Ballerinas & Bunions

Anh Duong grew up in Prince Rupert and was a competitive dancer for years, training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop and acrobatics. She is a member of the Dance Health Alliance in Canada and she now works with dancers at all levels. Whether it’s dealing with an injury, preparing the feet for pointe or improving performance, Anh has the experience and expertise to help you reach your goal. Read Anh’s latest blog on bunions in dancers.

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Bunions are one of the most common foot injuries in dancers. They can be incredibly painful, making it nearly impossible to go on demi-pointe, land a sauté, or perform a pirouette.

Hallux valgus, more commonly known as bunions, is a deformity of the 1st metatarsophalangeal (aka MTP) joint causing the big toe to deviate towards the other toes. It can often lead to swelling, inflammation and bony growth on the inside of the big toe.

There are certain risk factors for developing bunions that are out of our control. These include being female, older age, genetic predispositions, and having a longer 1st metatarsal bone.

Luckily, there are certain risk factors that we can control:

• Practicing proper turnout technique: Insufficient turnout at the hip can cause hyper-pronation or ‘rolling in’ at the feet. This places more pressure on the inside of the big toe, pushing the big toe towards the other toes and leading to bunion development.

• Avoid wearing ill-fitting shoes: Constrictive shoes can contribute to development of bunions. While this goes for all shoes, wearing worn out or ‘dead’ pointe shoes also increases the risk as the shoe may no longer provide adequate support. Dancers should get their shoes properly fitted by their local dance shoe expert to avoid problems with bunions down the road.

• Strengthen foot arches: Fallen arches are often the result of weak intrinsic foot muscles and can increase the stress to the inside of the foot including the big toe.

• Avoid leaning on the big toe: Although a winged foot is a desirable look, be careful to avoid bearing weight and putting significant pressure through the big toe, especially in classical position or positions in derriere.

How Do We Treat Bunions?

When it comes to treating bunions, research suggests that a multifaceted approach is best. When treating conservatively, this includes:

1. Correction of improper technique and alignment with the focus on proper turnout technique at the hip and proper weight distribution over the foot

2. Use of toe spacers can assist with big toe alignment and help reduce pain

3. Joint mobilization of the foot, ankle, knee and hip, depending on specific joint restrictions

4. Strengthening of the big toe muscles as well as the little muscles in the foot to help manage symptoms and slow progression of bunion formation

Surgical management is an option but should be the last resort and delayed as close to retirement as possible, generally speaking. The flexibility and mobility of the big toe can be impaired and difficult to regain fully after bunion removal. 

If you are a dancer experiencing bunions or want to learn more about preventing bunions, book with Anh online or give us a call at (778) 630-8800. 

Hip Pain in Dancers

Anh Duong grew up in Prince Rupert and was a competitive dancer for years, training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop and acrobatics. She is a member of the Dance Health Alliance in Canada and she now works with dancers at all levels. Whether it’s dealing with an injury, preparing the feet for pointe or improving performance, Anh has the experience and expertise to help you reach your goal. Read Anh’s latest blog on hip pain and overstretched hip flexors.

Dancers, do you really have tight hip flexors?

For years, I suffered from hip pain, especially with movements involving kicks (i.e. grand battement, developé, rond de jambe en l’aire, etc). I always thought it was because I had tight hip flexors. So naturally, I would get down into a deep lunge and stretch and stretch and stretch... but nothing changed.

Little did I know that it wasn’t a hip tightness issue. The opposite, actually - my hip flexors were long and weak likely from years of being overstretched.

Think of that hair elastic that you have been using for 3 months, the one that has kind of lost its shape, doesn’t really hold your bun up. Similarly, my hip flexor muscle was overstretched and was not strong enough to hold my leg up.

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that are responsible for lifting your hip and leg up in front of you. They also play a role in bringing your trunk towards your legs (i.e. doing a full sit up). When these muscles are long and weak, they often have to work harder and strain to do their job resulting in that pinching or gripping feeling in the front of the hip. When this happens your body will often recruit different muscles to compensate for the weak hip flexors, often causing even more problems.

For many dancers with hip pain, the solution is often not stretching but strengthening the hip flexors through the whole range of the muscle. 

So what do you do?

1. Settle it down and avoid painful movements. This may include marking exercises for a period of time. 

2. Strengthen the hip flexors. Start with small ranges and slowly work towards larger ranges. Do floor exercises and floor barre before progressing to standing. Use weights and therabands to further build strength.

3. Core core core! Avoiding compensation movements through the pelvis and spine is key to long term success with overstretched hip flexors. A strong core is the best way to achieve this goal.

Should you stop stretching your hip flexors?

No! Flexible hips are required for many dance movements BUT you need to ensure that you are doing the proper stretches and combining stretching with strengthening. The goal is a strong muscle at any range!

Overstretched hip flexors are one of the many causes for hip pain but certainly not the only cause. Make sure you are assessed by a professional before getting back into the studio. Treating any injury correctly the first time saves you a lot of time and pain in the long run.

If you are a dancer experiencing hip pain, book with Anh online or give us a call at (778) 630-8800. You can either visit us at our Ladner location or book a virtual appointment.