Evaluating the use of toe pads in preventing ballet dancer’s permanent injury in their

physical damage due to dynamic dance moves.

Rino kawahara

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 Table of contents

Abstract - 3

Introduction - 3

Background research - 4

Statement of the problem -7

Exploring solutions - 8

Evaluation - 11

Conclusion - 12

Glossary of terms - 12

References - 13

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 Abstract

According to Ronald Smith, a psychology professor at the University of Washington and main author of a
new study published in the current edition of the journal Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, the injury rate for
ballet dancers over an eight-month period was 61 percent. This corresponds to rates found in other
research for athletes participating in collision sports such as football and wrestling. A ballet injury resulted
in an average time loss of 10.5 days, with actual time loss ranging from one to 87 days. An injury was
defined as a medical condition that prevented participation for at least one day after the date of
occurrence. Injuries can have a serious negative impact on the health and performance of young
dancers and gymnasts. Performance and training requirements for these two groups are often important
as a teenager and are prone to injury. Dancers usually suffer from overuse injuries, but gymnasts tend to
suffer slightly traumatic injuries. Due to differences in injury reports and definitions, it is difficult to
compare the frequency of injuries between groups and studies, but it is clear that young elite dancers
and gymnasts are at increased risk of injury. For example, participants have an injury rate in the range of
12 per 100 seasons. For young gymnasts. Young dancers have a maximum injury rate of 161.
Participants 33610 per 100 seasons.

Introduction

Dancing en pointe stresses the feet in a variety of ways, which can lead to injuries if the dancer does not
plan ahead of time or consider health and safety concerns. Injuries can occur as a result of poor
technique, ill-fitting pointe shoes, and a lack of effective cushioning and accessories. Ballet dancers
frequently sustain orthopedic ailments as a result of the pressure exerted on their feet when performing
en pointe. The pointe shoe's structure was altered to offer support to important places in the toes. A
design that conformed to the foot was used to distribute pressure among all toes. The ability of various
materials to disperse pressure was examined. The trials were carried out by applying a regulated weight
(444.82 N) to a model foot and measuring the resulting pressure with a pressure indicating film. The spray
foam lowered the most pressure, according to the results. Only 11.93 percent of the toes were subjected
to pressure. The hard plastic was the least effective, accounting for 24.0 percent of the total. Ballet
dancers have endeavored to perfect the art of technique, style, and the most important tool, pointe shoes.
Pointe shoes are worn by dancers to reach new heights. Usually, after many years of dancing, I start
racing. At this point, with the consent of the teacher, the girl can start the best job. In contrast to regular
ballet shoes, pointe shoes cover your toes like a hard shell. It consists of a toe box that surrounds the
toes of the foot, a shaft that supports the arch, and satin that holds the shoes together. In addition to the
shoes themselves, the dancer must also have some kind of pad for comfort. The shoe should match the
dancer's foot so that when the dancer is standing normally, her toes touch the platform or the flat surface
of the shoe's toes. To achieve this, you can adjust the shoe, such as by bending and softening the shoe
with alcohol, tools, or hands. The dancer's empointing ability depends on the combination of anatomy,
physics and shoe structure.

Other common injuries:

● Deformities such as bunions, bunionettes, and hammer toes

● Inflammations such as bursitis and sesamoiditis
● Sprained ankles
● Stress fractures

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 ● Achilles tendinitis and extensor tendinitis

Background research - Physics behind ballet:

As the dancers start moving, so does physics. To move or accelerate, a stationary dancer must move one
foot forward and apply backward force to the other foot. This can be seen simply by watching the
students start walking from a standing position. A backward force is applied to the foot that remains
stationary, and at the same time, a forward force is applied to the foot that is moving forward. This
process continues indefinitely, so you can continue. For dancers, you can make the process even more
glamorous by increasing the strength and momentum of each movement.

What force acts on a dancer?

