01 February 2009

Massaging the tango feet

When one dances tango for hours and hours on end, the euphoria of the evening's dance is tempered by the ache of one's feet.

What my therapist advises is to massage your feet. This returns good circulation, soothes aches and pains, and prevents plantar fasciitis.

Tools needed
  1. 2 tennis balls
  2. 2 golf balls

The Ritual
  1. Rest your feet well after dancing
  2. Sit down, and get comfy
  3. Lay your feet over two tennis balls (One under each foot). Put all of your leg's weight on them
  4. In a slow and firm rolling motion, roll them underneath the balls of your feet, underneath your arches, underneath your heels, underneath your toes. Do this for 10 minutes
  5. Shift to the golf balls, repeat # 4
  6. Alternate the tennis balls and golf balls as needed
  7. Rest your feet afterwards
  8. Soak and luxuriate in a warm bath 
  9. Moisturize, exfoliate, and shave (take care of) callouses (as needed)

This can be done after running, a long walk, or any activity that beats up your feet. My long standing therapist (she's a magician) explained the mechanics of the method to me. I got a definitive explanation about stress injuries and relationships of inter-related areas of physical anatomy that I myself don't quite understand in full. But, It works for me.  :-)




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Feels good just reading this. Thanks for the tip!

Anonymous said...

Never shave callouses! Bad bad bad for tango feet!
Always use a pumice stone (daily - thanks to my dear personal care expert friend Joli I have this habit). But never shave them. Shaving them can leave you prone to an infection which would prevent you from dancing for a while.
:-)