Thread: Got Foot Problems? How do you modify your dance?

I've had to cancel all my dance performances for the last two months due to a foot problem - pain and swelling of the ball of my right foot. I saw a foot doctor today who said it's a enlarged nerve called Morton Neuroma. A change of shoes, rest, ice (all of which I am doing anyways) and a shot of cortisone which hurts like hell and staying off my toes hopefully will help. It's going to be a long term situation and of course I am depressed at the moment. But I want to dance again and I am thinking of what changes I might be able to make so I can dance in the future.

I know I'm not the only one with foot problems, that this is something common among dancers. So anyone care to share what you do for the problem you have and how you made changes to your moves, costuming and anything else that helps you customize your dance style?

Patricia

Hi Patricia! This is going to be a really long post.

I have a Morton's Neuroma too. You have all my symapthy because I know how very painful it can be! I actually had surgery to remove it in 1998, and it grew back : ( Apparently this is not uncommon. I did have to take a break from dancing two years ago to rest up, but now I have a routine that pretty much keeps it under control.

Every day I massage my feet before my dance practice, and invest extra time to warm them up. I am also a HUGE fan of Yoga Toes. They spread the toes and help relieve the pressure of the bones squeezing that swollen nerve. I wear them in the bathtub, watching TV... pretty much anytime I'll be still for an hour or so! These two things probably help the most. I also have orthotics from my podiatrist and I wear them in my shoes every day. Also, high heels are a no-go. I'm willing to forgo cute shoes so I can be pain-free.

When I have a painful flare-up, I take ibuprofen, ice & elevate when I can, and keep off my foot as much as possible until it calms down. I had the cortisone shots again when I had that ugly flare up. I think they can help, but the day after, my foot is always super sore!

For dancing, I wear the padded dance paws, which are pretty good for me. You might also try dance sneakers? Someone else may have other footwear suggestions. I also sometimes cut a U-shape out of some moleskin foam and tape that around the neuroma, so the the hurty spot goes into the hole instead of hitting the floor (your podiatrist can probably show you how to do this).

I dance tribal and don't do much on my toes. I did learn that when on releve, I really need to pick up my foot using my ankle rather than use my knees, which prevents me from "stomping" on it so bad. When I'm at workshops or doing hardcore drilling, I might come onto flat-feet or just block out movements. I err on the conservative side because I'd rather take it easy than deal with the pain from pushing it!

Be gentle with yourself and rest up! I hope you get some relief!

Such sad news! My heart goes out to you!

I was plagued with persistent plantar warts on the ball of my right foot for the first three years that I bellydanced. Every month I had to go in for painful treatments to try to get rid of them. Acid, chemicals, lasers, liquid nitrogen, surgical removal... my doctors tried them all, and each treatment left the ball of my foot in extreme pain for at least a week, if not two. I usually had to avoid class for that first week after the treatment. The rest of the time, I still had pain in the ball of my foot, but not as severe.

I learned right away that I absolutely could not dance without shoes on. First I tried sandisols, which didn't offer enough protection. Then I tried ghillies. The split sole just made the pain worse; that "bump" of suede just under the ball of my foot was in just the right spot to aggravate the sore spot. Finally I settled on a slide-on jazz shoe, into which I put double-thick foam inserts. The hard jazz sole plus the thick padding was definitely the most comfortable combination I found.

I danced in releve hardly ever. Even now, about two years since the warts have gone away, I still struggle to break free of my tendency to *always* want to dance on flat feet, because that is how I had to learn everything. I wanted to take ballet so badly, but it wasn't until this past summer that I finally could, because I knew that wearing such thin slippers and being up on the balls of my feet so much just would not have been possible before.

If you are looking for shoes for performance, Celebrity Ballroom Shoes are my shoe of choice. Nowadays I do OK with the ballroom shoes that Tina sells here, but the Celebrity shoes have the best foam padding you could ever ask for in a shoe. It's very thick and very comfortable. Celebrity Dance Shoes The shoes cost an arm and a leg, but they're worth it. They have styles with .5" heels (essentially flat), too. That's the kind I wore for those first three years when I had the foot problems. They hold up well to years of use, and just the excellent padding alone inspires me to sing their praises.

I feel for you. I suffered through the shots for 6 months until having the surgery last November. Surgery was easy. My foot was numb for over 4 months which I did not expect. I feel great now.

I used to dance in heels. Now I wear split sole jazz leather nude capezio when I dance- I also use the the padded dance paws and love them.

