Introduction Ballet, a captivating art form that marries grace, strength, and precision, is often associated with exquisite performances, elegant costumes, and ethereal movements. Behind this beauty, however, lies the intense dedication and hard work of ballet dancers, particularly ballerinas, who push their bodies to the limit to achieve perfection in their craft. In the world of ballet, bunions are a common adversary that can affect the lives and careers of these talented dancers. In this article, we will explore the relationship between ballerinas and bunions, shedding light on their chall ..read more

There are some great pictures on the web when you “google” search dancer’s feet. As graphic and as terrible these look, a dancer’s feet are their biggest asset and their greatest tool used to perform their art. Many parents and dancers are concerned that ballet will give a dancer, bunions. Although the literature doesn’t support this, most professional dancers will have some degree of bunion formation. In the normal population, people are more predisposed to bunions, due to the shape and structure of their feet. Bunions are exacerbated by footwear, foot function and activity. Ballet is one of ..read more

Myofascial Cupping is a technique that uses negative pressure cups to treat the bodies fascial system. Fascia is a band of connective tissue that covers, attaches, stabilises and separates all of your body’s muscle groups and other internal organs.  Cupping encourages healing by creating a negative pressure or suction on the skin using plastic or glass pods that pull up underlying tissues, blood, and other fluids close to the surface of the skin. By doing this it is able to stretch fascia and promote new fresh blood flow. This can speed up the healing process, increase flexibili ..read more

As a dancer, maintaining the health and integrity of your skin and nails are important to help keep your feet active and pain-free. Self-care routines are important to keep your feet clean and free from infection. This can be as easy as airing your feet out after a long day of dance, changing your socks regularly (if they get sweaty) and allowing those dance shoes to dry out between uses. Maintaining the length of your nails is also especially important for dancing to reduce the risk of broken nails, bruised toenails, or ingrown toenails. Nail clippers or scissors can be used to trim the top o ..read more

Did you know that our podiatrist Sophie Young is currently undertaking further study to receive her Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines? This means that by the end of the year, she will be able to prescribe medications without you needing to return to your GP for the script. Some common things that this can include will be antibiotics for those infected ingrown toenails and anti-inflammatories or analgesics for pain relief. Sophie has also been working hard in her spare time, brushing up on their ultrasound techniques. This will enable her to use ultrasound guidance to perform cortisone inject ..read more

Many people come into the clinic complaining of painful spots of hard skin on their feet but are unsure whether they are corns or warts.  How to tell the difference? Corns and warts may appear similar to the untrained eye however there are some subtle differences to look for. Corns tend to have a hard build up of callous over the top and can be hard like a little stone in the foot. Warts tend to be slightly flatter in appearance and their form will often have disruptions in the skin striations (that is the tiny little lines that make up your hand/foot prints). Warts will sometimes have ti ..read more

If you are unable to attend the clinic or would prefer to have a consultation with a podiatrist from your home we are now offering telehealth consultations.  Telehealth consultations are a great way to discuss your foot and lower limb health. Your podiatrist will be able to give you an injury diagnosis and construct an exercise rehabilitation program via telehealth. If required, we are able to organise imaging referrals including xray, ultrasound and MRI and send them directly to the imaging facility to minimise contact. A range of conditions can be assessed via telehealth including, but ..read more

Throughout the dance world there are many differing opinions on when pointe work should commence for a young dancer. The majority of concern held by many, is the potential for pointe work to damage young, growing feet. In some countries, it isn’t uncommon to see very young dancers between 6 and 8 years of age, dancing en pointe with excellent technique.  Conversely, it is also common to see older dancers commencing pointe work with insufficient strength and technique.   Over the years it has been suggested to x-ray feet to assess for growth plate closure, however we now know tha ..read more

A good warm up is an integral part of a dance class to make sure your body is ready to perform at its peak, but most importantly to reduce the risk of injury.  The importance of warm up is to send blood to the muscles which in turn, makes the muscles in your body warmer and increases flexibility.  The more flexible they are, the more pliable and accommodative the muscles are able to handle loads and stresses.  This in turn helps reduce the risk of injury.  Warm up is vital at the beginning of class, to allow you to improve flexibility, extension, technique and performance ..read more

Do you suffer from cold feet? Have you ever experienced sore, red, itchy toes? If you have, you may be experiencing chilblains. Causes Chilblains occur when the small blood vessels in the extremities are exposed to extreme temperature changes.. The body’s circulatory system is made up of arteries, veins and capillaries. Capillaries are the smallest and most fragile vessels used to transport blood around the body and they are found at the extremities (your fingers and toes). In hot conditions the blood vessels close to the surface of the skin allowing excess heat to be lost into the air cooling ..read more