Avoiding pointe work injuries

Being aware of the potential for injury and being concerned about preventing them makes you much less likely to do anything silly. The following advice will help you avoid injuries commonly associated with pointe work.

If your teacher has allowed you to go on pointe then your teacher will have assessed your strength and training and judged you to be ready. Some teachers prefer their girls to be at least twelve. As a general guide, the feet should have almost stopped growing so that the ossification or hardening process has started in the small bones. This in itself limits the damage to softer cartilage.

Great care should be taken in selecting a pointe shoe for its fit. This is difficult when you have never worn a pair before and they are rarely comfortable to start with. Make sure you have them fitted by a specialist, preferably with training in that area. Most ballet shoe shops have at least one expert assistant and any shop would expect you to try a lot of pairs on before deciding on the best pair. There are all sorts of widths; the toes can be made longer, the heels lower, the backs stronger or more flexible. The maker can make a difference to the fit of the shoe even if two pairs are the same size. Each pair of shoes is handmade so, if one maker’s hands are larger or smaller, it can change the ‘feel’ of the finished shoe. Once the feet have stopped growing and a certain shoe feels comfortable and ‘wears well’ then it is always a good idea to order the same shoe made by the same maker.

When the shoe is a good fit, it should be like a glove. The toes should be able to be straight and in a normal position inside the shoe when flat and when on pointe, the foot should not slip down allowing a gap to appear at the heel. On the ideal foot, as many toes as possible should be the same length so the weight can be spread over a larger area. In some cases, the second toe can be longer than the big toe and this can make pointe work uncomfortable, but your teacher should have already checked your feet for this.

With a first pair of shoes, there is a tendency to allow room for padding around the toes and every teacher has their own views on whether that padding should be foam, animal wool or even just plasters around the toes, or, in hardened cases, none at all. To toughen the skin, it can help to dab surgical spirit (available from chemists) on the toes but be careful not to apply it to any cuts or sore spots.

Make sure that you tie the ribbons correctly when you put the shoes on. The ribbon on the inside of the ankle goes over first then the other one goes on top. The first one is to support the ankle while the other one holds the first ribbon in place, then both ribbons go around the back of the ankle and, in opposite directions, right round again, being careful to knot them on the inside of the ankle not at the very back on the tendo calcaneus (Achilles tendon) as this can damage it. The string to tighten around the shoe should also be re-tied every wear because they stretch and have to be re-fitted before the first exercise in each class. The shoes must be darned and again each teacher tends to have their own ideas as to how. This is to protect the satin of the shoe but also to prevent slipping.

Avoid keeping the shoes in a plastic bag. Professionals have a few pairs of shoes so, after wearing them, they store them in cloth bags (usually supplied with the shoes) so that they completely dry out before using them again. The airing cupboard is a good dry storage place. Lastly be guided by your teacher. Some teachers don’t allow new pointe dancers to wear their shoes at home until the teachers are satisfied that the dancers are competent on them and correctly placed on the shoe. The secret is not to rely on the shoe for support but to dance ‘out’ of the shoe using strength in the legs and hips and torso.

This is where the need for the strength comes in. At the end of the day, the idea is to enjoy the pointe work. It is the dream of many budding dancers and, when the day comes that they can go up for the first time, if the preparation is right, it should be a great experience. But always be careful. Listen to the teacher’s instructions and do just a little bit at first until strength increases and technique is mastered. Just a few minutes on the barre at first will be plenty and it will be some time before you can manage a lot of pointe work and come off the barre. Enjoy your pointe work and we hope, by following your teacher’s guidance, you will never sustain any injuries.