 Poster: A snowHead
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[quote="sarah"]
| rob@rar wrote: |
Scarlet Fez, see a podiatrist or get your GP to refer you to a foot surgeon. It might be your feet not your boots. What you describe seems similar to the pain I get in my feet (mostly right foot). I've had a lot of work done on boots, footbeds, alignment, etc and while it has helped reduce the discomfort that I've sometimes had from being in ski boots a lot, it has not fixed the problem I have with occasional intense pain radiating from the middle of the ball of my foot.
It might be you have a Morton's Neuroma (Google it) or something else. I've been referred to a foot surgeon who is trying to work out what my problem is (had steroid injections into the foot, x-rays, ultrasound and MRI scans) with another consultation this week to decide if I need surgery. Unfortunately for me the problem has been getting worse over the last two or three years, perhaps as a result of spending much more time in ski boots, so grinning and bearing it is no longer an option for me. |
The only time I have this pain is from skiing and as I only get a week in a year, 2 weeks at tops. So to consider surgery at the age of 53 is abit like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. I do take on board what you say. As I said before I counter the pain by releasing and massaging the foot every couple of hours. I went and saw Colin S4F in Bicester who I would thoroughly recommend but his hard work was fruitless.
What I have picked up on the thread is that I do have what someone called Charlie Chaplin Feet or a 'marching' gait with my toes naturally pointing outwards. As pointed out that with skis on my feet are forced in to me an un-natural position which will therefore put alot of pressure where foot does want to go.
In short I have to MAN UP and deal with it, but I do get some funny looks when I take my boots off in the boot room when my foot screams at me a for a couple of minutes is able to get back to normal if only to take me across the road for a bit of pain relief in the way of a light ale. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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 sounds like a definite step forward Sainter. It's hard to tell until you ski in them, but remember chairlifts are your friend and I think you'll find you can manage to have a good time! aj xx
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Scarlet Fez, I'll put this out front 'I'm NOT taking the pee'
You really need to think about learning to snowboard. You have a natural 'Duck' foot position which is encouraged on a board, the boots would be a revelation and honestly, a well ridden board is just as much fun on the hill as skis. If you are not overweight, averagely fit and don't have any worries about an occasional fall then you might give it a thought. . .your feet would love you for it. 
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Masque, I did hesitantly suggest to Sainter earlier that he might find snowboard boots more comfortable.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Scarlet Fez wrote: |
| The only time I have this pain is from skiing and as I only get a week in a year, 2 weeks at tops. So to consider surgery at the age of 53 is abit like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. |
That's a fair point. Glad that you're managing the situation by being sensible with the time your feet are in boots.
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Masque - fair point well made about boarding but although I am no expert I can get around most places on my skis. A touch late in the day to swap 'codes' IMO. I also ski with a group of similar aged similar skilled skiers, so if I was to learn to board I would miss their company and be Bill No Mates.
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I have exactly the same problem. The outside of my foot hurts like hell, goes numb and actually feels bruised. After only a few hours I take my feet out my boots and they are even redder than that.
I nearly quit skiing over this. First I went to a podiatrist who said I had hypermobile feet (which I do) and fitted me with corrective orthotics. I was in agony. Then I went to some fancy place in Kings road with a bunch of arrogant back bottoms who thought they were legends, Pro Feet, pro pain if you ask me. They also said my feet and ankles were hyper mobile, spent about an hour slagging off everyone in the world (because they are so good) and decided to bolt my boots together so they can't be flexed (really good plan guys). They seemed to think this would stabilise my ankle which rolled to the side not backwards and forwards anyway. Of course, the boots hurt like hell as well. After me ranting at them this was a load of poo-poo they fitted me with another pair of boots not bolted together but still really really painful. They decided I didn't have enough fat on the ball of my foot and put some squishy material under the ball of my foot and left the rest normal material. My toes turned black. I had pins and needles in my toes for months after wearing these boots (nerve damage the doctor said). I went on a skiing holiday, I could only ski half a day and I do not joke when I say I was taking Nurofen Plus and Solphadeine Max (that's 1000mg paracetamol, 400mg ibuprofen and just over 50mg codeine) and my feet were still agony! Next I tried SureFoot, in Whistler. They made some reasonable footbeds which had a dome in the middle of them to 'stabilise' my hypermobile feet. But the ball was irritating and they did hurt quite a bit by the end of the day. Finally I went to some fancy spancy guy in Whistler, (McCoos or Fanatyk can't remember which) he talked a lot of crap and gave me another pair of boots that hurt, I can't even remember what he did but it took like three days. Then I packed up my three pairs of expensive agonising boots and five pairs of footbeds and quit skiing.
A few years ago I decided to just go to Snow and Rock, say nothing and see what I got. I got a pair of boots half a size bigger than all the other boots I had been fitted in and they don't hurt. Okay the outside of my foot still goes a bit numb but I can spend a day in them. Sometimes I think they are too big but I have had the shell checked and they seem okay. I saw the assistant manager at Snow and Rock Covent Garden to check them (Fraser I think). I have seen videos of me skiing in them and I ski pretty damn well so clearly they are not so massive I can't feel what I am doing. Perhaps a closer fit would be better, I don't know but I can ski, they don't hurt so I am happy.
A few other things they put in. Due to hypermobile feet I have short calves, which prevent me from flexing as much as I should (although I am working like hell to stretch them) so they put in some heel lifts this also seems to somehow take the weight off the balls of my feet. Also they did some custom footbeds that support my arch nicely and seem to help to stop my feet from splurging out. I also have wide feet (they splurge) but quite high arches (seems similar to you). Head or Technica boots are what have worked for me. Also check your socks, my favourite are the Smartwool PHD, they had all the right padding in all the right places but are low profile elsewhere. As you bought the boots in Snow and Rock perhaps see if you can go back and see Fraser (if it isn't who you originally saw). I think they offer a boot fit guarantee as well?
I will add that gym work has helped as well. I do a lot of squats and lunges (static and walking). Especially on an upside down Bosu (for stability) or even better a wobble board. Also one leg deadlift (with or without weight). I roll and stretch my calves daily in the months coming up to a ski break, even get painful deep tissue massage on my calves to try and stretch them out. And I try to do a lot of barefoot work to ensure the muscles in my feet are working. I do not wear supportive shoes when in the gym, I want my feet to work so get stronger so they are held together better in my boot (don't splurge so much). Obviously don't forget the usual core work that is necessary before a trip.
Oh one other thing, I tried snowboarding. Those boots also hurt the outside of my feet, in fact more than my now fitting ski boots. As a beginner I don't know if I was snowboarding right but I found when in the fall line my weight was right over the outside of my leading foot, which hurt, which made me want to put my weight back, which also hurt cause I then fell over. So don't think switching to snowboarding will solve your foot woes.
I too have a natural duck position, friends often mock me for it. My feet roll over (upside down) I can move each metatarsal individually (unususal apparently) and turn my feet inwards to 90 degrees. When lying down the natural position for my feet is outwards (duck) with the soles facing each other (yes they are flexible), I can clap my feet! I have boots that don't hurt, too much. So it is possible.
Good luck.
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FAQ
If you ski with any degree of control, you should need no more than a week at most with good instruction to be a safe and effective boarder on any hill red and ease your way down a black without side-slipping all the way.