● Gravitational force - is the force of attraction between two masses, particularly the attraction
between the earth and the bodies present above it. It attracts the dancer to the earth's surface.
Dancers must balance their center of gravity, which is the place at which all of an object's mass is
concentrated. It is also any object's rotation point.
● Centripetal Force- refers to the net forces that work on the body to maintain it moving in a circular
route. It causes the body to move in a circular motion. Although the dancer generates the initial
power by pushing off the ground, centripetal force keeps her body spinning.
● Frictional force is the force that restricts the mobility of the body. It behaves erratically and should
be avoided as much as possible. To dance fluently, slippy bottoms on the bottom of the shoes are
used.
● Support from floor
● Friction from floor (sideways)

Analogies

● Velocity ↔ Angular velocity

● Mass ↔ rotational inertia
● Momentum ↔ Angular momentum
● Force ↔ Torque

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Jumps

This idea is based on Newton's first law of motion. The law states that "objects do not change their motion
until they are affected by an imbalanced force." When the dancers jump, they first create a force on the
ground that is balanced by gravity, moving the dancer in the air. This force moves them forward, but after
a while gravity breaks out of the bang and puts a load of gravity on the dancer. This causes the dancer to
fall to the ground. Jumping creates a projectile movement that only hits the vertical movement. Once in
the air, the dancer's center of gravity follows a parabolic route, with its apex at the highest point of the
jump. Due to the law of momentum conservation, the dancer's final and initial velocities remain the same
except that the sign of the final velocity is negative.
mu + mv = 0
m (u + v) =0
u+v =0
Hence, u= -v
Where,
m – Mass of the dancer
u – Initial velocity of dancer
v – Final velocity of dancer

Vertical acceleration and forces are included in all jumps. A dancer must exert a downward force against
the floor that is larger than their weight in order to leap. Many vertical jumps begin in the plié position, or
with the legs bent, to boost the force exerted by a dancer. The motion preceding a jump is also essential.
A jump from a plié in its rest position is less effective than a jump that moves into and out of the plié in an
one seamless motion. Jumps can also be done in a horizontal motion. Trajectories, or routes of motion
across space, are produced by these moves. Friction and gravity are two of the many factors at work
here. After losing contact with the floor, the dancer's center of gravity will follow a parabolic trajectory, or
curved path, governed by the parameters of motion at the start of the jump. The dancer's body shape and
configuration may alter while in flight, but the path remains constant. The course will consist of a rising
motion with diminishing speed, an instant with no vertical speed, and finally an accelerated falling motion.

Jette

Jeté (Thrown) is a ballet and other technical dance movement in which you shift your weight from one foot
to the other. Kicking your leg forward, sideways, or backward and extending your legs into a split position
in the air is the action. All dance jumps involve acceleration and forces. To get up high off the floor, a
dancer must exert downward force (also known as "Plié"). The lower the plié, the higher the jump.

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Turn

Torque is present in all movements that involve twists or rotations. Torque can be expressed as a vector
quantity. The direction of a torque vector is defined by the direction of the force on the axis. This axis
would be the center of mass if a ballet dancer rotated his or her entire body (centre of gravity). The center
of mass is defined as the point in space (typically within the body) where all of the mass of a body
appears to be concentrated. At this point, the body can be balanced, and the torques from the mass
elements add up to zero. In other words, the net torque spins the body but not the center of mass
because there is no torque there. If the dancer is not rotating, her center of mass/gravity must remain just
above the point of contact with the floor in order for her to be balanced. The downward push of gravity
and the upward push of the floor will both pass through the dancer's center of gravity, and there will be no
overall force or torque. If this region is very small, balancing becomes more difficult (the dancer is en
pointe). The magnitude of the torque is defined by the force magnitude and/or the force's distance from
the axis or rotation/pivot point. The pivot point for a dancer's arm rotation is the shoulder joint. Other pivot
points, such as lumber spin, can be found in the back. Arabesque is a dance form in which a dancer
stands on one leg (the supporting leg) with the other leg (the working leg) pushed out and extended
behind the torso, both legs held straight. In order for rotational motion to continue, angular momentum
must be conserved. In order to keep angular momentum constant, raising inertia reduces angular velocity
whereas decreasing inertia increases angular velocity. Ballet dancers increase their rotational speed by
decreasing their moment of inertia. And it's done by contracting or folding the arms inwards, which
reduces the distribution of mass around the axis of rotation. Similarly, the dancer stretches their arms
outwards to maximize mass distribution in order to slow down the action.
Fouette

