Analysis of the forefoot on pointe in the ballet dancer

Performing Arts Medicine

Performing artists are a unique subset of athletes. With the highly repetitive nature of performance training, emphasis on proper technique, ergonomics, and preventive cross-training is vital, as many injuries are due to overuse or poor technique. There are novel medical concerns in performers, including ENT problems, mental health concerns and substance use risks. While music is central to performances, it is also a treatment modality to address cognitive, sensory, and motor dysfunctions in certain neurological conditions. Due to this wide array of issues, it is imperative to understand the specific needs and risks of performers to provide optimal medical care.

Acute Effect of Toe Cap Choice on Toe Deviation Angle and Perceived Pain in Female Professional Ballet Dancers

Several classical dance complex movements, such as pointe, require body weight to be supported properly to avoid risk of foot injury. Regarding the choice of toe cap for pointe shoes, it is unclear which type can better alleviate pain symptoms and toe deviation angle in dancers. The aim of the current crossover study was to investigate the acute effect of using different types of toe caps among well-trained professional dancers on pain perception and toe deviation angle. Ten young female professional dancers volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant was tested during two separate sessions with an interval of 72 h in between. Participants were tested in the two sessions with a standard commercial or a customized prototype toe cap, always with pointe shoes, and in randomized order. An anteroposterior X-ray examination was performed separately for each participant and a visual analogue scale for pain perception was administered following each situation (with a standard commercial or a customized prototype toe cap). Significant amelioration was obtained when a customized toe cap prototype was used both for toe deviation angle and for visual analogue scale. Use of a customized toe cap prototype compared to a standard one may acutely reduce both toe deviation angle and pain in elite female professional dancers.

Preventing dance injuries: current perspectives

Dancers are clearly athletes in the degree to which sophisticated physical capacities are required to perform at a high level. The standard complement of athletic attributes - muscular strength and endurance, anaerobic and aerobic energy utilization, speed, agility, coordination, motor control, and psychological readiness - all are essential to dance performance. In dance, as in any athletic activity, injuries are prevalent. This paper presents the research background of dance injuries, characteristics that distinguish dance and dancers from traditional sports and athletes, and research-based perspectives into how dance injuries can be reduced or prevented, including the factors of physical training, nutrition and rest, flooring, dancing en pointe, and specialized health care access for dancers. The review concludes by offering five essential components for those involved with caring for dancers that, when properly applied, will assist them in decreasing the likelihood of dance-related injury and ensuring that dancers receive optimum attention from the health care profession: (1) screening; (2) physical training; (3) nutrition and rest; (4) specialized dance health care; and (5) becoming acquainted with the nature of dance and dancers.

Mechanics of Jazz Shoes and Their Effect on Pointing in Child Dancers

There has been little scientific investigation of the impact of dance shoes on foot motion or dance injuries. The pointed (plantar-flexed) foot is a fundamental component of both the technical requirements and the traditional aesthetic of ballet and jazz dancing. The aims of this study were to quantify the externally observed angle of plantar flexion in various jazz shoes compared with barefoot and to compare the sagittal plane bending stiffness of the various jazz shoes. Sixteen female recreational child dancers were recruited for 3D motion analysis of active plantar flexion. The jazz shoes tested were a split-sole jazz shoe, full-sole jazz shoe, and jazz sneaker. A shoe dynamometer measured the stiffness of the jazz shoes. The shoes had a significant effect on ankle plantar flexion. All jazz shoes significantly restricted the midfoot plantar flexion angle compared with the barefoot condition. The split-sole jazz shoe demonstrated the least restriction, whereas the full-sole jazz shoe the most midfoot restriction. A small restriction in metartarsophalangeal plantar flexion and a greater restriction at the midfoot joint were demonstrated when wearing stiff jazz shoes. These restrictions will decrease the aesthetic of the pointed foot, may encourage incorrect muscle activation, and have an impact on dance performance.

The illusion of weightlessness

The ballet pointe shoe is an interesting example of a product that has developed from the experimentation of a dancer to extend the art form. Over time, as the use of such a shoe became part of the tradition the form stagnated and there was little formal interaction with the user as to its continued effectiveness in terms of injury, cost and fit. This work re-examines the shoe from the dancer's point of view and demonstrates a way forward that illustrates that even with severe constraints the designer with a user-centred approach can improve the performance of a product whilst maintaining a required external aesthetic.

[Weight bearing upright magnetic resonance imaging of pointe dancing]

Weight-bearing upright Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) "en pointe" is the ideal tool for research in the field of functional anatomy of pointe dancing and pointe dancing related medicine.

Medical and rehabilitation issues in classical ballet

Classical ballet is a demanding professional occupation, with participants who are often underserved in terms of accurate diagnosis and appropriate comprehensive medical care. The view that follows is designed to be as global and insightful as published to date. Specific rehabilitation considerations, dance mechanics, idiosyncratic differential diagnosis, and personality and equipment issues are discussed, and a rational view of dogma is presented.