Sometimes no matter how careful you are about maintaining proper foot care (see Parts 1 & 2), your feet can still become injured from dancing. When they do, it’s crucial to address the problem as soon as possible. In this article, we’ll share some tips for caring for injured feet.
Foot Care Injury Tips
1. Wrap injured areas carefully and allow time for healing.
If you’ve suffered an injury to your toes or feet, make sure to wrap up the injured area with gauze infused with antibiotic ointment. You can also use a foam or gel pad to protect the injured part of your foot. If your pain continues to increase even after taking these measures, you may need to give yourself a break from dancing for a while. You don’t want to risk making the injury worse. As hard as it can be to stay off your feet, doing so can make your recovery time quicker and cause it to go more smoothly.
2. If you develop ongoing problems, visit a podiatrist for treatment.
Don’t ignore a pain in your feet due to injury or overuse that doesn’t seem to go away in a reasonable amount of time. If you do try to keep going in spite of continuous pain or injuries that won’t heal, you may be setting yourself up for a lifetime of suffering from a debilitating chronic condition. You’ll want to be seen and treated by a medical professional who specializes in foot care. Hopefully, they’ll be able to give you an accurate diagnosis and map out a plan for effective treatment.
3. Get corns checked out if they should develop between your toes.
One of the most prevalent and annoying foot problems that dancers have to deal with is the presence of corns which often pop up between the toes. If you’ve noticed these uncomfortable bumps starting to emerge, you should ask a podiatrist to treat them. To avoid getting them in the first place, always wear dancing shoes that are a proper fit. This is especially necessary for pointe ballet shoes. Also, never dance or walk around wearing dance or street shoes without tights or socks on under them.
4. Wear proper protection for your big toe.
While caring for your entire foot is important, one of the most vital areas to protect is your big toe. This is especially true when you’re a ballet dancer wearing pointe shoes. If you don’t have the correct amount of padding, you’ll end up bruising the area beneath your toenails. Once this happens, you may end up losing the entire nail. That will open your toe up to further, even more serious, injuries.
Whether you’re seeking to prevent foot injuries or to treat them, you’ll want to stock up on the proper equipment for the task. Here are some supplies you’ll want to keep on hand. These are a complete necessity if you are a pointe ballet dancer.
Foot Care Supply List
Feet can’t be properly maintained without the right supplies – especially for pointe dancers. A pointe dancer’s bag should contain athletic tape, toe pads, moleskin, thread and needles, bandages, toenail clippers, scissors, elastic, and a foot roller.
In our next article in this series, we’ll consider how foot health can either help or hinder your dance performances.
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