Tendinitis in Ballerinas

A common problem for ballerinas is tendinitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendons in the foot. It can be very painfully and quite inconvenient.

Why does it occur, you may ask? Well, the two main triggers for tendinitis is overuse, and your foot being cold.

If you have overused your foot muscles, or injured them, they are prone to tendinitis. You must be careful around this stage, because once you've got it, it takes ages to go away.

I live in a very cold place. It's presently about 7 degrees outside, so not the most pleasant weather you could think of.

The cold will not do the muscles in your foot any good, especially if they are a bit touchy to start off with. So, if you've got a foot that you have overworked or injured, then keep it warm, don't let it get cold, whatever you do.

Once you have got tendinitis, it takes a minimum of eight weeks to disappear. The worst period will be at about 3 - 6 weeks. When I had it (recently) I could hardly walk when I got up in the morning, let alone dance.

I had to take it very easy, and was constantly taking neurofen and rubbing anti-inflammatory cream on my right foot.

If you have got tendinitis, you should, as I just said, take neurofen or panadol whenever it starts to hurt, and also keep rubbing anti-inflammatory cream on the sore area.

Also, keep things easy, but don't stop using your foot altogether. Moderate exercise will be fine. Just don't do anything that hurts your foot.

Once you have exercised, put and ice pack on your foot. I know that I just went on about keeping your foot warm, but after exercise, it's a good idea to ice your foot using the method a wrote about in a previous post the other week.

If you have tendinitis, don't fret; it's very common for ballerinas, as irritating and painful as it is. If you have any other questions regarding the subject you would like to ask me, please don't hesitate to do so.

Thanks!

P.S: It is often the Extensor Hallicus tendons that you get tendinitis in. (see the diagram above.)

Knowing When To "STOP" Moving Forward

As we all know, Julia Gillard is trying to get everybody to "Move Forward." As a proud Australian, I want to do what our Prime Minister says. Unfortunately, that can't always be the case.

For example, with the splits. So you see, the other day, I decided that I wanted to be able to do the splits by next week. I practiced, practiced and practiced.
Not just doing the splits, but doing many other exercises that will help be get there faster. In the last 4 days I have practiced for at least one hour per day - Just exercises to do the splits.

Last night, I noticed that my legs were starting to hurt - just a tiny bit, hardly noticeable at all. Before I went to bed, I rubbed Voltare all over my legs and lower back.
I decided that a good night's sleep and Voltare rubbed all over my self would do the trick.

This morning when I got up, I noticed that the slight bit of pain had completely disappeared. ha ha - Well I though it had.

Anyway, we went out to watch my bro play cricket this morning, so I spent about 3 hours just sitting. This was GREAT - it gave my muscles a chance to relax even more.

However, when we got home, I though it a good idea to go and practice, after all - the pain was all gone, wasn't it? I practiced for about 15 minutes, then went and had lunch. After lunch, I came back and practiced, practiced, practiced.

By the end of it, my legs were actually very sore. I went and had a break, then came back and did more, more, more! Yes ..... you guessed it, I came out with my legs shaking, and feeling like all the muscles in them had been ripped to pieces.

So, what I am trying to say is, whatever you are doing, whether it is practicing for the splits, or anything else, we all need to know when to "STOP." You see, I could decided to go and do another two hours practice, and by the end of it, I probably would be VERY near to my goal.

However, in the process, I could end up really injuring my self.

So my advice to anybody who had got a goal is ..... Yes, practice, practice, practice, but you must remember that there is a time when we all have to stop moving forward (not for long, just until our bodies have rested), rub some voltaren on yourself and have a good rest.

Thanks for reading/commenting guys!

I Know When My Exam Is!

Can anyone guess what date my ballet exam is? I have actually written it on my blog, just in a place you wouldn't really think to look.....It's under "About Izi the Awesome."
My exam is on the 27 Th of August at 10:05 in Canberra. That is.....15 days away. I am really nervous!

I have to bring a photo ID thing to the exam so that the examiner can see that I really am who I say I am, not just someone pretending to be me.
The photo is of me when I was in Northern Ireland last year, outside in the 2 degree weather. The photo had to be four by four centimetres, so most of them were either way too big or way too small.

This week at ballet it has been pretty good. My teacher lent me some thicker toe protectors which REALLY make a difference to the pain when I go on pointe. It is actually quite amazing!

Tomorrow I am going to ballet at 11:00 am. We will be doing the next grade up (foundation), so that my teacher and I can get familiar with the syllabus. Yesterday I found out that there is something like....let me think....12 pointe exercises next year - ouch - But I guess that it will be good to get a head start.