Attention Physical Therapists: Learn How to Create a Healthy Relevé for Your Dancer
The “pointe” of a dancer helps create the artistry and beauty of dance. There are many different muscles that dancers use to pointe the foot and ankle to create this aesthetically proficient position. Often in female ballet dancers, the Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL) muscle becomes overworked to plantarflex the hallux and talocrural joint. It is important to teach your dancer how to relevé using the triceps surae, which includes the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. These two muscles are pure ankle plantarflexors, and should be the primary mover of ankle plantarflexion, instead of the FHL. The following exercise is used at Westside Dance Physical Therapy to assist in the rehabilitation of FHL tendinopathy, and many other foot/ankle disorders when appropriate.
By using a step, have your dancer place his/her entire foot on the step with the toes off of the front edge. Make sure your dancer’s knee is not positioned in hyperextension because the gastrocnemius muscle will be in a position of passive insufficiency. This makes it more difficult to activate the gastrocnemius. This exercise allows the dancer to relevé without using the FHL for stability during the movement, creating an aesthetically proficient position by allowing full talocrural joint plantar flexion with the triceps surae
Such a helpful topic for anyone working with dancers! 🩰 A healthy relevé takes more than pointing your toes and hoping for the best — proper technique, ankle strength, balance, and gradual progression all play an important role. My advice is to focus on quality over quantity, encourage dancers to listen to their bodies, and seek professional guidance when something doesn’t feel right. After all, pain shouldn’t be part of the performance! 😄 Good communication, empathy, and confidence-building are equally important when supporting someone through their training, which also connects with skills explored in level 3 diploma counselling skills answers. Thanks for sharing these valuable insights!
Proper foot and ankle mechanics can make a significant difference for dancers, especially when a movement is repeated frequently during training. The emphasis on using the gastrocnemius and soleus rather than allowing the flexor hallucis longus to take over is particularly useful because small compensations can become habitual when technique is not monitored closely. The step exercise also highlights how positioning affects muscle recruitment, with knee alignment playing an important role in allowing the gastrocnemius to work effectively. More broadly, this is a good example of why technical understanding matters in movement-based rehabilitation. Similar attention to anatomy and mechanics is important in many technical professions, where understanding how systems function helps prevent problems rather than simply correcting them afterward. For…
A healthy relevé depends on more than strength alone; alignment, control, technique and careful observation all matter. For physical therapists working with dancers, understanding how each part of the movement contributes to the whole can make assessment and correction much more precise.
That same attention to controlled execution is essential in lifting operations. A lift supervisor needs to coordinate the appointed person, crane operator and slinger/signaller while checking the lifting plan, RAMS, ground conditions, lifting accessories, exclusion zones and communication arrangements. Level 4 Supervising Lifts study resources can help candidates connect those technical responsibilities with the practical supervision expected under LOLER, PUWER and BS 7121.
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