Improving Foot Strength in Vocational Ballet Dancers

Summary

Professional dancers subject their feet to high forces through frequent jumping, repeated heel rises, insufficient shoe cushioning, and a high degree of foot mobility. To prevent injuries and improve jumping performance, dancers are recommended to strengthen the muscles of the lower extremities.

The foot muscles, especially the toe flexors, play an important role as shock absorbers and motors for the foot by absorbing and generating mechanical energy, which is essential for human locomotion. Furthermore, they serve as a link between the powerful leg extensor muscles and the ground, transmitting the energy generated by the larger muscle groups. This makes them essential components of overall athletic performance. However, the impact of foot muscle strength on dancers´ jumping performance remains uncertain. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of two training programs designed to strengthen the toe flexor muscles in dancers. For this project, a 6.5-week intervention with ballet students from a vocational ballet school is planned. Before and after the intervention, all study participants will perform tests to assess foot muscle strength and jumping performance.

Conditions

• Toe Flexor Strength

Interventions

OTHER

"Toe flexor device" experimental group

This intervention group will perform toe flexion using a toe flexor (TF) device, which facilitates the shortening and stretching of the TF muscle-tendon units (MTUs) against resistance bands. While seated, participants will push a pedal down with their toes over two counts and release it over two counts.

OTHER

"Inclined Heel Rise" experimental group

This intervention group will perform single-leg heel rises on an inclined platform. Participants will place their hands against a barre for balance support, lift their heels over two counts, and lower them over two counts.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• German Sport University, Cologne

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Bern

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Anna Schrefl, MSc · University of Bern

• Daniel Erlacher, PhD · University of Bern

• Andrea Schaerli, PhD · University of Bern

• Nico Kolokythas, PhD · Elmhurst Ballet School

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-10

Primary Completion

2024-12-05

Completion

2024-12-15

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations