Sore dancing feet problem...how to solve?
Asked by
nebule (
16462
)
March 11th, 2010
I’ve been doing this dance DVD (Tracey Anderson method) for a few weeks now and I get really sore balls of my feet. I suspect this is normal and one spends a lot of time hippity hoppiting around.
Is the general idea to build up hard skin on the feet to protect your feet from the friction (which is what I presume is causing the pain)? Or should I still be able to keep soft feet (scouring them with pumice stone etc) and just invest in proper expensive dance shoes to protect my feet?
Your professional dancing help and advice would be most appreciated! Thank you x
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8 Answers
If I ever had problems like that in my years of dancing ballet it was always tape. Tape up the sore areas.
There are lots of products that can help to soothe the problem until you build up the necessary natural cushioning. Many of them are being aimed commercially at ‘girls on a night out’, but they are more than applicable in this situation.
Here is one such product that I would recommend.
If you intend to dance a whole bunch, shoes can be a worthwhile investment, but don’t get taken in by the shoe racket unless you really think you’ll keep it up for a while. That said, if you take a look at any dancer’s feet, they are atrocious—especially ballet dancers, but it’s true in general. If you want to dispel the myth that dancers are radiantly beautiful creatures, have one of them take off their shoes.
In other words, you’re just going to have to worry less about how beautiful your feet are if you intend to dance lots. Of course, I encourage lots of dancing. :)
That said, if the pain is significant and unusual (beyond some tenderness) that almost certainly signifies a problem. You need to see a doctor and stop whatever you’re doing—it’s probably not quite right, and you’re doing damage to yourself.
Soak your feet hot water. Try a jacuzzi.
Tape is your friend! Also, if the pain continues, you can see a podiatrist about it – you may have some inflammation due to the activity. He/She may recommend some type of support for your foot.
Try an ice soak, it may help.
(years of dance and gymnastics…and yes, I have some damaged feet!)
Decent shoes would be the first line of defense, for prevention. After the fact, you will find that both icing and heating your foot is recommended. When Hubby and I were actively dancing, we would first plunge our feet into ice water for 15 minutes, then wrap with a hot pad on low, the medium for another 15 minutes.
We have discovered ice packs at the Pharmacy, which you can wrap around your feet, and you don’t have to get water all over the place. There are also hot packs that you can put in the microwave and then wrap.
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