While dancing helps you stay healthy and fit, dancers are prone to recurrent foot pain and injuries. Being aware of common injuries can help you take preventative measures. It can also help you recognize when you might have a serious injury so that you can receive the proper treatment.
What Kind of Foot Injuries Do Dancers Experience?
- Ankle Sprain
While not quite as severe as a fracture, sprains can still be debilitating. Sprains occur when the ligaments (fibrous bands connecting the bones) are stretched or torn. Dancers are prone to sprains from continuous twisting and overworking of the ankles. Symptoms of ankle sprains include pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness to touch and difficulty walking. The RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is usually the initial recommended treatment for sprains. Your doctor may recommend bracing, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications or physical therapy. - Dancer’s Heel
Dancer’s heel is also known as posterior impingement syndrome and often affects ballet dancers. It is caused by extreme plantar flexion, which occurs when the foot is pointed straight downwards, such as when a ballet dancer is dancing on pointe. The extreme plantarflexion causes compression and impingement of bony and soft tissue structures behind the ankle including an elongated prominence of the talus (Stieda process), an os trigonum (unfused ossicle), bone spurs, joint capsule, synovitis, or tenosynovitis of the big toe tendon. It results in a sharp pain at the back of the ankle. Your doctor may recommend rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen, physical therapy or injection. Surgery may be needed if the pain does not go away with nonsurgical treatment. - Neuromas
An interdigital (Morton’s) neuroma is a thickening of the soft tissue that surrounds the small nerves innervating your toes. The nerves to your toes pass through a tunnel whose side walls are the bones and the roof of which is the intermetatarsal ligament. When the tissues thicken, it causes the nerve to be pinched. This can result in burning pain in the ball of the foot and toes and you may experience numbness in your toes. A neuroma can make you feel like you are walking on a pebble. The orthopedic doctor will order X-rays to be sure you don’t have a fracture or arthritis. Initial treatment includes changing your shoes so that they are wide enough and don’t squeeze the front of your foot. Your doctor may recommend shoe inserts or injection. In most cases, nonsurgical treatment relieve symptoms. If symptoms persist surgery may be needed. - Stress Fractures
Stress fractures are small cracks or breaks in the foot bones that occur due to overuse or a sudden increase in dancing frequency or intensity. Female dancers with menstrual dysfunction and decreased bone mass are at increased risk for developing stress fractures. Symptoms include pain, swelling and tenderness to touch. If you are experiencing these symptoms start with a RICE regimen (rest, ice, compression and elevation) and schedule an appointment with your orthopedic doctor. Radiographs or MRIs are needed to diagnose stress fracture. Treatment includes rest and activity modification. Your doctor may treat with protective footwear, a CAM (Controlled Ankle Motion) walker or a cast. Surgery may be needed with some types of stress fractures or if the bone is not healing with nonsurgical treatment.
If you need care for ongoing foot pain or other issues, visit Advanced Orthopaedic Associates in Wayne, NJ. This clinic serves patients throughout Passaic, Bergen, and Morris Counties and is equipped to treat a wide variety of sports and dance conditions, including injuries of the knee, ankle, and elbow, as well as stress fractures, shoulder impingement, and sciatica. They also provide a wide range of nonsurgical treatments and surgery when required. Call (973) 839-5700 to learn more about the conditions we treat or to schedule an appointment
