Our feet are a truly amazing part of our body. Not only do they consist of a whole lot of bones, muscles, ligaments etc, they also hold up our entire body weight and help us to stand, walk, jump, run and balance… not to mention dance!

Healthy feet work the way they were designed to - as incredible flexing, twisting, springing, pushing, shock-absorbing machines.

As dancers our feet should be one of our greatest assets, and yet we often take them for granted and abuse them. We ask them to work in all sorts of unusual positions and move at any speed required while also holding us up and keeping us balanced. Not to mention the blisters, corns, callouses and other deformities generally accepted as normal for dancers!

We also need to be able to use our feet artistically – for them to be expressive and part of the dance we are performing, not just lumps on the ends of our legs that help us move around. “Point your feet!” is not something ballet teachers say to their students over and over again for fun – if you are not dancing with your feet as part of your body, you break your ‘lines’ and lose some of the energy which is so crucial for good dance performance.

There is so much that can be said about dancers’ feet that in this article we will just cover some basics - foot anatomy, and the arches of the feet.

Anatomy

Feet are made up of:
- 28 bones in each foot with 25 ‘joints’ between them
- Many very small muscles within each foot, plus some long tendons which come from the muscles in the lower leg, passing into the feet to help move the feet and toes
- A large number of ligaments and other bands of tissue holding everything in place
- Arteries, veins and nerves

With all of this crammed in to such a small space, and being required to do so much, if anything in the foot is not working properly, even something quite small, it has a big effect on the foot and the rest of the body.

The Arches of the Feet

In dance it is often considered important to have a ‘high’ arch to be a good dancer, especially in ballet. This is not always true – what is most important is to have strong, flexible and co-ordinated feet, and to understand how to use them correctly. You need to understand the type of foot you have and to make sure your arches are ‘fit and healthy’ so they can support you and work hard for you.

There are four different arches in the structure of the feet, if you know where to look. The easiest one to see and work with, and the one we will talk about in this article, is the arch along the inside edge of the foot.

If you have problems with your feet such as stiff bones and joints or weak and unbalanced muscles, it doesn’t matter what type of foot/arch you have, your feet just cannot work well for you. This often leads to problems with technique in areas such as turns and jumps, and balance in general.

Dancing while you have a problem with your feet creates early wear and tear on the joints etc, and can lead to foot pain and injury which may stop a dancer from dancing. Having these sorts of problems can also throw the rest of your body ‘out’ and cause more problems like back and neck pain.

What Should Your Arch Look Like?

This simple test is best done in front of a long mirror, and in

bare feet. If you are really keen, get a friend to take some
close-up photos for you so you can have a good look for yourself afterwards.

Compare your left and right feet – they should be the same. If they are not, there may be a problem with one of your feet.

Step 1. Start by holding your leg straight out in front of you (in parallel, not turned out), foot just off the floor but not touching it. Let your foot go completely limp and relaxed – you should see a nice smooth curve along the inside edge of your foot regardless of whether you have a high or low arch (see pic 1).

Note: If your arch has an uneven shape (not a smooth curve), or your foot hangs in a twisted position, you may have a problem and should see your dance physiotherapist.

Step 2. Gently place your foot on the floor in front of you so that it sits flat, but only just touching – do not put any weight through it yet. The arch should look the same as when it was off the floor (see pic 2).

Step 3. Leaving your foot where it is, flat on the floor, stand right up on it so your weight is through the foot. Try to stand normally!

Your arch should become a tiny bit lower due to the weight of your body, but it should still be pretty much the same shape (see pic 3).

If your arch is a lot flatter at this point, your foot is rolling inwards (see pic 4). This is a very common problem amongst dancers and non-dancers in general.

If your arch is higher at this point, and you can see under the inner edge of your heel and big toe, your foot is rolling outwards (see pic 5).

Note: If your arches looked good at Step 1, but then rolled in or out when you stood up, they are not working properly – see your dance physiotherapist.

Some dancers’ arches look good when they are standing normally, but as soon as they try to turn out, especially if they are forcing their turnout further than their hips can go, their feet roll forward (arches flatten) to compensate. If dancers then try to use their muscles to lift their arches back up while they are in this position, the joints in the feet and knees are put under huge twisting forces which are very damaging to the joints.

The best solution is to work within your natural turnout when you are in class and dancing, and do separate exercises to improve your turnout from the hips.

More About Arches

Once we begin moving and using our feet in different ways – eg walking, jumping, running, dancing, doing plies, going en pointe etc - we put more forces through our feet. If your arches cannot support you when you are standing still, they will not be able to work for you during these activities. Or they may be fine when you are standing, but no good once you start moving.

Start with the basics – do the above test to get an idea of where your feet are at. Then, in your own time, do some gentle practice (eg warmup, stretching or barre) in bare feet and watch them in the mirror whenever they are flat on the floor. You will probably be surprised just how often they are not doing what they should be! Then work out what your feet look like when you are doing the right thing but are wearing dance shoes – this way you can check your feet any time.

Never force your feet - if you can’t do this easily, see your dance physiotherapist – you may need a specific training program or some hands-on treatment. Also make sure that your feet are not rolling in just because you are trying to turn out too far. For many dancers it is just a matter of healthy feet needing careful training – remember that what you practice is what you get!

If you have any sort of pain in your feet (other than blisters etc) see your dance physiotherapist immediately. Because we demand so much from our feet as dancers we are more prone to problems and injuries than non-dancers. It could be a simple problem such as muscle tightness, but it could also be something as nasty as a stress fracture.

Love your feet and look after them and they will help you to keep dancing for longer.

Happy dancing!

Written by Samantha McKenzie. Samantha is a registered physiotherapist and life-long dancer based in Adelaide, South Australia. Questions, comments and feedback are welcome. Samantha can be contacted at dancephysio@gmail.com.

Note: You do not need a referral to see a physiotherapist and most private health insurance funds will pay part of the fee if you have 'extras' cover. A good dance physiotherapist will have a history as a dancer themselves and will work by blending a range of advanced techniques and exercises to provide treatment tailored to your body.

© Samantha McKenzie April 2008.
The author grants permission for reproduction of this article for use by dancers, dance teachers and dance students on the condition that the article and contact details for the author are reproduced together and in their entirety.