There is nothing worse for a dancer than bunions. With all the time you need to stand on your toes, putting pressure on your big toes, bunions can greatly handicap that process. What is a dancer to do when they have bunions? Is the dancing causing their bunions? Will they have to stop dancing because of the bunions?
We will deal with these questions:
Is dancing causing your bunions? The answer is no. If dancing caused bunions then all dancers would have bunions. It makes no sense that some dancers could get bunions while others would be spared. Bunions are genetic; this has been studied time after time. Now does dancing make bunions worse and aggravate them? The answer to this is yes as there is some evidence this occurs. Putting increased stress and pressure on the big toe joint will cause further pain and can potentially aggravate a bunion.
Will I have to stop dancing because of bunions? The answer to this is no. One option could be to concentrate on dancing other than en pointe as it will decrease pressure on the bunion region. For Tap and Hip Hop a bunion would not matter. However, remember these bunions are curable and you can have surgery to have a bunion removed. Bunion surgery has progressed greatly in the last 20 years to where it is a routine and simple operation. If you were to have bunion surgery you would probably have to stop dancing for three months but in all likelihood you would be able to return to dancing after that three months with limited restrictions.
What can you do to help with the bunions while you are dancing other than surgery? My suggestion would be to get a low profile bunion splint or straightner. You want a low profile so it will easily fit in your dancing shoes and not be too tight in the area. The straightning and padding should make it easier to dance. Bunion splints that fit these traits are listed below:
Also consider getting dancing shoes that are ideal for dancing with bunions. I have written previous articles suggesting these:
http://podpost.us/issue/march/article/best-tap-dancing-shoes-for-bunion-sufferers
http://podpost.us/issue/july-2014/article/best-pointe-shoes-for-dancers-with-bunions
Remember just because you have bunions it does not mean you have to stop dancing. There are simple steps to take. And by all means see a PODIATRIST.