‘She doesn’t seem her usual self’: We asked a podiatrist to examine Beyonce’s foot injury

As Beyoncé’s 40-show Renaissance tour continues its way around the world, so too does speculation about her alleged post-surgery foot injury. She appears to be dancing less, with some fans even claiming this week that she’s wearing one heel chunkier than the other just to support her weaker ankle.

So, as rumour after rumour and theory after theory floods through Twitter each night Beyoncé is busting moves in a new city, we sat down with foot and ankle specialist Steven Thompson to get an expert view on what’s really going on with Beyoncé’s injury. This is a very serious investigation.

Is Beyoncé really holding back on tour because of an injury?

Over the past week, Beyoncé fans on Twitter and TikTok have endlessly posted videos of Beyoncé seemingly not giving it her all on tour. Looking at the footage, Steven thinks there could be something off, too: “I’ve taken a look at some of the videos, and it looks like she is reducing her activities,” he says. “This suggests she has some pain somewhere. This could be her foot, ankle or knee but hard to tell.”

What injury does Beyoncé actually have? And how is she coping?

This week, a photo emerged on Twitter where it appeared Beyoncé was wearing a pair of black boots to perform in with one heel chunkier than the other. “She’s being so careful after the surgery,” claimed the person who posted.

Steven says, if the image isn’t edited, it’s likely Beyoncé has altered her footwear to support her injury and the precautionary measure could even hint exactly what’s wrong with her.

“From the one photo – if that is her shoes without any photoshopping, and the one heel is wider, this would benefit stability of the ankle and knee,” Steven says. “Ankle inversion injuries are very common with dancers and with wearing heels, so it’s a possibility.

“If this has happened, common structures to become injured are the lateral ankle ligaments, usually Anterior Talo-Fibular Ligament (ATFL), and peroneal tendons [which travel down the outside of your lower leg].

“A boot offers more ankle stability than a [stiletto] heel,” he adds. “All speculation of course, but she doesn’t seem to be giving it her usual 100 per cent, and I hope that she’s OK.”

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