Foot Pain and Zumba
One night after a long day of teaching Zumba classes, I had an ache in the forefoot of one of my feet. It felt like there was a round, hard stone right behind my second and third toes.
I thought the pain was unusual so I took some ibuprofen, did some extra calf stretches, and ran my foot over a wooden foot massager. Nothing seemed to help my foot pain, but I thought I must have stepped on it wrong and that the pain would go away soon enough.
About two weeks later, my foot felt significantly worse and when I woke up one morning, the top of my forefoot was red, hot, and swollen. According to the the Mayo Clinic website, I had symptoms of metatarsalgia :
Symptoms of metatarsalgia may include:
- Sharp, aching or burning pain in the ball of your foot — the part of the sole just behind your toes
- Pain in the area around your second, third or fourth toes — or, only near your big toe
- Pain that gets worse when you stand, walk or run and improves when you rest
- Sharp or shooting pain in your toes
- Numbness or tingling in your toes
- Pain that worsens when you flex your feet
- A feeling in your feet as if you’re walking with a pebble in your shoe
- Increased pain when you’re walking barefoot, especially on a hard surface
Sometimes these symptoms develop suddenly — especially if you’ve recently increased your usual amount of running, jumping or other high-impact exercise — but problems usually develop over time.
When to see a doctor
Not all foot problems need medical care. Sometimes your feet simply ache after a long day of standing or a punishing workout. But it’s best not to ignore any foot pain that lasts more than a few days. Talk to your doctor if you experience a burning pain in the ball of your foot that doesn’t improve after changing your shoes and modifying your activities.
I was pleased to see that Mayo Clinic did not recommend seeing a doctor based on my symptoms, because as a self-employed individual / part-time employee of many companies, I cannot afford medical insurance at this time. I found subs for my Zumba classes and practiced the R.I.C.E. acute injury treatment method for the weekend. My foot felt a little better by Monday.
After a couple of days of high-impact Zumba classes, my foot was swollen again. Luckily, a holiday was coming up and I got the stomach flu so I was able (and forced) to clear my schedule and take nearly a whole week off from exercise. During that time, I continued to use the R.I.C.E. method daily to treat my foot pain. Upon returning to exercise, I wrapped my sore foot and wore supportive, shock-absorbing Nike cross trainers for Zumba instead of my usual Nike Musique athletic dance shoes for Zumba. After 8 weeks of foot wrap and cross trainers, my foot pain is gone.
My experience with foot pain is one of many reasons why I believe proper footwear is important for Zumba. I have changed my Zumba footwear from Nike Musique IV athletic dance shoes to Nike Huarache athletic dance shoes. While I feel the Nike Musique IV shoes have more support and cushion in the heel of the shoe, Nike Huarache shoes have more support and cushion in the ball of the foot, which is where I need it most.
Filed under Zumba | Tags: ache, clinic, cross trainers, Dance, dance shoes, feet, Fitness, foot, foot pain, foot wrap, forefoot, group, group fitness, group fitness instructor, hot, huarache, mayo, mayo clinic, mayoclinic, metatarsal, metatarsalgia, method, musique, Nike, pain, r.i.c.e. method, Red, rice, rice method, shoes, sore, swelling, swollen, wrap, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, zumba music, Zumba shoes | Comment (0)Best Ryka Zumba Shoes
I have not tried Ryka studio shoes for Zumba yet, but many of my Zumba class participants are currently sporting Ryka. And I love Kelly Ripa, spokesperson for Ryka, among other things. Here are a couple of the more popular models I’ve seen in class lately.
Ryka Transition
I think the best things about Ryka Transition studio shoes are the flexible meshy upper and the fun, colorful sole.
Ryka Studio D
I think Ryka Studio D shoes look a little 80’s… or should I say retro?
Best Nike Zumba Shoes
I have been doing Zumba for 2 years and I have been a Zumba instructor for 1.5 years. I have gone through several pairs of athletic dance shoes for Zumba, and I am partial to Nike.
Nike Musique
I have seen Nike Musique III, IV, VI, VII available, but my first four pairs of Zumba shoes were Nike Musique IV. I really liked the Nike Musique IV because the shoe was leather and mesh. Athletic dance shoes fit very tight. For me, the tightness was uncomfortable at first, but I found the mesh in Nike Musique IV shoes molded to my foot, and eventually the shoes fit like a glove.
I bought my first pair of Nike Musique IV on clearance at a Famous Footwear. I bought all my other pairs of Nike Musique IV from Zappos. Nike Musique can cost anywhere from $30 to $65.
