Pointe Shoes, Achilles tendons & Ballet barre
Dancing Smart Newsletter
October 27, 2006
Announcements
It's true! Level 2 of Functional Anatomy for Dancers is done, and ready to ship! Anneliese and I are hard at work on Levels 3 & 4, deciding which common dance movements to analyze and break down into their different components.
I hope you all read my recent article in Dance Spirit on chronic knee injuries. Part 2 is on its way in December's issue – on acute knee injuries. Thanks, Dance Spirit & Kristin Lewis, for doing a great job with presenting articles on injury prevention and education!
Onto the questions of the week…
First Question
My 13-year-old daughter has been on pointe for almost two years now and is still having difficulty getting over the box. She has a strong foot but not a lot of arch. She's also had some problems of soreness in her Achilles tendon area, and we're wondering if this could be caused by the strain she's putting on her feet by having to dance toward the back of the box.
I recently did some research and read that for her kind of feet, she ought to find pointe shoes with a regular to short vamp and three-quarter to one-half shank. Is there such a shoe? When I was dancing some 30 years ago, I used Capezio, which had fairly low vamps then. I've noticed that now Capezio and, to our knowledge, most other pointe shoes tend to have relatively high vamps. According to what I read (and as I'd suspected) this only gives a "slightly arched" foot more to "fight against."
I've tried searching for a pointe shoe company that makes low-vamp shoes (preferably not special order), but can't seem to find any. The same goes for a one-half shank shoe. We were just wondering if you could offer us any advice or point us in the right direction.
Thank you so much.
Gratefully, Patty
I checked in with a very good friend, who now teaches at UMKC. Paula Weber has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet, Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago, Chicago Ballet, Hartford Ballet among others. Since I have not put on a pair of pointe shoes in over 30 years, I'm not up on the latest styles. Here is what she said.
" About the pointe shoes....I find that Gaynor Mindon's put those who can't quite make it up on pointe -- up there. The shank is moldable with a "hair dryer" so you can bend it to where ever you want it. They come in different hardnesses and they last forever if you protect the satin on the tip of the shoe like the instructions ask. If they are fitted correctly they are as comfortable as tennis shoes. If they aren't fitted properly they can rip up feet - so beware. All other shoes can be 1/2 shanked just by breaking, cutting, and pulling out the shank. She should try this with an old pair of shoes so she doesn't ruin a new pair of shoes. I think Sansha or Block may come in 1/2-3/4 shank as well."
Thank you, Paula!
Next Question
Hello! I recently returned to modern dance class after a long absence. The last part of the class had us doing jumps and runs. While I didn't feel anything acute or major at the time of the action, the next morning I could barely walk from the soreness in both my Achilles. I have been going back and forth between heat and cold. It seems cold feels better at the end of the day and heat in the morning. I've gotten some ultrasound as well. I have not danced at all since this happened but it is about five weeks later and the condition feels like it's getting worse. It's made me notice my alignment of hips/knees/ankles and definitely see some issues. The pain in both Achilles is pretty severe in the morning, almost like a burning feeling. I'm not sure what to do as far as what kind of doctor to see but I feel like I need some serious therapy and some re-education for the imbalanced movement pattern that probably brought this on. I do not have any health insurance, but
If I need to go to a sports medicine doctor or something, I will...I just really want to go to the right kind of professional so as not to waste money and more time. Would appreciate any guidance you can give.
Many, many thanks, Marie
It's possible that the soleus, which is often both weak and tight, got significantly overworked during your return to modern dance. I would begin working with the pinkie ball underneath your foot and everywhere around the lower leg, especially focusing on the back of the calf. See if that makes any difference when you stand up to walk. Does it feel easier? If so, continue with de-inflaming the area with ice at night and/or ibuprofen for a few days.
Try gently stretching the soleus/gastrocnemius by putting your forefoot over a thick book that is resting on the floor, with your heel on the ground. Place your other foot in front of the book, so you have a small lunge happening. When the knee is straight on the leg that is being stretched on the book – you are stretching the gastrocnemius. When you barely (2-3 inches) bend that same knee, you are stretching the soleus. If you notice that you feel improvement after stretching gently for a minute or two, then I would next try a massage therapist that works with dancers or athletes.
As far as a physician goes if you don't have continual improvement because of your own efforts – that is harder to say. I find it has more to do with the individual doctor, than what their initials say. Orthopedic surgeons can be very useful, as well as Doctors of Osteopathy, (DO's). Even a good sports podiatrist could be very useful because of the area of your injury. My best suggestion would be to gather as many recommendations as possible.
Hope you feel better quickly!
Final Question
I have been receiving your newsletter for about 6 months now and love it. I teach ballet technique to students from the ages 7-18. These students take at least 3 hours of ballet technique a week on top of 3 or 4 hours of jazz, lyrical or tap classes. They dance and work their bodies so much they often complain of aches and pains. Without getting specific on where they are hurting, it is a great variety, I was wondering if you had any basic strength training exercises for the major muscle groups that I could add to their regular barre routine to help prevent injury. The Barre routine I follow is an average barre, we warm up with legs swings, etc. Then do plies starting in second and progress through the positions to 5th. We do tondues, degages, ronde jambes a terre and en l'air, frappes, grande battements etc.
Thank you,
Julie
Great question! I would have you try an experiment and that is to give them 4 stretches to do briefly as they watch the next combination, or have a moment. These are
1. Iliopsoas stretch (done in a standing lunge)
2. The traditional quad stretch standing (holding your ankle in your hand.)
3. The traditional gastrocnemius and soleus stretch (lunge position with straight and slightly bent knee
4. Hamstring stretching (either leg on barre turned out to focus on lateral hamstring or rounding forward in parallel, hands on the ground, and bending one knee while focusing stretch on straight leg)
Why I have you focus them on stretching over strengthening is their age range. So often they are going through growth spurts, and their muscle imbalance goes towards tightness. They are actually getting a fair amount of strengthening to the quads, hamstrings, and calf muscles through the barre exercises.
I would be interested in hearing back from you- or any of the teachers from our newsletter group. Make sure they know how to stretch these four areas correctly and with breath, not putting too much pull on the muscles, make them responsible for stretching their tightest areas consistently throughout the barre in these small snatches of time. Does it make a difference?
Another suggestion would be to purchase the Functional Anatomy Guide for Dancers, Level 1 & 2 – and begin mini anatomy lessons with the class, so they begin to understand their own patterns from the inside out (Couldn't resist .. smiling)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Warmest regards.
Deborah
"Education is the key to injury prevention"
Have a Question?
Email your questions to Deb at AskDeb@thebodyseries.com or visit her online at http://www.thebodyseries.com.
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Deborah Vogel is a dancer, author, and master teacher who conducts workshops across the U.S. for both student and professional dancers. Her numerous articles on dance technique and injury prevention have appeared in Dance Spirit and Dance Teacher magazines. She is the Director of the Institute for Performance Studies and a faculty member at Oberlin College and the OC Conservatory of Music. During her years in NYC she co- founded the Center for Dance Medicine. Deborah makes her home in Oberlin, Ohio.
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