Dance Mom Adventures: Dealing With an Injured Foot

This post is a part of the Dance Mom Adventures series – where I share my experiences as a dance mom. In this edition, read about how we’re dealing with a foot injury.

When my daughter started to complain about her foot hurting last week, I thought oh no: what if she can’t dance this weekend?! I know how much dancing means to her and if she were incapable of performing, she would have been heartbroken. Being very little that I can do, I was really frustrated. I don’t like being powerless (especially since I am a mega control freak). So, I made her a doctor appointment and prayed for the best.

The doctor diagnosed her with plantar fasciitis. She has long, flat feet. The pressure from dancing, and the lack of arch in her foot, is causing some pain. The bones are still growing and the doctor assured me that she will most likely grow out of it. In the meantime, ace wraps have become her right foot’s best friend *sigh*.

My platinum award winning dancer

Even with her foot bothering her, she rocked the house. Her solo won a Platinum Award, and 1^st place in the Spark 9-11 category with a cash prize! The group dances all did very well also–receiving High Gold for their jazz and tap dances and Platinum for their ballet dance. The production jazz number also got a High Gold award.

The best we can do is for now is keep an eye out on the foot situation. Many of the people I’ve talked to said she will probably grow out of it. I am just so nervous because I don’t know what to do or what to expect. I was never an athlete in my youth (umm, unless you count two years cheerleading in 8th & 9th grades as being an athlete, no – I did’t think so) so I don’t have a frame of reference. I am an internet junkie though so I will continue to do my research and make sure we take care of it so it doesn’t get worse.

I want to hear from you!

Have you ever dealt with a sports injury? How did you treat it? Please leave me a comment below and let’s have a discussion.