flattish feet - ballet insoles

[happy days]

After coming out of physio appointment today we have been told dd has flattish feet and she is rolling in, only very slightly, which is causing her ankle pain.  They recommended insoles for her ballet shoes to relieve this.  Has anyone else had this issue and if so did they work.

[Anna C]

My dd had this problem when she was younger. As far as I know, you cannot get orthotics to fit in ballet shoes. Between them, the Consultant Podiatrist and the physio prescribed orthotics for dd's everyday shoes, foot exercises, and dd then had to train herself not to roll in during ballet. It can be done.

 

Edited for clarity.

[2dancersmum]

DDs friend had insoles for ballet shoes that her consultant prescribed for her, as well as others for everyday shoes. So you can get them. Her problem was very different to your DDs though and so I could not comment on how well they would work with your DDs issue.

[Anna C]

Insoles or orthotics, I wonder? I suppose you could feasibly fit thin and flexible insoles into ballet shoes, but not orthotics with rigid arch support - you couldn't point your toes with full length orthotics in, and it would be tricky even with the very light, custom made orthotics that dd now has, even though they are half-length so they don't stop the metatarsals working properly.

 

Out of interest dancetaximum, what sort of insoles did the physio suggest for ballet shoes?

[porthesia]

For a short period of time a physio we used to go to cut some rubber things in half and put those in dd's ballet shoes.  It did help with the rolling a bit, but dd was not happy as these were slightly visible and she didn't do this for long.  This physio spent a lot of time trying to persuade a company that if they took casts of dd's feet they could make orthotics to go in ballet shoes - the manufacturers could not be convinced!  DD had orthotics made by a department in local hospital which she still puts in normal(!) shoes and continual use of these has helped. 

 

edited to say I hope this makes sense as on reading it back I'm not sure I've been clear

Edited November 13, 2013 by porthesia

[2dancersmum]

spanner I have no idea. I just know that they were prescribed by her consultant and were custom made for the girl at the same time as those for her everyday shoes, with each foot being different. Her problem was not flat feet though she did have rolling issues. They were specially made for use in a ballet shoe. They even made them pale pink to make them less noticeable as at nearly 13 the girl was quite self conscious about it.

[Anna C]

Yes, that's really nice isn't it - dd had a choice of colours for her orthotics. She went with a bright tie dye sort of pink. :-)

 

Sorry, I'm not meaning to sound doubting of anyone - all I know is what dd has been told for over-pronating and that is to combine orthotics in every day shoes with strengthening and training her feet not to roll in at ballet. I think this is so that the feet don't rely solely on orthotics.

[LinMM]

Before I went back to Ballet my arches had sort of dropped so I started wearing arch supports. I normally use ones that are not custom made but produced by Scholls and I think Ive had some from Boots. They cost about £25 so not cheap.

When I started ballet again I certainly couldn't have used these comparatively light weight ones in my ballet shoes though!

And another pair I sent off for was such hard plastic I couldn't stand them even in my walking shoes they were so rigid so a waste of money for me.

 

However doing the ballet has definitely improved my arches and I am more aware of what my foot is doing when walking as well.

 

Being a touch older though I did buy some insoles for my ballet shoe.....not arch supports.....to help cushion the foot against jumping!!

Again from Boots. They were alright for a while but did tend to work out the shoe sideways which was irritating to say the least.

When this autumn I tried for the first time some split sole shoes(canvas Bloch widest fitting) they fit so perfectly that I now love them as I can really feel the floor properly now! Much prefer it!

When we come to the jumping section I still quickly change into other shoes but have taken insoles out now and just wear pointe shoe toe protectors in to give the toes added cushion for jumping........for on the days when am actually landing through the feet properly!!

 

I'm sure someone though could develop an insole for ballet shoes or the shoes may have to be custom made so its sort of part of the shoe.....but couldn't be too rigid....the foot works so vigorously in ballet a difficult compromise I think.

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

When I started ballet (as a adult) I had fairly flat feet, so flat that I was told I probably wouldn't be able to do pointe work by one teacher. I also had problems with rolling in. However, a combination of orthotics in my street shoes and learning about correct placement and how not to roll in, etc, has sorted the problem and I've not had problems getting over the platform of my pointe shoes while keeping knees straight, so I like to think it proves my arches are adequate now!

 

At one point I tried a flexible insole from Boots for my ballet flats. They had some shock absorbancy and they looked like they would be less noticeable in ballet shoes. I found them good for reminding me not to roll in, but they're not invisible because some of your arch is 'hidden'. However, I can't find them on the Boots website or Google to show the ones I mean so they may have stopped producing them now.