The heel of Nike Musique is very well-cushioned. The ball and forefoot of the Nike Musique is not very well-cushioned. I am not a doctor, but if you are going to do a lot of Zumba or a lot of high impact Zumba, I recommend metatarsal pads for your Nike Musique.
Nike Hurache
Lately, all models of Nike Musique athletic dance shoes are getting harder to find. I have been unable to find the model with leather and mesh so this time, I bought Nike Huarache dance shoes.
Nike Huarache shoes are very different than Nike Musique shoes. Online, I thought these shoes looked bulky like a street/skater shoe, but Nike Huarache are not at all bulky. The sole is narrow, like Nike Musique, and has the tell-tale circle for easier turns. The shoe upper is mostly a sleek fabric, like a water shoe. The laces are almost unnecessary because these shoes fit like a sock. They are tight and I find them very supportive.
I bought my Nike Huarache from Zappos for $65.
Unlike Nike Musique, the ball and forefoot are well-cushion in the Nike Huarache, but the heel is not well-cushioned. I find the heel very narrow and the soft upper allows a lot of movement during Zumba moves like a heel tap. Only time will tell if the Nike Huarache will be as successful as the Nike Musique for Zumba.
Make Your Gym Shoes Zumba-Ready
I’ve written many Rencsi posts about a wide variety of Zumba shoes-related posts: Why do my gym shoes stick to the floor during Zumba? Why do my knees ache after Zumba? What are Zumba shoes? What shoes are best for Zumba? Where can I buy Zumba shoes?
This month’s edition of the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN) Z Life magazine features an ad from Slip-On Dancers. Slip-Ons appear to be a narrow band of fabric that wraps around the toe of your gym shoes. This band of fabric allows you to twist and turn, yet still grip the floor, without buying new shoes for Zumba. There is also a wider band for those people who must to do Zumba on carpet. (How unfortunate!)
I have not seen or tried this product, but they are about 1/4 of the price of Nike Musique athletic dance shoes. It might be worth a try before you invest in the real thing.
If anyone has tried Slip-On Dancers, please let us know what you think!
Want Z1 Zumba Shoes from Zumba Fitness? Get Them While You Can!
I’m a Zumba and Zumba Gold instructor and I had the same pair of Zumba shoes for a year. At first, I was only wearing my Zumba shoes for about one hour per day, two or three times a week, and they were holding up just fine. As luck would have it, I started getting more and more classes at more and more facilities and soon I was teaching two or three times per day, four days a week! As awesome as it was, my Zumba shoes broke down quickly. I was having foot, ankle, and shin pain during and after Zumba class. It was obvious I needed a new pair of Zumba shoes and I needed them fast.
I had been wanting the new Z1 Zumba sneakers from Zumba Fitness so I went to the Zumba shop to order a pair. I searched and searched, but they were not there – the Z1 Zumba sneakers were temporarily unavailable! I needed new shoes badly, but I decided to wait a week.
A week later, I checked the Zumba shop again. No Z1 Zumba sneakers! I couldn’t wait any longer and I decided to replace my Nike Musique IV with the exact same pair.
I just checkd back and the Z1 Zumba sneaker is now available at Zumba.com.
The moral of the story: If you are thinking about trying out the Z1 Zumba sneakers from Zumba.com, do it while you can! They are insanely popular. If they are temporarily unavailable, check back regularly because they might come and go from the Zumba shop as they are in stock. Hopefully, this means new styles and colors will be available soon.
Good luck!
What Are Zumba Shoes?
One of my Zumba participants walked into Lady Foot Locker and asked for Zumba shoes. The LFL sales team looked confused and responded, “What are Zumba shoes?”
How embarrassing! Someone is willing to walking into an athletic shoe store and drop $60 to $110 USD on a pair of dance shoes and the sales team at a store like Lady Foot Locker doesn’t even know what Zumba is?
In an athletics store, you are most likely looking for Nike Musique athletic dance shoes. Ryka also makes a couple of styles of athletic dance sneaker, Ryka Studio D and Ryka Sync, and from what I’ve seen, they are similar to the Nike Musique. This type of shoe is used by cheer and dance teams at the high school and college levels so they are somewhat easy to find. They are attractive athletic shoes, but obviously not built for most sports. You’ll find them on the edge of the athletic shoe section, not mixed in with the running shoes. Because they are not common, they are also easy to find on the clearance rack if you are a bargain hunter.
There is also currently a Nike shoe called Nike Huarache. It is more of a hip hop dance shoe so you might find it mixed in with the street wear.
