Amazing Feats
Full of nerve endings and obviously the means of our mobility and balance, our feet are often neglected. Feet take tremendous abuse from natural forces and from being forced to endure unnatural forces: shoes.
Gymnopedes University of South Florida Dance Concert (Richard Sias, Choreographer) I am on the right in case there is any confusion.
Confession: My feet are not for modeling sandals or shoes. They are dancer’s feet. Feet that have weathered shorn, bruised, torn and infected toenails, even no toenails, fractured bones, sprains, strains, pulls, blisters, corns, calluses, athlete’s foot, metatarsalgia, tendinitis, and bunions … ailments that resolve over time, unless of course, they become chronic from repeated use that may or may not be overuse, but just a result of years of dancing. Bunions, unfortunately, get worse over time. And wearing the wrong kinds of shoes only exacerbates that problem. But insiders know that costume departments rule and the show must go on!
What are bunions?
Someone dear to me once observed, “Heather, you have a little hunch on your foot.” A bunion is a protrusion to be sure and a bonified foot disorder. Although the cause of bunions is not known, genetics are a factor and so is footwear. For example, when the big toe is compressed against the next toe and other toes from a shoe that’s too tight, a bony hunch or bump forms. Bunions are actually very common and not limited only to women who often become slaves to high-heeled fashion. Dancers, particularly ballet dancers working in pointe shoes, seem to develop bunions more than other types of dancers and athletes.
Onstage, There is No Pain
Honestly, nothing about wearing pointe shoes was ever comfortable for me. Blisters had to happen to form calluses = dancing on bloody open skin with repeated rubbing, pain, and bleeding. Taping toes to provide a barrier surface would take up more room inside the shoe causing more discomfort, the tape often rolling inside, sticking toes oddly together. The only remedy was to remove the shoe and tape again, so we just kept going during classes or performances, pain be damned. Soft lambs wool could be used to fill up the space where the toes didn’t inside the shoe. It was meant to cushion the skin against the already shellac-drenched material inside and perhaps prevent additional rubbing. But as we’ve discussed, what ballet dancers do in these shoes and the exquisite experience that happens for both dancer and viewer, is the art of the dance form … on amazing feet.
Pointe shoes or torture boxes?
In my early ballet years, pointe shoes were crafted differently. Most of the handmade toe boxes tapered to as much of a point as structurally possible. Just imagine what was going in inside that old-fashioned shoe: all toes compressed against each other with a very small flat standing surface taking the entire weight of the body and force of movement. In those days, as a right of passage, we were taught to darn the surface of the shoe’s satin with embroidery stitches using a thimble and great pressure to push the needle and thread through tightly woven satin. The darning would actually extend the surface of the shoe, creating a less-slippery, more flat, less pointed surface for balancing. Today, the practice of darning seems less and point shoes are made with much wider toe boxes, so each toe might remain straight inside, facilitating a more even distribution of body weight with a wider standing surface.
The Cost of Art
Pointe shoes were and are expensive. Dancers with strong feet would wear them out after a few classes or a single performance. To save money, we would paint the toe boxes with shellac and bake them in the oven to get more wear from the re-hardened area. And many, including myself, would begin the madness by purposely breaking the shoe leather, perhaps also crushing the boxes softening them just enough to tolerate wearing them in the first place. Oh, do you see the cycle of abuse tolerated by the determination to dance? And we are not even discussing the history of pointe work, where dancers literally danced on their toes with none of the support these shoes offer today.
Movement Extraordinaire
Feet, toes, and ankles are capable of extraordinary articulation and they support the mechanism of balancing and turning en pointe. Also think about dance movement in general while wearing pointe shoes. Dancers’ feet move through repetitive ankle flexion and extension into balance. Turning requires additional extension from the foot from a flat stance to 3/4 pointe (on the ball of the foot) and even farther, by extending on to full point when wearing pointe shoes. The force of the foot against the shoe at the toe joints is tremendous. To add difficulty, when standing still, the pointe shoe actually creates uneven balance. Remember, the toes are held firmly inside, unable to fan out to fully grip or push the floor as they should do when wearing soft dance slippers or other exercise shoes. Ballet dancers push down for jumps and leaps and return to the floor from those activities using the foot in the reverse sequence of toe, ball, heel. Performing choreography, dancers run, step up, step down, leap, and turn, all the time articulating movement through the feet inside those unforgiving shoes. So you get the idea.
