In Pursuit of the Perfect Dancer's Ballet Foot. The Footprint, Stabilometric, Pedobarographic Parameters of Professional Ballet Dancers.

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe purpose of this research was to assess footprint parameters in a group of ballet dancers and the correlation between these parameters with lateralisation, stabilometric parameters, pedo-barographic parameters and work environment. The research was carried out on a group of 44 elite professional ballet dancers—the reference group was 44 students. The results of the test of body balance, thrust under feet and footprint parameters (e.g., Clarke angle and Weissflog index) were analyzed. Statistically significant differences between the groups were observed in relation to the stabilometric parameters, the percentage pressure of the left forefoot and the right heel and the value of the Clarke angle. The obtained results imply that the high arch of the foot is, most probably, inborn and can be increased only slightly through exercise. The occurrence of pes cavus and flatfoot in ballet dancers is not connected to the total and professional career duration and weekly training volume. Practical conclusions drawn from the tests suggest that, during recruitment to ballet schools, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the applicant’s feet are properly arched. It is not recommended for children with pes cavus to practice en pointe.This work aims to assess footprint parameters in a group of professional ballet dancers and to determine the correlation between the aforementioned parameters and lateralization, stabilometric parameters, pedobarographic parameters and work environment conditions. A group subjected to tests consisted of 44 elite professional ballet dancers and the reference group was composed of 44 students. The test of balance and thrust under feet involved 30 s-long free standing with open eyes on a podographic platform. The research-related analysis was concerned with footprint parameters (foot length and width, Clarke angle, and Weissflog index), stabilometric parameters (path length and ellipse field, mean value of the velocity and deflection of the displacement of the center of the foot pressure on the ground) and pedobarographic parameters (percentage thrust on the right, left foot as well as the front and rear part the foot). Statistically significant differences between the groups were observed in relation to the stabilometric parameters, the percentage pressure of the left forefoot and the right heel, as well as the value of the Clarke angle (p ≤ 0.05). The longitudinal arch of the foot and the width of the foot in ballet dancers are not dependent on the total and professional career duration and weekly training volume