How to perform en pointe pain-free

As a professional dancer, you have to wear pointe shoes all day long. Thus, you can’t avoid some pain with pointe work. However, you won’t have to suffer from any real pain, if you have your shoes fitted correctly as well as achieve the right level of mobility and strength. This article is made to bring you the list of some ways to make pointe pain-free. Check out the article in order to get more information.

Get the right shoes

It’s necessary to choose correctly fitting pointe shoes. In fact, you can get a good pair of shoes working for you once your feet have stopped growing. However, purchasing a good pair of shoes is not simple. You can buy them online. More importantly, you should see an experienced pointe shoe fitter because they have access to a lot of styles. You shouldn’t choose a too wide box of the shoe because it may make pressure on the toes when the foot slides down into the box. Of course, you can’t avoid bruised toenails. On the contrary, a too short box of the shoe can cut in under the joint of the big toe as well as contribute to the formation of a bunion. Therefore, it’s important to choose the shoes with the wings come up to the level of your big toe joint. The fact is that each person has their individual foot type. That’s why there will be no perfect shoes for all dancers. It’s important to choose shoes that fit your type of foot

Be prepared

For each student, they should undergo a pre-pointe assessment with a qualified practitioner such as a physical therapist in dance or an experienced dance teacher so that you can have the required range and strength for the pointe work. Also, this can help you to reduce the risk of injury as well as developing incorrect technique. If you don’t pass your pointe assessment in the first time, you should get the advice from your assessor before your next assessment.

Strengthen correctly

You need a structured program from your teacher so that you can improve your strengthen pointe gradually. You should learn how to really articulate the foot in the shoe in every tendu and rise just not being up on pointe or down on flat. The most important part of pointe work is being able to control your lowering and working through a graduated rise. That helps to improve your strength and technique so as to prevent injuries.

Use the right shoe for your level

You should choose the shoes that are appropriate for your level of pointe work. For a beginner, a softer shoe will be a good choice for working at the barre so that you know how to articulate the foot correctly in the shoe. On the contrary, you need a stronger and more rigid shoe for moving into doing things like multiple turns in the center. You will need a few different pairs of shoes if you want to progress further with your pointe work. They include a really supple one, stronger, more stable one, and stronger variations. And, they are perfect for barre work as well as center work.

Look after your feet

One of the important things you need to do is foot hygiene. However, you often neglect it. You may not know you may be at risk of all sorts of nasties as ingrown toenails, blisters, and fungal infections if you don’t care for your feet properly. Another important thing you need to pay attention to is removing your toe pads or ouch pouches like socks and washing them frequently. Besides, you may also suffer from pain because of sweating a lot through your feet. So, you should let them dry once you wear them.

Use appropriate padding

There are many options for you when you are looking for padding on the market today. However, the thing you need is something having minimal fabric underneath the toes. The reasons cause pain is the toes clawing in the shoe as well as the knuckles rubbing on the underside of the box. Most dancers need something to put in place to stop the rubbing. However, the best method is developing the articulation of the foot and strength to the correct muscles.

Keep your shoes strong enough

The glue of the box may be softened due to leaving any padding in your shoes after dancing. Therefore, your foot may be weakened as well as down too far in the shoe. Make sure your shoes are dried thoroughly between each use. To extend the life of the shoe, you need a couple of pairs you cycle. Also, you can use a glue in order to help re-stiffen the middle of the shank. There are a few reincarnations including a performance shoe, a class shoe, a pointe exercise shoe, and a demi pointe shoe for class work. You should have shoes for each stage.

Conclusion

Pointe work is not painful for the beginner. There are many reasons that cause pain en pointe. However, they can be easily corrected. With these ways above, you needn’t worry about pain. It won’t be a problem. Consult our post to get more tips.

Written by Evelyn Welch, author of the Foot Wind > https://footwind.net/best-tennis-shoes-for-standing-all-day/