Do pointe shoes in ballet damage your feet?

Question

I'm getting my pointe shoes next week, and I'm worried my feet are going to get really messed up.

Answer 1

It depends on how old you are when you get into pointe. Many studios start their ballerinas at age six or seven, while the bones are still growing. My teacher didn't start us until we were about thirteen, and even then she was a little nervous. If you start after you get your period, you should be fine, because your feet will stop growing soon after that and the bones will be fully formed.
Some tips to protect your feet are:
Experiment early on with toe pads. Professionals generally only use tape around their toes. I have tried this, it hurts like CRAZY. Gel pads are in style now; everyone says they are extremely comfortable. I tried them and hated them, because they are bulky and take up a lot of room in the shoe, making it more uncomfortable than it already is. If you get them make sure to try them on in the store with the pointe shoes so that you don't get too small a size. My personal favorite is the wool pad. It is just a thin half sock made of very soft wool that slips into the box of your shoe, and it so light and comfortable!
Make sure the brand of shoe you get fits YOUR foot, not your best friend's, not your mom's, not your teacher's. Bloch is very big right now- I haate it. It is made for a narrow foot, and my feet are wide with large spaces between the toes. They were horrible. They didn't fit and were hard to break in. (Although they did have a lovely cushy little gel sac in the bottom of the box to give you extra cushion.) Capezio Glize is a good brand to have, the shoes are fairly easy to break in, they are a nice color and they are pretty comortable (for me) because they have a wide box. My shoes are Sansha Recital. They are cheap, and come with an extra shank so that you can replace that rather than the whole shoe if you wear your shoes down quickly. I wore them once and they got to the stage where they are comfortably broken in, but not too soft, and you can still do more to break them in. I love them!
Never, I repeat NEVER wear someone else's pointe shoes. After a couple uses, the shoe forms to your foot, and if you wear someone else's shoes, they will pinch and squeeze most painfully, and you really could mess up your feet.
The first time you wear your shoes they will be incredibly stiff and probably slightly painful. It's ok. When you take them off, beat them up. Seriously! Because the heat from your foot will have transferred to the shoe, the glue (because that's what the box is, basically. Paper machie made of cardboard.) will be soft and pliable, like elastic. So, take the shoe off and bend it back and forth for a couple minutes. If you get Sansha, place the heel of your palm on the box, place your other hand over the first hand, and push until you hear it crack- before you wear it the first time. Or, you can take the shoe and smack it off the floor a few times =D
Just make sure the shoe fits and you have the proper equipment to cushion your feet, k? You'll be fine and on your way to being the next Anna Pavlova in no time!

Answer 2

Yes, I was in ballet for many years and did permanent damage to my feet, primarily my toes. There are companies that make shoes that are synthetic and made of more elastic type materials so that they do not have to be broken in but some teachers only allow their choice of shoe. I developed terrible bunions and was told an operation would limit the foots mobility. I also found I had a few stress fractures that I did not notice which healed improperly causing a slight deformation which was affecting my movement. I had to stop dancing because of the combination of pain and loss of precision. My toes also developed a squished together look. These can all be avoided with properly fitted shoes and attention to your body. If you think somethings wrong, better to get an x-ray now, than to lose the ability to dance a year later due to something that could have been fixed with a little rest.

Answer 3

Yes, doing ballet and doing it in pointe shoes can damage your feet, if you aren't careful or have bad technique. Doing ballet from a young age does slightly change the shape of your feet, your feet will be flatter and wider, but nothing bad. Pointe shoes can visually damage your feet easily, blisters, bunions, ingrown toe nails. You can also get injured if you do somthing wrong or if you aren't ready.

Answer 4

I have been taking point since I was 10 and now I m 16, the thing about point shoes is you have to have strong muscles in your feet and toes. The shoes do not support you, rather you support the shoes. In order to balance on point shoes you also have to find and center your balance. Th shoes have a tough toe and in order to balance you really need to have a nice strong firm body. Also when learning point try to break the shoes in before dancing on them or you will not feel comfortable enough to dance in them.

Answer 5

Absolutely.

I've been close to ballet since my daughter was 6, and beyond the "shoes" you'll spend a lot of dollars, in pain, on tape, linaments foam, heat and cold packs, etc, all for the passion of the dance. I guess you might think of it on lighter notes. Even a Prima, has very few years in the ability to "Pointe"

Answer 6

I've seen some ballet dancers feet. It's not pretty. It's a totally unatural position for the foot to get into. You have to take special care of your feet.

Answer 7

it doesnt rly mess ur feet up. of course things can happen like breaking ur toes and ankles and stuff. get proper padding which make your feet feel most comfortable in your shoes. done get over excited when u first where them and dont do stupid things wif them on. if you do wat ur told by ur teacher you should be fine. i have been doing pointe for 2 yrs- blisters and sore feet have been my only problems and ok my toes do look abit different then people who dont dance but all dancers feet are different.it wll dffinetely hurt you first and you need 2 hav an open mind wen u do it aswell. u could start putting methalyted spirits on ur toes to toughen them up

Answer 8

they are going to hurt your feet mainly your toes like hell when you first get them. then you get used to them. look your question up on a search engine. you should find some stuff.

Answer 9

Oh honey, yes... Immensely... Honestly, brace yourself...

Answer 10

yes they can.