1) The dancer starts turing - arms brought together

● Rotational inertia small, so large angular velocity
2) Dancer stops for a moment by extending arms and legs
● Rotational inertia large, so small angular velocity
3) Dancer continues turning, arms brought together
● Rotational inertia small, so large angular velocit

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Statement of the problem
Research on the implications of dancing on pointe is sparse. The annual incidence of injuries in ballet
ranges from 75% to 85%, based primarily on retrospective studies, with a few prospective studies.10-14
The primary location of injuries involves the foot and ankle, with ankle sprains being the most
common.10-14 However, no distinction is made between dancing on pointe versus dancing in ballet
slippers. Observational studies and case reports have described certain injuries that are common in
ballet. However, none show a direct correlation with dancing on pointe. In fact, one small study conducted
on recreational dancers before and after dancing on pointe showed no statistically significant difference
with regard to prevalence of instability or number of painful sites. Injuries that affect dancers occur as a
result of the extreme pressure that dancers place on their toes while en pointe. Some common injuries
found in pointe dancers are bunions, Achilles tendonitis, hammer toes, stress fractures, metatarsalgia,
and sesamoiditis. A bunion will gradually form in response to a dancer’s habit to roll her feet inwards.
When this occurs, the large toe will begin to point toward the second toe to form a bump on the inside of
the foot.

The magnitude of the problem

injuries can seriously affect the health and performance of young dancers and gymnasts. The
academic and training requirements for these two groups are often significant during adolescence
and are prone to injury. Dancers usually suffer from excessive injuries, but gymnasts typically suffer
minor injuries. Although it is difficult to compare injury rates between groups and studies due to
differences in injury reports and definitions, it is clear that 4,444 young elite dancers and gymnasts
have an increased risk of injury. For example, a participant's injury rate is 12 per 100 seasons. For
young gymnasts. The maximum injury rate for a young dancer is 161. Entries are 33610 per 100
seasons. The previous study received responses from 99 professional ballet dancers (41 males, 58
females) in Croatia and Slovenia. The dancers engaged in an additional 25-30 dance hours per week, in
addition to their rehearsals

Professional Ballet: Injuries & Return to Dance – Dr. Abbate Physical Therapy. (2020). Drabbate.com.

https://www.drabbate.com/professional-ballet-injuries-return-to-dance/

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Table 1 demonstrates that the majority of injuries in male dancers occurred in the lower back (20%), ankle
(14%) and knee (11%). Female dancers sustained the most from the ankle (36.5%), then the calf (14.6%)
and the knee (12.5%), and foot injury (12.5%). This result shows that the most common injury of ballet
dancers tends to appear in their lower body, especially in their legs and feet. Nowadays the dancer’s
severe lower body injuries are considered to be a serious issue, this is because their lower bodies play an
essential role to maintain their appropriate training routine and amazing performances.

Exploring Solutions

A ballerina's ability to stand on the tips of her toes in shining, satin shoes is one of her most recognizable
traits. Pointe shoes are ballet shoes that support the foot and allow the dancer to stand on the tips of her
toes. Because all of the dancer's weight is distributed over a relatively small platform at the tip of the
shoe, the dancer's feet are subjected to a great deal of force. Maria Taglioni is considered the first to
wear pointe shoes. In 1832 she performed the entire La Sylphide in petit. However, her shoes were
markedly different from the current point shoes. She stood on her toes in tight-fitting ballet shoes with
sharp edges. Since then, pointe shoes have undergone several changes. A modern pointe shoe consists
of various elements that work together to support the ballerina. The solid area around the dancer's toes is
called the "box". Provides support on the side of the foot. I made the box using canvas, linen and glue.
The stiffness of different shoes may vary. "Platform" refers to the part of the shoe on which the dancer
stands. This provides a soft platform for balancing. "Vamp" is at the front of the box. The toe cap covers
the toes while also providing support and stability during intricate movements such as tip dance. Some
ballerinas prefer not to wear protective toe caps or pads on their shoes, whilst others, particularly
well-trained dancers, wear a variety of caps, pillows, and wraps. I'm becoming increasingly intrigued. In
the current study, well-trained professional ballerinas had reduced pain perception (nearly half) and
decreased foot flexibility and declination when trained utilizing the CTC prototype over STC. Yes, I did.
The injury-prevention effects of utilizing CTC in both chronic and other specific dance moves merit further
study. Despite the discomfort associated with pointe shoes, the ballerina has very little padding. Dancers
load their pointed shoes in a variety of ways. A thin gel pad, fleece, sock tape, paper towels, or other
items can be used. Some dancers, however, do not wear pads at all. It is critical that ballerinas do not
overuse cushioning. This impairs your ability to "feel the floor." A dancer must meet a number of
prerequisites in order to be able to dance. Years of ballet slipper training are required to acquire strength
and perfect the requisite skills. You must also be of legal walking age to wear pointed shoes. Because a
portion of the bone has to heal to prevent major injury, it is not safe for very young girls to dance in
pointed shoes.

