Ankle and Foot Health for Dancers

We treat hundreds of foot and ankle injuries in dancers every year.

Research consistently shows that the foot and ankle are the most commonly injured regions in dancers (Rinonapoli et al., 2020). These injuries often develop from acute trauma or from chronic overuse and repetitive microtrauma over time. Because the foot and ankle absorb high loads during dancing, this area is especially vulnerable to injury.

Common foot and ankle injuries in dancers include stress fractures, sesamoiditis, ankle impingement, Achilles tendinopathy, Sever’s disease, and more (Ivanova et al., 2023). Targeted injury prevention and individualized exercise guided by a physical therapist play a key role in reducing injury risk and improving performance in skills such as jumping, turning, and leaping.

How to Optimize Performance and Reduce Injury Risk

Recognize When to Rest or Seek Medical Care

Stress fractures often result from overtraining and repeated loading through the foot and ankle. One of the most common stress fracture sites in dancers occurs at the base of the second metatarsal (Albisetti et al., 2010). Other frequent locations include the fifth metatarsal (Jones fracture), sesamoid bones, and tibia.

If you experience pain in these areas—especially pain with weight-bearing, walking, jumping, hopping, or leaping—it’s important to seek medical evaluation. Avoid painful activities until you receive clearance. A physical therapist can guide a safe, progressive return to full participation once healing begins.

Strengthen the Foot Intrinsic Muscles

The foot contains many small intrinsic muscles that provide stability and help distribute load efficiently. Weakness in these muscles increases injury risk and decreases control.

Helpful exercises include arch lifting, toe spreading and scrunching, and alternating big-toe versus lesser-toe extension. Begin these exercises seated and progress them to standing as strength and control improve.

Build Ankle Strength and Stability

Strong, stable ankles support turning, sustained plantarflexion on the balls of the feet, and powerful jumps and leaps. Dancers benefit from regular single-leg balance training to improve control and injury resilience.

You can increase the challenge by adding upper-body movements, tossing a ball, standing on unstable surfaces, turning your head, closing your eyes, or placing books under the heel to reduce ankle stability. These variations train the ankle to adapt to real-world demands.

Single-leg hopping drills help improve weight acceptance and landing mechanics, which reduces the risk of ankle sprains and fractures. Resistance bands can also be used to strengthen the ankle through pointing, flexing, and directional control.

Foot and ankle health plays a major role in dancer longevity and performance quality. Addressing strength, stability, and early warning signs can keep dancers moving safely and confidently for years to come.