If a bunion forms, over time, it pushes the bones in the feet out of alignment. Whether you’re a dancer or not, this affects everything: your balance, your spinal alignment, which in turn affects hips, how you walk, run, and especially the support mechanisms we count on to perform basic activities that require symmetrical stability for our sense of balance and assuredness in the world. Curiously, feet inside athletic shoes perform the same articulate foot movements as ballet dancers and must also do so within the constraints of a shoe. In most cases, an athletic shoe is designed to assist these movements and prevent injury. Not so, as we’ve learned with a pointe shoe. They’re called torture boxes for a reason.
What if you have a bunion?
The “remedy” for bunions seems to lead to surgery. The problem is that for a dancer, this surgery is the last surgery he or she would want to do; perhaps better as an event near the end of a career? To date, it remains an invasive cutting and sawing procedure that moves bone, affecting nerves and soft tissue in the process. Whether you’re a dancer or not, any time a surgical blade cuts the body, the area will never be the same as it was before the procedure. Dancers don’t want to risk losing the much needed flexibility in this area of the foot, so they postpone bunion surgery, often enduring a bunion’s growth and any pain that may come with it as it could mean the end of dancing forever. One never knows. The truth for a dancer who is still dancing is that if the bunion is not painful, it might be best to leave it alone until it’s time to retire. Of course, if it’s painful to the point of being crippling, it’s time to consider surgery. And it’s definitely time to consider wearing-less constricting shoes.
I consulted with a surgeon who was performing a less-common, less-invasive arthroscopic technique for treating bunions. I talked to a dancer who’d had it done and she swore by the procedure. I was told that the conventional surgery often required the toe bone be moved so far over to be stabilized over two toe bones, possibly with pins in the bones and the ankle as well. The alternative procedure may position the bone over a single toe bone and does not use a knife to dissect the big toe joint area. There is less scarring and faster healing. As with anything, do your own research to find what works best for your situation.
Real People Shoes
Finding the appropriate shoes and fit for exercise can be overwhelming with so many choices. I begin by being honest about my feet: what I was born with and what has become chronic. For example, I was born with flat feet. Over time, functional dance retraining has strengthened the muscles in my feet and I can now recreate an arch. Nevertheless, I look for shoes that provide extra ankle support to avoid pronation (rolling in). I have very wide feet, a shaved almost non-existent heel and now, chronic bunions. As a result, I need shoes that are wider at the toe box and snug and cushioned at the heel.
When searching for exercise shoes, I’ve learned over time that I prefer a shoe that can crossover and be worn for other forms of exercise. I know that my feet sweat, but sometimes I dislike wearing socks, particularly if my feet slip inside the shoe as a result, so I make sure my feet are comfortable either way. The same methodology applies for arch supports or inserts. I know I dislike soft stretchy fabric in an exercise shoe. There’s too much play and danger of pronation. For me, I need a level of support, but one that gives and is not completely rigid. I also know that my toes should be flat in the shoe, so that each toe is not held rigidly, but firmly, as my toes are a measure of my balance at any given time. I know that a thick rubber sole, although lightweight, just feels clunky and is distracting. I know my feet swell, so I need adjustable laces. And speaking of laces, here’s a link to Ian’s Shoelace Site, where you’ll find some great information about shoe-lacing techniques. Something as simple as reworking your lacing may help with many common problems.
Functional Body Training Can Help
Awareness becomes a trigger for intentional movement that becomes our exercise.
Exercises using Flex Ropes resistance that specifically address muscle strengthening in the feet can help improve ankle pronation and supination, improve awareness of foot-joint articulation and stance if bunions are present. Awareness becomes a trigger for intentional movement that becomes our exercise. As we deal with changes, we must work on movement that we never used to think about. Again, this becomes our exercise plan. Form, resistance, and repetition. Also, please take extra time to love your feet. Pedicures are great, but self-massaging your feet with your fingers or a golf ball (if you’re looking for a functional substitute) is a wonderful way to wake up the nerve endings down there. Love your feet and they’ll love you back!