Toe pads structure and function

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Toe pads are worn on pointe shoes to relieve pressure on the toes and relieve pain. There are
different types of toe pads. The toe pad is shaped like a small cup that surrounds the toes and
metatarsals. They are made from soft materials.

Form toe pads -Many dancers perceive foam fingerpads as their first fingertips. Foam toe pads are
a great idea for beginners who can't keep up with pointe shoes because of their low price and only
wear pointe shoes for a short time. They are made of polystyrene foam, which can be very bulky. It
flattens over time and becomes thinner when flattened. Foam toe pads take up a lot of space, but if
they fit too tight on the toes of a pointe shoe, they can potentially completely immobilize the toes.

Gel toe pads are the next step in foaming. Made with gel. They have a hard texture and are
jelly-like. They are very shock-absorbing and reduce friction inside the shoe. This will reduce blisters
and bruising. We have several styles of gel toe pads from tech Dance. The Prestige has very thick
(6mm) toes and 9cm wings, with thicker toes filling the dead space of the shoe. This extra length of
wind protects the metatarsal bones and is great for those treating bunions. Elegant and premium
styles are also very popular. The Elegant and Premium have almost identical designs with slightly
lower wings and thinner toes. Tech Dance Gel Pads are available in a variety of fun colors and
scents! It is easy to clean (hand wash in soapy water) and has antibacterial properties. One size fits
everyone, but these pads can be easily trimmed to fit perfectly.

The Achilles tendon is critical to a dancer's career since it must withstand three times the
dancer's weight in pressure. Because balance is only achievable when the net force on the body

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is zero, the dancer's center of gravity must be squarely above the toe of the pointe shoe. Toe
pads are the finest safety measure for preventing injury or damage caused by a collision caused
by an abrupt change in acceleration. Ballet dancers struggle to recover from severe lasting
injuries. They can be caused by a lifelong impairment in the bone structure of a dancer.

Physics behind on pointe shoe and toe pads

They are typically worn by ballerinas to regulate their center of gravity when dancing and let them rest on
their toes or the tip of their shoes. This helps you to dance with greater movements without feeling
restricted. Pointe shoes are extremely dangerous because they are both old and strong. The dancers
place their entire body on a little platform. This indicates that you're placing a lot of strain on your feet and
toes. This force is measured in Newtons (N). The newton is the metric unit of force. Because weight is an
object's gravitational force, it can also be measured in Newtons. A 2 pound textbook, for example, exerts
a force of 8.8964432565 Newtons. By analyzing how much power is applied to the dancer's legs in pointe
shoes, weight may be converted to strength. This can be calculated by dividing the object's Newtons by
the area of their feet: N/cm²

​This formula can be expanded to include a variety of foot locations. This is performed by shifting
the area of the foot (cm2) to a different location. In this study, this formula will be used to
calculate the amount of force delivered to the feet in pointe shoes and how it varies with
different postures. In ballet often collision offices due to the sudden change in momentum and
gravitational forces when a dancer jumps and lands with a constant speed. Change in
acceleration and momentum always do happen to ballet dancers. Landing from dynamic jumps
and turns that pressure their legs with an incredible change in force, momentum and
acceleration.

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 Evaluating the Impact on Society with a Factor

A large number of yonge dancers getting damages and injuries in their legs and feet might have
a direct contribution to diminishing improvements in their performance, credit and form of ballet
theatre company and or association, and mental pressure and stress as a result of the severe
injury. Although a toe pad is only one of the solutions and an equipment that does not cover up
or prevent severe damage in some of their body parts, having a protection and preventing the
dancer's foot and legs (the body part that is targeted for major injury) is generally beneficial.
From an optimistic standpoint, there are numerous consequences to employing and advertising
toe pads as a safety measure. Ballet dancers rely heavily on their legs when performing.

