Dancing can sometimes be hard on the feet. The more you get “hooked” on dancing, the more time you are spending on your feet. As with any activity where you are on your feet a lot, you eventually start to feel the effects at the end of the day (or night). You may experience tired or sore feet. These effects can be amplified if you have a high or low arch like Dawn and I do. This can result in any number of aches and pains. The good news is, much of this is easily fixable.

If you are going to dance a lot, we always recommend getting a good pair of dance shoes. Comfortable shoes are going to make a big difference in how your feet feel at the end of the night. For most, the right shoes will work wonders. If you lean towards a high or low arch, new shoes maintain a good structure that will help. However, as the shoes break in, they will loose their ability to maintain the arch and you’ll start to feel the effects again even though you have nice comfy shoes. It’s not realistic to get new shoes every few months, so in this case, it’s best to get some kind of insert.

Inserts can work wonders! While they aren’t a cure-all, they are pretty darn close for most people. The best way to see if this will work for you is to go to the local store and get a pair of Dr. Scholl’s inserts. Dance in them for a while and see if you notice an improvement. You might want to try a few different kinds to see what works. The good news is Dr. Scholl’s are pretty cheap so it allows you to experiment. You may want to stay away from the gel kind as they won’t offer much support and may make your feet hot while dancing. Keep in mind that inexpensive inserts like this don’t last long and wear out fast. Also, they take a one-size-fits-all approach and may not be ideal for everyone. In my case, I had to modify the inserts to build up the arch and even then, they didn’t last long.

The ultimate is getting a orthotic (insert) that is customized for you and is built to last and take abuse. A few years ago, Dawn and I went to Good Feet (there is a store in Orlando off Sandlake Rd.). The staff there gives you personalized help and fits an insert just for you. While it takes a bit to get use to a more aggressive kind of insert, both Dawn and I have found them to work wonders. Sure, we still get tired after a number of hours on our feet dancing and teaching, but the effects are minimal and there are no aches and pains. Best of all, the inserts last. We’ve had ours for years and each pair work like they day we got them. I will warn you; they are expensive! However, if I factor in the number of Dr. Scholl’s I would have bought over the years, I’ve by far come out ahead by getting the Good Feet inserts. If you are looking to save, focus on the “Maintainer” family of inserts since they are the best for dancing and exercise. While their plan of different inserts for different activities is nice, let’s face it, it’s the more active activities you need inserts for.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 10:33 am and is filed under Advice and Help, Reviews.