Getting your first pair of pointe shoes is a very exciting time in a young dancer’s career. Pointe work places a large amount of stress and strain on the lower leg and foot so it is important to have a pre pointe assessment to determine whether the dancer has adequate strength, control and technique to progress onto pointe. Our Podiatrist’s can provide a comprehensive pre pointe assessment. The assessment involves gathering a wide variety of information from the dancer as well as getting them to perform different tasks and exercises identifying:
- History (including length of time dancing as well as dance styles)
- Previous foot or lower limb injuries
- Growth and Posture (alignment of the lower limbs and hips)
- Range of motion available at joints and turnout
- Strength and Flexibility (identifying hyper mobility or tendency to sickle foot)
Often a dancer will not be ready to go en pointe at their initial assessment and the dancer will be given stretching and strengthening exercises in areas of weakness or biomechanical restriction identified by the podiatrist. These simple exercises can make a huge difference to both the dancer’s technique and their safety when they begin dancing en pointe.
Other dance related injuries including ingrown toenails, corns, callouses, blisters, warts and other ankle and foot related problems can also be treated and managed by our podiatrists.