Devoted dancers train rigorously to make their movements seem effortless. Warm-up techniques can help reduce the likelihood of injury. However, it is still important to know the common issues dancers experience to better care for their bodies on and off the stage.
Shooting pain with steps
Dancing gives the plantar fascia ligament a workout. The springy connective tissue is the foot's built-in arch support. It runs the length of the foot sole, from heel to toe. Dancers put weight on their feet to jump and hold stances. The effort can damage the ligament, causing inflammation (plantar fasciitis). A dancer's throbbing pain in the heel or arch while walking could be a symptom.
Achy heels, ankles and limited leg motion
In addition to the plantar fascia, the Achilles tendon takes center stage during dance performances. This strong tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. Dancers might strain the tendon while nailing a landing and balancing on the tips of their toes. Damage to the tendon is called Achilles tendonitis, which can cause achiness in ankles, heel pain, and difficulty moving legs while flexing feet.
Pronation (how the foot rolls inward first with each step) and supination (when the heel rolls outward when first connecting to the ground) factor significantly into various dance forms. Overpronation and supination stress out the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia and cause pain from the feet to the hips.
Toe and forefoot discomfort
Practice makes perfect is an idiom that often rings true, especially in dance. Repeating movements, again and again, helps a dancer build muscle memory and train their body to respond accordingly.
This type of repetition increases the risk of developing Morton's Neuroma. This condition develops when nerves between tone bones are aggravated or damaged. The area between the toes might feel numb, impacting the ability to dance.
The ankle bone connects to the toes via metatarsals. If the foot was a car, the five metatarsals are shock absorbers. How a dancer's foot connects with the ground can affect one or several of these bones, causing metatarsalgia. The condition causes pain in the forefoot (ball of the foot).