The Device

We know how important it is for ballerinas that their pointe shoes fit as best as possible to their feet, since they allow them to stand, balance of the whole body, turn and execute the accurate and complicated skills of their dancing profession. Therefore, in order to get the best possible fitting, each ballerina tries to choose the model that best fits her foot, sews the ribbons and elastics with precision, some will super glue the tips, rip the top piece of the shank out, sew around the platform, remove the nail that connects the inner shank to the rest of the shoe, sometimes a softening of the box with a hammer o a door, etc.

Feet bunions result from inflammation and deformation of the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe called hallux valgus. However, the exact cause of bunion development is not clear. There appears to be a strong genetic link, suggesting that genetic inheritance of a certain gene may be involved as a causative factor. But there are also other proposed causes of bunions, including certain health conditions and daily activities. Furthermore, there is scientific agreement that classic ballet female dancers predisposed to develop bunions are at high risk of developing them, as they have increased exposure to risk factors.

Among the possible causes that can increase the development of the bunions in the dancers, stand out a technically inappropriate dance training, inappropriate dance floors due to lack or excess of flexibility and the use of inappropriate pointed shoes. It is obvious that in the last case, it is easier to point out the defects, for example: that the box of the pointe shoe is too narrow, or too wide or its geometry does not correspond to that of the ballerina’s foot, therefore, don’t fit properly. Of course, the advice to avoid these problems can be summarized with the use of the pointe shoe that best suits the foot of the dancer. And indeed, choosing the right shoe and adjusting it to its physical and technical characteristics is an arduous task that the dancers take very seriously. Even so, and taking into account the effort of the manufacturers of pointed shoes to offer a variety of models or even individualized fabrications for each dancer, the difficulty of achieving the adaptation of the shoe to the foot deformed by the bunion is considerable.

In order to overcome the mentioned difficulties, several accessories and bandages have been developed and commercialized. However, experience shows that the optimal adaptation of the shoe at the foot of each ballerina suffering from bunions, is a fine individual task that requires adequate tools to facilitate it. This was the circumstance in which Tamara Rojo found herself when, after an injury on her right foot and an unfortunate surgery in 2002, her incipient bunion became enormous. Faced with the unfortunate situation, Tamara Rojo suggested to her father the creation of a specific dilating stretcher for her pointe shoes, capable of expanding the wings of the vamp where the bunion is housed. After several prototypes, they achieved the proper device capable of reducing the oppression in the bunion, relieve discomfort, help her dance more comfortably and, in addition, use the appropriate pointe shoe size for her foot. Since 2002, Tamara uses the same first two Pointe Shoe Anti-Bunion Stretcher manufactured at the time, that bear her name.

The Pointe Shoe Anti-Bunion Stretcher by Tamara Rojo ® is a device for widening the specific area of the enveloping part of the pointe ballet shoes, to facilitate a more comfortable use of said shoes by the ballerinas who suffer from the lateral deformation of the first segment of the phalangeal metatarsal joint forming a protrusion called hallux abductus valgus (hallux valgus) known as bunion. By stretching the satin canvas at the wings area of the pointe shoes, the fitting of the ballerina’s foot suffering bunion into the pointe shoe is improved, consequently, it reduces the oppression in the bunion, relieves discomfort and helps her to dance more comfortably.

The Pointe Shoe Anti-Bunion Stretcher by Tamara Rojo ® is a premium device made on aircraft aluminum, bronze and stainless steel.

The Pointe Shoe Anti-Bunion Stretcher by Tamara Rojo ® is covered by our 2 years manufacturer Warranty.