Good Luck to you!!!

Foot problems, have I had foot problems... I've had plantar fasciitis issues over the years, and more recently a nerve problem that is pretty much the same as Morton's neuroma, just in a slightly different part of the ball of the foot. Omchantress' advice is very good. Massage, ice, Yoga Toes (they are too expensive but they are worth it) and wearing supportive shoes/orthotics in your daily life all make a big difference. I have found dancing barefoot to be best, because my foot cannot handle the lateral compression of the elastic bands on things like dance paws, and in general seems happiest when it can spread out to its full width.

You haven't mentioned whether you've done physical therapy or not, but you can help all kinds of foot problems with strengthening exercises. One good all-purpose exercise is to sit in a chair and keeping your heel on the ground, pick up a towel with your toes, drop it, repeat. I use a wobble board to strengthen my foot and ankle muscles. Also Cassandra Shore's conditioning for dancers DVD has some *great* foot strengthening exercises that will also increase flexibility.

I found cortisone didn't do much at all for my neuroma, but what was very successful was a series of alcohol shots. Essentially, alcohol injections given over a period of several weeks killed the nerve. All the damage in my foot is still there, but now I can't feel it. For a while I felt a strange tingling numbness in that part of my foot and out into my second toe, but now I don't really notice anything. I think a little sensation might be coming back a year later now, but the great thing about the alcohol injections is that you can always go back for more. They left my foot sunken-looking and pallid at the time, but since then my foot has returned to its normal appearance.

I dance Egyptian style, so I am very often up in relévé. If I don't keep up with my foot strengthening exercises, I can feel some of the soreness creeping back in, but as long as I'm good about stretching my calves and working out my feet, I can make it through even long workshops without serious difficulty. And I also know that a night out in cute shoes will result in a couple of days of sore feet, but I can decide to make that choice if I don't have shows coming up.

All in all, the bottom line is feet require exercise and strengthening just like the rest of your body does, and if your feet are already injured, it's all the more important to strengthen all those little muscles that do so much for us. Improving your core strength will also help a lot, because it will make you more steady in your balance and less likely to rock or roll on your feet, further reducing pulls and tears.

My best wishes and sympathy to anybody dealing with foot issues...

Thank you both for your posts! You have given me a lot of great suggestions which I intend to try and knowing what both of you have and are continuing to go thru really makes me feel that yes there is hope that I can dance again!

Thanks Anjela, since I do Egyptian, I will have to look into Celebrity Dance Shoes. I was dancing bare foot but won't any more. I think low heel dance shoes will be a good option.

omchantress you are right, the cortisone injection has left my foot so sore. I hardly slept at all last night and then this morning didn't want to get out of bed. It's nice to hear from someone who has been thru this before and I certainly learned a lot from your post. Yoga toes is now on my must get soon list. That is discouraging to hear you had surgery and it grew back!


I admit, I was feeling very depress until I read your posts. I saw one of my former teachers on Sunday and she is no longer dancing because of foot problems. Big hug to both of you, you have truly made me feel so much better! Patricia

Originally Posted by OMullaney

I feel for you. I suffered through the shots for 6 months until having the surgery last November. Surgery was easy. My foot was numb for over 4 months which I did not expect. I feel great now.

I used to dance in heels. Now I wear split sole jazz leather nude capezio when I dance- I also use the the padded dance paws and love them.

Good Luck to you!!!

Sounds like the cortisone didn't help? I have to say I've felt worse after the injection I got on Wednesday. Not too thrilled to hear about your foot being numb after surgery. I had foot surgery on both feet in '01 for a problem with my little toes and my feet have never been the same since.

Thanks for relaying your experience since it does give me some food for thought!
Patricia

Aha! Another Egyptian style dancer! That's the style I do. ..g.:
Sounds like you've been thru a lot with your feet badriya_al_ahmar!

My Doctor hasn't mention anything about PT but I've only seen him once, I go back in 2 weeks so I'll ask. I have high arches so I often wear arch supports but at home I'm bare foot and my feet are always moving even when I'm sitting, I pick stuff up with my toes all the time which drives my husband nuts. And I wash and massage my feet before going to bed so I'm pretty attentive to them. ..l;, But I will check out Cassandra Shore's conditioning for dancers DVD.

Thanks everyone, I was so down on Wednesday when I came home from the doctor's. Now after hearing what other dancers have gone thru and are doing, I feel so much better and my out look has improved and is more positive. Thanks for all the good suggestions, I would never have thought of them! Patricia