After their extreme turn and jump, their legs bear incredible pressure, a shift in force acting, and
a sudden acceleration change. Concerning constraints, toe pads must be properly cared for,
and dancers must all determine what type and particular size to wear under the supervision of a
professional coordinator. It is critical to keep toe pads clean at all times because some
hazardous germs can impact a dancer's direct leg/foot injuries. Nonetheless, wearing the toe
pads in the most appropriate conditions based on the dancers' platform design, pressure rates,
and overall size is important. If a dancer wears the wrong type of toe pads (those that do not
match the structure of a pointe shoe), it can improve hallux valgus and other common foot
injuries - this is because having some space that is not covered up can have a direct impact
from experiencing a massive pressure and force acting on a dancer's feet. Taking into account
both implications and restrictions, the essential element of this approach is to recognize the
most acceptable conditions of a dancer's feet and to have proper expertise and supervision
when utilizing toe pads.

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 Conclusion

The toe pad covers the toes while also providing support and stability during intricate
movements such as tip dance. Some ballerinas prefer not to wear protective toe caps or pads
on their shoes, whilst others, particularly well-trained dancers, wear a variety of caps, pillows,
and wraps. It is beneficial to understand the dancer's body's structure and function, as well as
the nature and process of injury and recovery referring to physics related factors. Regrettably,
due to prolonged off site learning, myself as a physics student was not able to manage to do
proper investigations and experiments at laboratories. If I were to do an actual and physical
experiment at the lab, I would have actually brought several types of pointe shoes and pads to
measure the amount of pressure they experience, and the change in amount of momentum they
can handle. If I ever managed myself to do proper experiments, I would correct all statistics on
my own without relying on websites and previous research that can be found on google. I
personally think this investigation was mostly performed with my background knowledge in
ballet as a dancer, and objectively I found this investigation would be a great education for all
the young dancers. Doing background research and discovering how ballet and physics are
deeply related allowed me to acquire other skills to connect whole different categories of
activities into one.

Glossary

Angular velocity is how fast an object spins. It is also a vector, characterized not only by magnitude but
also by the direction of the rotation axis.
Rotational inertia is the inertia of a rotating object Inertia in general is the tendency of an object to keep
doing whatever it is doing.
Angular momentum is rotational inertia times angular velocity. If an object has a large angular momentum,
it's hard to stop its spinning.

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https://www.sodancastore.com/blogs/news/which-toe-pads-for-your-pointe-shoes

Injury, Stress, and Perfectionism in Young Dancers and Gymnasts - By Donna Krasnow, M.S., Lynda Mainwaring,

Ph.D., C.Psych., and Gretchen Kerr, Ph.D. (2021). Citraining.com.

http://www.citraining.com/Injury-Stress-Perfectionism.html

Introduction. (2011). Blogspot.com. http://pointeshoephysics.blogspot.com/p/introduction.html

Law-Abiding Dancers | WORLDkids. (2019). Wng.org. https://kids.wng.org/node/4150

Outreach & Education | Physics & Dance | Balance | The Charleston Ballet. (2021). Thecharlestonballet.com.

Sanskruti Tupkar. (2021, October 2). The Physics of Ballet. Terminal Stack - All about Tech; Terminal Stack.

https://terminalstack.com/the-physics-of-ballet/

Salzano, A., Camuso, F., Sepe, M., Sellami, M., Ardigò, L. P., & Padulo, J. (2019). Acute Effect of Toe Cap Choice

on Toe Deviation Angle and Perceived Pain in Female Professional Ballet Dancers. BioMed Research International,

2019, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9515079

http://www.thecharlestonballet.com/Outreach-Education/Physics-Dance/Motion.aspx

TED-Ed. (2016). The physics of the “hardest move” in ballet - Arleen Sugano [YouTube Video]. On YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5VgOdgptRg

Yumpu.com. (2021). The Coefficient of Friction of the Pointe Shoe and ... - Dance. Yumpu.com.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/7499536/the-coefficient-of-friction-of-the-pointe-shoe-and-dance

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