Pressures on the foot in pointe shoes

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Dance Medicine
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Dancing en pointe places extreme stress on the feet.
• Ballet dancers frequently suffer from toe and joint problems.
• Understanding pressure distribution is key to injury prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify pressure on toes and the first MTP joint during pointe work.
• To investigate how toe length, foot position, and padding affect these pressures.
• To inform strategies for reducing en pointe related injuries.

Main Methods:

• Pressure measurement on the first and second toes and first MTP joint.
• Analysis of pressure variations with differing toe lengths, foot positions (including eversion), and padding.
• Focus on relevé movements in ballet.

Main Results:

• The first ray consistently experienced the highest pressure.
• Second toe pressures were influenced by toe length and padding.
• Everted foot positions during relevé significantly elevated first MTP joint pressures.

Conclusions:

• The first ray is the primary weight-bearing structure en pointe.
• Toe length and padding are critical factors for second toe pressure management.
• Optimizing foot positioning and padding may mitigate en pointe associated toe pathologies in ballet dancers.