Ballerinas rely on their feet as much as concert pianists rely on their hands. Your child's feet are key to their success as a dancer, so it is important the feet are cared for and supported well as they advance their dancing skills. When your child starts to experience a repetition in foot injury, the first place you must look is their shoes. There are two common injuries which can be avoided simply by being careful when buying new ballet slippers and pointe shoes.

Blisters

When a shoe is too tight for your child's foot, the shoe will rub against their skin. This friction causes blisters, which are the build-up of fluid between the inner and outer layer of the skin on the foot. Blisters can appear anywhere on the foot, but they are most common on the heel and the foot base. Blisters can resolve themselves on their own, but constant blisters should be checked by a podiatrist who can help with the toughening of the skin to reduce the number of future occurrences.

Ballet shoes which have been tried on before purchase is one way to minimize the chances of blisters. Purchasing shoes online makes it impossible to get the correct fit. When your child tries on their ballet shoe it should be tight, but they should still be able to move their toes.

Corns

When layers of dead skin build up on the feet, calluses are born. When calluses have a core which presses on the nerves and causes pain, this is a corn. Corns are often found around the tops and sides of the toes. They need podiatrist attention for removing them as they need to be cut away from the foot. After removal, it is important to determine why they appeared in the first place.

How well your child's pointe shoes fit will have a bearing on whether they develop corns. One of the more common problems is for a dancer to have different size feet but are wearing the same size shoe on both feet. One of the easiest ways to check whether your child has different size feet is to draw an outline of each foot while your child is standing on a piece of paper. Then measure the length of the outlines. If one foot is longer than the other by more than half an inch, you need different size shoes.

If your child is serious about dancing, then you will need the services of a good podiatrist to help keep their feet in top condition. While a little pain is part of the toughening up process as your dancer advances, a well-fitting shoe and regular podiatry attention will help to keep the pain at a minimum. A podiatrist from a clinic like Bounce Podiatry will even be able to provide pointe shoe fittings to ensure your child has the best-fitting shoes.