How to Prevent Ankle Injuries in Ballet

Ballet dancers use every muscle in their body during a routine performance. This puts an enormous amount of strain on the muscles, which can lead to injuries. One of the most often reported injuries to a ballet dancer involves the foot or ankle. Studies have shown that nearly 90% of ballet dancers suffer an injury to this part of their body during their dancing career. Ballet dancers can prevent ankle injuries by changing their routines often and developing stronger muscles.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Change your dancing routine slowly by increasing new exercises or decreasing old ones by a few minutes at a time. Jumping into a new routine right away can cause stress fractures in the ankle area.

2. Plan a nutritious diet with lots of calcium rich foods. Calcium will help speed up the healing process during an injury and help your bones grow stronger to prevent injuries.

3. Alternate your dancing routine by working a different area every day. If you do pointe work one day, skip to a different type of routine the next day to avoid putting too much pressure on your ankles.

4. Keep your shoes in excellent condition and use new shoes when needed. Your shoes should protect your feet by providing some structure and padding for the joints.

5. Look for signs of a problem early on and pay attention to what your body tells you. By noticing a problem early on, you can seek treatment before it becomes something more severe.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you’re dancing on the right type of flooring because dance appropriate flooring reduces the stress on your ankles.
• To prevent an ankle injury, try using padded insoles when not ballet dancing. The padding helps soften regular walking and also lower any stress on the bones.