 

I've come across arch angels, which look like they would be very helpful to dancers of all ages and levels but I've never tried them and so far I haven't heard of anyone who has tried them. If anyone has tried them I would love to hear their feedback about them!

[JulieW]

They look interesting :-)

[Happymum]

I wonder, is it possible for children who wear insoles/orthotics to be accepted at vocational school? Sorry, silly question but I though they want them to have perfect physique/posture/feet etc but if I remember well there is a question on RBS forms about insoles.

[Huddsballetmum]

My dd had an issue with slight roll in on one foot after an injury and her physio, who is also a dancer, gave her a number of exercises to complete on a wobble board.  She did this each day over the summer and it has cured the roll in and her feet are back to their normal beautiful selves.  Ir may be worth the investment, you can get them on amazon for about £20.

[happy days]

Thanks everyone for your advice.  Just saw a wobble board on eBay so going to give that a go while waiting to see what physio can come up with.  Her ballet teacher is also going to keep an eye on any rolling of the feet now that I have made her aware of it.

[Huddsballetmum]

Thanks everyone for your advice.  Just saw a wobble board on eBay so going to give that a go while waiting to see what physio can come up with.  Her ballet teacher is also going to keep an eye on any rolling of the feet now that I have made her aware of it.

If you would like the exercises that cured my dd's rolling, please PM me and I will arrange for my dd to either explain or video them for you.  They definitely work.

[Lemongirl]

We've got a maze wobble board which is fun, they have to use their feet to get the ball in the middle.

 

Out of interest, does anyone know if research suggest that excercises make any difference to pronation? My middle dd has quite pronounced rolling in. She has been prescribed custom made full length orthotics but he physio has also given her loads of exercises to be done 3 times a day! It's just too much for a 10 year old, I spend all day asking dd if she's done them!

 

A physio we vaguely know said that there is research to show the exercises don't make a difference, it's the orthotics that are important. Anyone know if this is true?

[Anna C]

I think the point of the exercises is to gradually train the feet and ankles to maintain the correct position. The orthotics do the job in school/everyday shoes, but in order not to rely on them in a passive manner - meaning that in ballet shoes or bare feet, you would revert to rolling in - the idea is to learn not to roll in. If that makes sense?

[Happymum]

Out of interest, does anyone know if research suggest that excercises make any difference to pronation? My middle dd has quite pronounced rolling in. She has been prescribed custom made

full length orthotics but he physio has also given

her loads of exercises to be done 3 times a day! It's just too much for a 10 year old, I spend all day asking dd if she's done them!

 

A physio we vaguely know said that there is research to show the exercises don't make a

difference, it's the orthotics that are important. Anyone know if this is true?

Exercises DO definately make a difference!! With feet it's like with other parts of your body. If there is weaknes or muscles imbalance you may correct it by performing a proper exercise(s).

I corrected my flat feet and weak ankles thanks to exercising. My DD had been given exercises by physio about a year and s half ago and orthotics and there is a big improvement!

And also remember that one of the first exercises children I given by RBS JA's teachers are for their feet! Yes, it might be hard for your DD to remember about it but my DD does her exercise every evening. You may find it easier to put it all together in one longer session instead

of 3 tomes a day. Results will be the same ( if not better) but physios sometimes think that it's easier for children to focus on if for just couple of minutes more often then. My DD prefers to do it differently.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Happymum

[Lemongirl]

Thank you, will crack on with the exercises.  There's just so many of them.  About 8 different exercises, 10 reps of each, 3 times a day!  Some use a theraband or a folded towel which (I think) help to build up the leg muscles.  Can I get away with doing less?  It needs to be manageable or dd will just give up.

[Aurora]

Some is certainly better than none but all of it is better than some of it! Find a balance that your dd will manage. You could perhaps make it 15 reps twice a day? If that's still a struggle perhaps do half of the exercises in the morning and half in the evening. Also 1 day off a week might be a nice break for her and shouldn't hold back progress.

[Happymum]

Not sure if that will make you feel better but my DD's exercises take over an hour if she does everything! So she can't do it every day but most of the days, sometimes all exercises, sometimes just a few of them. What you may try is do 5-6 exercises one day and other 4-5 next day. Let's say just once a day but 20-25 repetitions. As I know a bit about exercising etc feel free to PM me. But definately tell DD to do her exercise, and I think it's a part of being a dancer!