The most precious assets of dancers are their feet. Dancers turn on them, bend and stretch them for hours daily. At the end of the day, those feet end up sweaty and exhausted.
While fancy nail art and pedicures are not always present in a dancer’s vocabulary, taking good care of their feet is very important to prevent minor injuries.
Dancers often experience foot pain. Most have probably encountered plantar fasciitis, bunion, cracks, splits, and blisters. To prevent these conditions, here are some cheap tricks to treat dancer’s feet.
1. Foot Soak
After a long day of dancing, it is important to give your tired feet a warm, relaxing soak. Hardworking feet need warmth as it is calming and relaxing to the joints, bones, and muscles.
You can also add enough amount of Epsom salts to alleviate inflammation that may be present after rehearsals. Epsom salts relieve muscle cramps, neutralize foot odor and smooth the skin. You can also mix in a few drops of essential oil for additional aromatherapy.
2. Self-Massage
Massaging your feet before going to bed can speed up the healing process of any foot condition by improving blood circulation.
- Sit on the floor, bed or in a chair. Cross one ankle over the other knee so you can reach your foot easily.
- Knead your thumbs in circles at the ball of your foot. Continue all the way to your arch and heel area.
- Gently rub the Achilles tendon and back of your heel using your first finger and thumb.
- Thread your one hand through your toes as if you were interlacing your hands. Rotate in one direction for five times while pulling toes gently. Rotate again in other direction.
- Follow this process with your other foot.
3. Moisturize Daily
Dancers often experience dry feet and cracked heels from rehearsing barefoot. These conditions result in discomfort and may hamper their performance. It may also lead to infection if not treated immediately.
The best way to prevent deep cracks is to soften the skin by applying moisturizer daily. You can use coconut oil, olive oil or petroleum jelly and put on a pair of socks. Leave it on overnight and rinse your feet in the morning.
4. Cool Down
Cooling down is always the final stage in any workout. When your feet are sore after long days of rehearsal, have a short ice bath to sleep up your recovery. You can also use a foot basin filled with cool water. Soak your feet in the tub for 5 to 10 minutes.
Give your calves and feet a massage, working upward toward your heart. Once you are done, pat dry and apply moisturizer.
5. Rest Your Legs up the Wall
One of the cheap tricks to treat dancer’s feet is by resting your legs up the wall. This is a great method to reduce inflammation in tired feet and improve blood circulation. Doing this technique will also lower your blood pressure. Simply lay down on your bed or floor next to a wall. Extend your legs, so your heels are against the wall.
Additional Tips to Maintain Happy Feet
Here are some ways to care for your feet:
- Cut your toenails short. Your toenails should be cut short and straight across to prevent ingrown.
- If you develop a red blister, let it heal on its own. Cover it with a band-aid.
- If you develop a clear blister, pop it using a sterilized needle. Drain the liquid out before covering it with a band-aid.
- Avoid wearing toenail polish. This prevents you from checking under your nail, so you won’t notice if you’re developing ingrown or bruised nail.
Joel Cordle is a successful writer and loves to write well-researched and high-quality content on different topics related to foot care, nail care, and plantar fasciitis. He is currently writing for feetremedies.com. He is an expert advisor and keeps blogging about nail care tips and natural solutions for foot related problems.