| Here is some basic anatomical facts about your feet: | | | | should be considered part of your training. Aches and |
| *** The support is provided by 28 bones | | | | sorenesses should go away with warm soaks using |
| *** 19 muscles attach to these bones by tendons | | | | epsom salts, ginger or apple cider vinegar, followed |
| *** 30 different joints held together by up to 117 | | | | by icing. But pain of a sharp, burning or stinging nature |
| ligaments allow finely detailed movement | | | | must be addressed. |
| *** There are many yards of blood vessels and a | | | | Your foot is brilliantly structured to prevent harmful |
| complex nerve system | | | | movement - such as sickling in, and then landing that |
| *** Each foot has 125,000 sweat glands | | | | way, and lo - you have a sprained ankle. However, |
| *** Everything is covered by sheets or bands of | | | | this can be treated immediately and properly and |
| tough connective tissue called fascia | | | | never cause future discomfort. |
| When you consider that a ballerina or a male ballet | | | | Understanding your foot shape and bone structure |
| dancer spends years training, and then performing, | | | | tells you exactly what your potential is, to increase |
| and each time their feet hit the ground they are | | | | flexibility, or control hyper-mobility to your best |
| impacted by three to four times their body weight, | | | | advantage. |
| that's amazing! Proper training and care of the feet is | | | | For example, if you think you should have more arch |
| essential. Even beyond preventing injuries, accurate | | | | to your foot, the shape of your individual bones |
| technique will contribute to preventing early arthritis | | | | determine that. You can increase your ankle flexibility |
| as well. | | | | to get up onto pointe better, and improve the line of |
| Shin splints, a burning stinging pain in the front calf | | | | your foot and leg. The shape of your bones will limit |
| muscles, sprained ankles, bone bruises, and blisters | | | | the actual arch shape, to some degree. |
| from pointe shoes, are foot injuries that can be | | | | Famous athletes and dancers actually buy insurance |
| prevented by building strength specifically in the sole | | | | for their body parts. Your insurance is how you take |
| of the foot. | | | | care of your feet. |
| Weakness in the foot muscles causes the lower leg | | | | Soaking or rolling a pinky ball around under your feet, |
| muscles to over work, leading to chronic tension and | | | | while you study or watch tv, takes up no extra time. |
| loss of muscle tone. This will develop into tendonitis in | | | | Letting your parents know that you have a |
| the Achilles tendon which can become chronic and | | | | persistent pain and that you need to have it checked |
| end a career, at the worst. Chronic tension in any set | | | | by a professional is important. A visit with a |
| of muscles in the body will cause mis-alignments, and | | | | physiotherapist or chiropractor and an x-ray is not |
| strain, in the next joint/muscle group, and the next, | | | | terribly expensive, and the completion of your training |
| and so on. | | | | may depend on it. |
| Prevention then, is understanding your foot's | | | | Obtaining the finer details of strengthening the feet |
| construction. Look at photos or drawings, and x-rays | | | | for ballet and any kind of dance, is easy now. There |
| of feet. How to use the fact of repetitive motion in | | | | is an almost worship in ballet for getting into those |
| ballet (just try to count the number of times you | | | | beautiful pink satin pointe shoes. If you are going to |
| point your foot in a ballet or modern dance class) as | | | | worship, please worship your feet first! They are |
| strictly a plus, and not a danger to your feet, | | | | designed by a perfect intelligence and will serve you |
| requires extra study and awareness. | | | | perfectly if you understand how to prevent foot |
| Listening to your body, and paying attention to pain, | | | | injuries. |