Physiotherapy Exercises

To Improve Your Pointe

Why is improving your pointe important?
When you claw or flex your toes with your
pointe you overwork the long muscle that goes
to your big toe called Flexor Hallicus Longus.
Flexor Hallicus Longus can increase in size when
overused and impinge on the inside (medial) ankle
causing pain.

“By changing your pointe to long toes
instead of flexed toes you help to avoid
irritation to the Flexor Hallicus Longus
tendon.”

If you are planning on going enpointe or are
already enpointe it also helps to reduce blistering
of the toes if you pointe with long toes in your
pointe shoes.

How To Improve Your Pointe

Pointe Range of 0-5 degrees is desirable for
dancers. Some dancers are very mobile and find
it easy to have this range whilst others may have
some restrictions that a physiotherapist could
assist with gaining.

Regardless of whether you have a very mobile
foot or restricted mobility of your pointe the
following strengthening exercises will help you
to improve your pointe technique, active mobility
and stability of your pointe and prevent injury.
Your Measured Pointe Range Is: (Pointe range
between 0-5 degrees is considered desirable).

Doming

Whilst sitting on the ground place one foot on the
ground flat in front of you. Whilst keeping long toes
gently pull the arch up so as that you only flex at the
MCP joint in the foot as shown in the picture. Try to
keep the muscle at the front of the ankle called Tibialis
Anterior relaxed whilst you are doing this exercise.

Pointe Through Demi Pointe

Whilst in long sitting – start with your foot
dorsiflexed and then planterflex at the
ankle and then flex at the toes (MCP joint)
whilst maintaining long toes then return to
a dorsiflexed ankle. This exercise can also
be done with the use of a ball up against
the wall providing some resistance to the
movement.

Piano

is a toe articulation exercise that helps with awareness
of your toes and use of the small (intrinsic) muscles
found in your foot. Starting with your little toe try to
individually touch the floor with each toe until you
reach the big toe. Then go back to lifting the big toe
off first until each toe in turn is lifted off the ground
with the small toe being the last toe to lift off the
ground.

Toe Swapping

is another articulation exercise of the toes. In toe
swapping you try to lift the big toe off the ground
whilst the other toes remain stationary on the floor
and then you swap to try and lift the 4 outer toes off
the ground whilst the big toe stays on the ground and
then repeat.