Why do I have pain under the balls of my feet when I dance?
Ball of the foot
A common dance foot injury is pain under the balls of the feet, loosely termed metatarsalgia. In dancers, the most common cause for this pain is ligament laxity, a condition leading to instability due to excess flexibility. Ice and rest will reduce inflammation and pain. Strengthening the muscles on the bottom of the foot which pull down the toes is helpful in avoiding injury. One such exercise is toe scrunches; using your toes to pull a towel across the floor towards you. Simple cushioning in dance shoes and orthotics in non dance shoes will also help to reduce damage caused by ligament laxity outside of dancing. See your podiatrist to assess your requirements.
To read more about Metatarsalgia, use this link: Ball of the Foot Pain. Alternatively, use this link to return to the Podiatry FAQs list where we have more dance foot injury FAQs.
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