If you have access to a dance studio or dance supply store, look for Capezio or Bloch athletic dance sneakers. These sneakers are also worn by dance teams and instructors so they are easy to find. Capezio and Bloch sneakers usually have a split sole which allows more foot flexibility during dance training and performances. To me, the split sole takes away some of the stability of these athletic dance shoes. The split sole is why I personally chose NOT to wear them for Zumba – I need stability and support. However, I do know plenty of people who DO wear them for Zumba.
In stores, you will pay about $30 USD for Zumba shoes on the clearance rack. Full price, Zumba shoes will cost $60-$110 USD. Online, you have more options and better prices. You will find Nike Musique and Huarache and Ryka Studio D and Sync online. Discount dance supply stores sell Capezio and Bloch athletic dance sneakers online.
I hate to order shoes online, but I like online shoe store prices so I use a little trick. I go find the shoes I want in a shoe store, try them on, and make note of the size, style, and color. Then I go home and order the same shoes online. It take a little more time, but I think it’s worth it.
If you have a favorite brand or style of shoe that you use for Zumba, I would love to hear it!
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, bloch, capezio, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group, group fitness, group fitness instructor, huarache, instructor, musique, Nike, nike huarache, nike musique, Nike shoes, ryka, shoes, studio d, sync, what are zumba shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, zumba music, Zumba shoes | Comment (0)Cool Zumba Shoes
I want these awesome athletic dance shoes for Zumba! They are only $62.00 on Nike.com, but they don’t have my size!
Does anyone know where I can buy Nike Huarache women’s dance shoes for Zumba other than directly from Nike? I want to find my size!
NEW Zumba Shoes from Zumba Fitness!
They’re finally here! The Z1 Zumba Dance Sneaker from Zumba Fitness!
As far as I can tell, only Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN) members can order these shoes from the Zumbawear shop as of February 20, 2010. Here is a screen shot with the description and details. If you’re not a ZIN member, talk to your favorite Zumba instructor about ordering you a pair of Z1 Zumba Sneakers!
Best Zumba Shoes for Men
Despite being created by a genius man, Beto Perez, Zumba classes are overwhelmingly women. The token males in my Zumba classes are absolutely adored.
That is all I thought about men regarding Zumba until this week when a reader, Dan, posted a comment on my post Where to Buy Dance Shoes. Dan asked:
can you recommend a zumba shoe for men?
What a great question and in fact, yes I can recommend some shoes for men for Zumba!
One of the most well-known brands of dance shoe is Capezio. My college dance team used Capezio dance sneakers as part of the team uniform and several of my Zumba regulars where Capezio dance sneakers to class.
Capezio offers several varieties of men’s and unisex athletic dance shoes for men that would no doubt work well for men doing Zumba. My personal favorites are the Capezio Rockit and the Capezio Toggle. The main difference is that Capezio Rockit has laces and the Capezio Toggle doesn’t. Reviews for both models are excellent and some reviews actually list Zumba as the main reason the person bought the shoe. Online shoe stores like Zappos and Discount Dance Supply carry Capezio dance sneakers in men’s sizes.
Knee Pain During Zumba
I heard one of my Zumba class regulars who disappeared recently has quit doing Zumba because of knee pain. This is not the first Zumba knee pain complaint I’ve heard. Why do people’s knees hurt from Zumba?
As I mentioned in my past Rencsi.com post Sticky Shoes During Zumba, most athletic shoes are designed for forward movement only. Running shoes and walking shoes have heavy traction and robust soles to resist sliding and turning and this is exactly what runners and walkers need. This is not what we want in Zumba class.
Zumba incorporates the twisting, turning, and sliding movements of Latin dance. While the body is moving, the heavy traction of popular athletic shoes causes the Zumba dancer to stick to the studio floor. The foot stays put and the leg, knee, and hip twist, turn, and slide.
Think of a basic Cuban salsa move – you step to the side, shift your weight to that foot, shift your weight to the other foot, and bring your feet together and repeat and repeat and repeat. The thick, wide soles of most athletic shoes are designed to prevent the lateral movement of salsa, one of the basic dances in a Zumba class.
It’s no wonder some exercisers experience knee pain from Zumba!
The good news is knee pain does not have to end your Zumba workout. There are many styles of athletic dance shoes available that will allow you to turn and slide freely. Here are some articles to help you find the best shoes to wear during Zumba. Enjoy!
Zumba FAQ – What are the best shoes to wear in a Zumba Class?
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness, interests | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group fitness, shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, Zumba shoes | Comments (11)