Stress less: avoid fractures by working and eating smart.

As a dedicated Streb dancer in the mid-'80s, I worked hard for our upcoming season. I also waitressed 10 hours a night to pay the rent. In my dreams I rested, and food was an afterthought. It was all exciting until a few days before the show when my foot began to ache. I tried ignoring it, but I felt like a dog with a very sore paw.

Hoping for the best, I went to a doctor. The second I described the pain, the words "stress fracture" left her lips. I was sunk. She told me I had to stay off my foot, and to forget the performance. Thinking of Olympic gymnasts who won the gold with a broken foot, I decided the show must go on, and it did. Unfortunately, I missed the rest of the season, since I was out for 10 weeks rather than the usual 6 it takes stress fractures to heal.

Rocky Bornstein, a physical therapist at Westside Dance Physical Therapy in Manhattan, says a variety of circumstances can cause stress fractures. When you're fatigued and working beyond your endurance level, your vulnerability increases. Working on a cement or unsprung floor can be a cause. Biomechanical issues, like faulty technique or imbalance of muscle strength (which causes improper muscle use), also stress bones that aren't meant to handle the extra force.

But the biggest factor, particularly for women, is bone deficiency, says Bornstein. Because the dance community encourages sleek proportions, dancers tend to avoid dairy and other calcium-rich products that strengthen and protect bones. If the amount of energy used is less than the calories burned, a metabolic imbalance occurs. This imbalance can change your hormone levels and affect menstrual cycles, which also has an impact on bone density.

Former dancer Shannon Sterne, MS, RD, a dietician who works with dancers at Case Western Reserve University, agrees that small frames and low body weights in female dancers may lead to lower bone mass and increased risk of bone frailty. And weight aside, eating on the fly often means dancers get too little of the minerals, vitamins, and protein essential to protecting and building bone mass, particularly vitamin D. A recent study of female navy recruits found that women who take vitamin D and calcium supplements for even a short time appeared to be at lower risk for stress fractures. "Nutritional deficiencies can be minimized by choosing foods that are nutrient dense," Sterne says. She suggests trying every day to eat small amounts of cheese or yogurt, which are packed with calcium. To make sure you get enough vitamin D, you can have a cup of vitamin-fortified milk. Getting enough sun also builds up the vitamin's presence in your system, though you want to be careful to use sunscreen.

Dr. Richard Gibbs, who works with San Francisco Ballet, recommends that dancers make sure to get 1200-1500 milligrams of calicium a day, if necessary in supplement form. He also suggests weight-bearing and high-impact exercise like jogging, and strength training to stimulate bone formation. "You have to stress a bone to get strong bone laid down," says Gibbs.

It's a good idea to include in your diet omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed. They act as anti-inflammatories and help reduce the swelling and pain associated with stress fractures. They also increase calcium absorption, reduce calcium excretion, and improve calcium deposition in the bone. Try eating a handful of walnuts or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily.

Avoiding unhealthy habits can be as important as eating healthily. Gibbs points out that diet colas, cigarettes, and alcohol compromise bone health. Carbonated beverages like soft drinks break down bones because calcium must be balanced within the body by phosphorus, a common ingredient. When the body takes in too much phosphorus, the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio drops, eventually leeching calcium from the bones. Cigarettes shrink blood vessels, promoting poor circulation, and alcohol also interferes with calcium metabolism.

A dancer's life is demanding physically and emotionally, so moderation is key to professional longevity. Eating a balanced diet, exercising in a technically sound way, and resting between class and rehearsals helps to avoid stress fractures. Well cared-for bodies work more efficiently, providing the necessary instrument to help dancers achieve the artistry they work toward.

Nancy Alfaro, a New York writer, danced with STREB, lane Comfort, and Meredith Monk.