Dancing Ballet can Permanently Damage your Feet

Question

Ballet dancing can cause foot pain, injury, and in some cases, even permanent foot damage. This mostly occurs in dancers practicing pointe technique. However, dancers not on pointe can also experience injuries. Learn more about potential risks, feet that are more or less prone to injuries, and what to do about it.

Answer 1

Though I feel that Healthline can often over-exaggerate, or even share false information on health issues. As they rely heavily on fear mongering for clicks on their articles. However, the information within this article, and, therefore, this claim is accurate.

Ballet dancing, especially pointe, can cause various issues including Dancer's Fracture, which is a fracture occurring in the outer edge of the foot, plantar fasciitis, and metatarsalgia. Plantar Fasciitis and metatarsalgia are permanent chronic pain disorders, of which individuals cannot get rid of once they develop. Ballet can even cause a range of short-term complications, that lead to long term issues, such as pain, swelling, blisters and calluses. These complications do not occur solely with dancing on pointe, in fact, they can all occur within non-pointe ballet.

Here are some sources I found on these issues, including a really interesting case study based on a Swedish Ballet company:

https://www.slcpodiatrist.com/blog/ballet-beautiful-not-feet/

https://certifiedfoot.com/prevent-ballerina-feet-damage-essential-tips-for-dancers/#:~:text=Body%20Weight%3A%20The%20repetitive%20force,conditions%20if%20not%20properly%20managed.

https://esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1007/s001670100195

Comments

Thank you for providing multiple sources to support this claim, and pointing out that pointe can be especially damaging to the feet of dancers.

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I appreciate the descriptions of various conditions that can affect ballet dancers. The inclusion of several different sources that corroborate your response as well as providing additional reading.

Answer 2

After some further investigation, this claim appears to be true, although more relevant for dancers on pointe. Ballerinas put a tremendous amount of stress on their feet resulting in Trama injuries from the overuse. The competitive nature of ballet pushes dancers to continue through their injury, and in some cases might further injure themselves. Ballet is home to four very standardly practiced positions, plie, passe, releve, and pointe, all of which put stress on the feet and when practiced continously for long periods of time might lead to injury.

How Ballet Can Damage Your Feet

Ballerina Feet - Conditions that cause Ballerina Feet Damage

Comments

This is a well-corroborated fact-check. I think it could have been behooved by a peer-reviewed journal article, though.

Answer 3

There is substantial evidence supporting the assertion that ballet dancing, particularly pointe techniques, can lead to foot pain, injuries, and occasionally lasting harm. Pointe technique exerts significant pressure on the feet, heightening the likelihood of stress fractures, joint injuries, and deformities, especially in younger dancers. Non-pointe dancers can also experience injuries such as tendonitis and shin splints because of repetitive movements and overexertion. Medical organizations such as the AAOS, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and IADMS acknowledge these risks and emphasize the necessity of adequate training and technique to reduce them.

https://www.aaos.org/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/

Answer 4

I believe that the claim of “Dancing Ballet can Permanently Damage your Feet” is accurate based on the facts of the case stating that dancing ballet can cause pain and injury when practicing pointe technique. Author Jane Chertoff and medical reviewer Alana Biggers, M.D., MPH utilizes the pointe technique and multiple injury risks to strengthen the claim. Although the source is a “.com” website which always leaves me a little weary on the accuracy. 

The point technique is a commonly practiced form of ballet where the dancers spend the entire time on their tiptoes while performing moves and poses. There are special shoes created for this act specifically where a thinker insole is in place at the toe to provide comfort and stability. Although the shoe is built for this occasion specifically it is highly problematic. Pointe shoes are only awarded to advanced ballerinas in order to deflate the pain caused to beginners. Just because pointe is a rare style of dance does not decrease the permanent injury inflicted to these young men and women. According to my own research and Cleveland Clinic (.org) it even extends to its own term “Ballerina Feet”. The combination of high stress levels and an overworked intense schedule results in very serious permanent damage. In ballet you are commonly pushed over your limit with little to no recovery time as this is a full year sport. 

Ballet commonly causes multiple injuries in the foot and other areas of the body that can debilitate you for life. Injuries can range from small scale blisters and calluses to tendons and bones breaking. The Cleveland Clinic states that bunions can appear on the feet which are described as boney bumps and swelling is common. Another ailment of the foot is stress fractures. These fractures are referring to a physical stress of the foot and cracks form in your bones which is extremely painful and extremely ignored. These destructions require long periods of heal time that ballet companies don't allow for only worsening the pain and the serious level. Sesamoiditis is another common ballet injury that involves overuse once again. If this goes untreated it can go to extreme lengths as surgery. 

The lengthy schedule and rough routine is a lethal combination that is destined to cause everlasting pain. This claim is 100% accurate and backed up with medical proof. It is extremely saddening for me to read these articles and it is a bright light to a sport I never truly thought of. 

Answer 5

This article delves deeply into the negative impact that pointe shoes can have on a dancer's feet. It presents compelling arguments regarding the structural design of pointe shoes, emphasizing that they are constructed to be exceptionally sturdy in order to bear the weight of the dancer's body. The author elaborates on the various adverse effects associated with dancing en pointe, which include not only common issues like blisters and calluses but also more serious conditions such as ingrown toenails.

Furthermore, the article highlights some long-term ailments linked to prolonged pointe work, including plantar fasciitis, commonly known as heel pain, and stress fractures, which can significantly affect a dancer’s performance and quality of life. It's notable that the piece articulates how these long-term effects often develop after many years of dancing on pointe.

The article also underscores the competitive nature of ballet, which can be unforgiving; dancers often face immense pressure to perform at high levels without adequate time for recovery. This lack of opportunity for healing can exacerbate existing injuries, turning minor issues into chronic problems. Overall, the article raises important awareness of the physical toll that the pursuit of ballet excellence can take on dancers' feet and overall health.

This is the article I looked at https://www.healthline.com/health/ballerina-feet#takeaways