe pads and foot accessories such as gel pads and insoles.
Recovery
It is important to roll out your feet on equipment such as a wooden foot roller or massage ball and allow them to rest. “For post-class/rehearsal/performance recovery, I often recommend that full-time dancers and dancers who do a number of classes per evening use compression tights or socks,” advises Kemp. “You can get specialised, targeted compression socks for feet.”
Street shoes
“Because dancers’ feet get such a huge workout in ballet, I recommend that, outside of ballet, they wear a really supportive shoe, even going to and from training. I know warm-up booties are great but they don’t provide any support. So if dancers are walking any distance, even just going to the shops, sneakers are preferable because they’re supportive and have lots of cushioning.”
Blisters
When training hard you may develop some blisters on your feet. These will occur less as your skin toughens. Please try not to touch them yourself and ask a professional for help if you have a blister that is bothering you and has lots of fluid in it. They can disinfect the skin and prick it with a sterilised needle without removing the skin (not blood blisters). They then apply antiseptic and a dry dressing.
But there are some things we should never do to our feet.
Never overstretch the feet - foot stretchers tend to overstretch the feet and make them weak.
Never force your feet to do anything they cannot do – flexibility and strength of the feet will come with time and hard work.
Never crack your feet knuckles. There is nothing worse you can do to your foot than crack them – this will lead overstretching ligaments and tendons and result in week ankles and feet.