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toe nails breaking while doing pointe work


lisa21

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Hi,

 

Not sure if this is the right place for this, sorry in advance if it's the wrong place.

 

When I'm en pointe the nails on my two smallest toes break in half and come off, so basically i'm left with half a toe nail. It splits straight down the middle. I have always taken care of my toes and I have recently started using surgical spirit to harden the skin and nails on my toes. ( I can't wear toe pads with my pointe shoes)

 

If anyone has any advice please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

 

Lisa x B)

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Something is wrong, whether it is the fit, shape, or size of the current shoes, or something nutritionally or physically, I can't answer. Have you seen a doctor and nutritionist? Are you certain your shoes are proper for your feet?

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100% certain I went to freed of london and I have my shoes made as standard fit doesn't work for me. Until recently I used to dance in a hall that was permanently cold. I.e sometimes the windows were broken, no heating etc and I did a lot of modern in bare feet and it was after this my toenails became fragile when doing pointe work. I am very healthy, eat all of the right foods (a little over weight from having a baby lol) but no health problems. It is a bit better now, but the little toenail still splits in half.

Edited by lisa21
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(Moderators- Please remove if I am not allowed to post a response here)

 

Just a thought- Having had a baby myself a year ago, I know how drastically pregnancy (and nursing) changes your body. Could the toe-nail problem be connected? I have found all kinds of changes to my skin, hair and nails since pregnancy. It can take a while for your body to get back to "normal" after. And, sometimes things just stay different (like the new waves in my usually stick straight hair).

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Hi,

 

it was happening a lot worse before I had my daughter actually lol. As i said previously though, my last dance school the hall I was in was in need of repair and it was always ridiculously cold and most of the time my feet were blue even after a 3hour class and that's when my foot problems started. I think prehaps now the nails are just weak.

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Hi,

 

it was happening a lot worse before I had my daughter actually lol. As i said previously though, my last dance school the hall I was in was in need of repair and it was always ridiculously cold and most of the time my feet were blue even after a 3hour class and that's when my foot problems started. I think prehaps now the nails are just weak.

Mods- this is just anecdotal, so delete if necessary.

My pinky toes do just that and have for several years. I went to a podiatrist back a few years ago when I was en pointe, and he found that I have iffy circulation in my smaller toes, exacerbated in cold weather by my Reynaud's Syndrome. I taped them and that helped some. But even now, they still do that seasonally (I eat carefully, too.). Good luck!

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Actually I'm glad you posted your experience, Organist! :blushing:

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I used to dance in a super-cold hall too, and I found that layers and pre-class warm up were absolutely necessary - especially for feet, ankles, and hips.

 

That said, are you not allowed to wear anything at all in your pointe shoes? In the interim, it sounds like this poor nail could do with some protection, even if just on that one toe.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I used to dance in a super-cold hall too, and I found that layers and pre-class warm up were absolutely necessary - especially for feet, ankles, and hips.

 

That said, are you not allowed to wear anything at all in your pointe shoes? In the interim, it sounds like this poor nail could do with some protection, even if just on that one toe.

 

 

Hi,

 

sorry for the delayed reply, I have been on holiday.

 

I tape my toes and my toenails aren't falling off quite as much and I do wrap up in class until I am warm as I have hyper-mobility and get pain in my joints if i don't lol :yucky: .

 

organist- the toenails do fall off a lot more when it is cold weather.

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