Avoid Painful Blisters By Fitting Your Ballet Pointe Shoes Correctly

A young dancer's foot only gradually reaches readiness for en pointe work, and ballet pointe shoes play a huge role. First you'll learn why foot structure is so important, and then we'll look at the ways that proper shoe fit supports the foot and also how to choose them.

No matter how much you love dance, you cannot graduate to pointe before your foot is sufficiently grown. You might be 11 or 13 or 16 before your foot is ready. Consider visiting an orthopaedic doctor before you begin ballet pointe to be certain your bony structure and growth plates are ready for this progression.

Your doctor will be concerned about your femurs, tibias, and fibulas, because they are the long bones in your legs with cartilage plates ("epiphyseal plates") that develop as you grow. The cartilage cells keep growing as you grow, but the process slows down as you reach your full height. Gradually, the cartilage is replaced by ossified (bony) cells.

Foot disorders are common among dancers. Your ballet pointe shoes may be well fitting but if the bones in your feet are not developed sufficiently, they will not be strong enough to sustain the heavy work required of pointe.

Any pain in the ball of the foot is generallly referred to as Metatarsalgia. Often this results from pinched nerves or abnormal fitting of the bones in the foot. If the joint surfaces become misaligned, the cartilage between the joints will be destroyed, which can mean a lifetime of foot pain.

Once you've gotten the green light, it's time to choose ballet pointe shoes that will fit you properly. The shoe has six important parts:

The Length refers to your general shoe size. Whatever your street shoe size, with some brands of pointe shoes you will take a size or two smaller, or maybe larger. Your shoe vendor should know, brand by brand, what length to try for a fit. Depending on whether your foot is wide, medium or narrow, you will also need to choose a Width.

The Box is the name of the hard toe-the part you actually stand on. Over the years they have been made from many layers of fabric or leather, and today they are most often made of wooden blocks. It should support your toes by closing around.

The Shank runs the length of the shoe. Typically it's made from hardened leather, plastic, or layers of heavy material. Since it supports the arch, the shank might be more flexible for a more lyrical dance or very unyielding for a dance with many transitions to the toes without roll throughs.

The Vamp is the fabric or material that encases the foot itself, including the vamp elastic traveling from the opening of the shoe nearest the toes (the throat) and around the foot.

The Heel includes the quarter panels that come around the rear sides of your foot and meet at the heel, and you can choose a lower or higher heel depending on your teacher's recommendation.

Your ballet pointe shoes have a variety of other choices such as the fabrics that line the box and the inside of the shoe. It's wise to make regular visits to a website that can provide advice on all aspects of shoe selection, and talk to your teacher about what your dance level will require.