insoles for supinate feet

A snowHead

hi I'm a newby to the forum so look forward to reading some posts and general chit chat.

ive been skiing on and off for a couple of years and either used rental boots or my own ebay specials. but no matter what boots I wear after a day my feet and legs hurt like hell.

so this year I thought I would splash out on some brand new boots hoping to cure the problem

soon as I got measured up and the way I walk determined the sales man determined I was supinate and that custom insoles would solve my pain issues.

question is,
is this just a sales trick to spend more money?
if insoles will help can I go for off the shelf options rather than custom items?
if they wont really help whats my best option?

thanks kris

A snowHead

Assuming you've gone to a reputable ski boot fitter, take his advice. Many of us require custom insoles in our ski boots. I have them as I pronate, and I seem to remember them costing ~£100. If you need them, buying boots without them would most likely not cure your problem. A good boot fitter will be able to advise on whether off the shelf insoles might work.
Which boot fitter have you been to see? Where are you based?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

So, for the. Left foot, which way pronates and which way supinates ?

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both feet supinate.

I am based in south wales I went to a place called coyoti. the bloke really sounded like he knew what he was talking about but I like to do some research before I go shelling out 150.

thanks

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi Kris - totally agree that insoles would be the way to go in a lot of cases for pain avoidance / comfort / performance - particularly if you have problems as you describe. FOR INFO - please see attached link for place that sorted me out: www.solutions4feet.com
If you read it you will see how complex this issue can be - totaly up to you (OBVIOUSLY) how much detail / expense you want to go re: a remedy but insoles could be a basic solution. NOTE: I AM NOT PARTICULARLY ADVERTISING THESE GUYS it's more about offering you info to make an informed choice - but trust me - they know their stuff...................

I have particularly crap, stupidly wide and almost square feet with elements of pronation and supination (according to my podiatrist) and wear orthotics in all footwear.

My boots now have custom insoles, shims to change base plate angles (so i can get my skis as "flat" on the snow as poss) and the outer shells have also been "stretched" to accommodate pressure points. Skiing now does not hurt my feet and is immensely more fun as a result

So stuff can be done - leave it with you and hope you get sorted somehow

Cheers

The Bisonator

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Coyoti in cowbridge are reputable boot fitters. The other alternative in South Wales is Pembrey dry ski slope.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

If a supinator you're in a minority group, usually with a high arch, fairly rigid foot and often lacking ankle dorsi-flexion. As such very few ready made insoles/footbeds/orthotics are made for your foot type. (Most ready made devices are made for pronators)

After all it is free

as @anarchicsaltire says a true supinator is pretty rare, less than 5% of the population, having a high arch does not automatically make you a supinator...your foot can sit in a supinated position whilst standing but what happens to the feet and knees when you walk or run it is a combination of motions or lack of motions which need to be assessed, needs more than a cursory glance at you walking across the shop

impossible to say via the web but if you are a true supinator then a WELL MADE custom footbed is a start to the process, it will depend on the rest of your foot structure as to what other requirements you have inside a ski boot, possibly heel lifts, the cuff of the boot canting to accommodate lower leg shape and the top of the shell stretching to accommodate a high, sensitive instep

thanks for the replies everyone.
he assessed my stride by walking across electronic pads which then transmitted the images to the computer, this is how he came to the conclusion I was a supinator.

well im booked in for tomorrow afternoon so fingers crossed the insoles will do the trick

thanks kris

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

not amused thought I would sort this out.

long story short started the custom insole process, while standing for the 6 min waiting for the insoles to harden I started having shooting pains in my right heel, tried an off the shelf insole with less support, again shooting pains. it was only when I stood on the flat they stopped.
so they looked more at my feet and the digital image, which showed up that ive a previous injury which making my muscles underneath to be tighter than normal and some issue with my heel aswell (cant remember what he said exactly only that these two squares on the image were supposed to be parallel on my heel but were way out)

so ive got to find somewhere or someone or something to loosen up my muscles and try again.

OR

sod it and just buy new boots the correct size

im fead up!!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

impossible to say without seeing the images /feet but sounds like one leg is longer than the other, either through a break in a leg/congenital problem or a twist in the pelvis (my best guess is that the two squares that should be parallel are the centre of mass indicators and you are applying more weight on one side of the body either further forward of back than it should be)

the next question is about leg alignment and how you stand...most insole systems have a fairly narrow base of support, if your foot supinates as you say, and you have curvature in the lower leg then the narrow base of support of any casting chamber will exaggerate the position and probably elicit the pain, how were you stood on the off the shelf insole? feet parallel and fairly close together? or in a slightly wider stance? all difficult to say without seeing the offending feet/insoles

buying boots the correct size is a good thing, however in your case only the right boot in the correct size with the correct set up will come anywhere close to solving the pains

snow reports

would it help if I find out off the people what the squares are exactly?

feet were parallel shoulder-ish width apart with knees bent forward in a skiing stance.

the off the shelf insoles that we tried were orange to start with had about ten mm heel to it.
the second were carbon I think they called them which had hardly any heel, more shaped.
also aswell as the ridged moulded insole for skiing we also tried a running version which had heel support but still hurt my right heel after a while.

not sure if this will help a diagnosis but when I stand straight normally my feet aren't parallel my feet point out (left toes point to the left and right to the right) and when I make them parallel my knees/ legs ache.

thanks again kris

You know it makes sense.

my knees point out aswell.

my family and friends would never speak to me again lol

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

my current boots are too big, only by a size and a half but too big none the less

A snowHead

so feet turned out, knees turned out, there is some serious amounts of femoral torsion going on there. think it might take more than a set of insoles to solve the problems

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks umm I think lol

best bet I think is to go see a physio or similar maybe?

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@krisrt, a GOOD physio is probably a very good place to start, see if your local football or rugby club physio does private work..... (their job is to keep players on the pitch and whilst their treatments tend to be a bit more "BRUTAL" they will be very hands on and sort what needs to be sorted)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I sympathise. My feet have very pronounced supination. My knees and feet point outwards too. I went for years with no boot fitter recognising the problem. Nor did any instructor make any helpful suggestions as to how I might survive drag lifts and schusses without catching outside edges, or why my skis would not turn parallel, all of which were because I could not get my weight off the outside edges of the skis. A podiatrist sorted me out with insoles which raised the outside edges of my feet, thereby rolling them over so that weight was evenly distributed. The result was amazing.

I recommend you consult a podiatrist. (S)he may also be able to do something to prevent your muscles tightening up again when you ski.

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I'm in the same boat I got supination in my feet and when I skii it really affects my knees (well my whole legs actually) I once tried custom insoles (cost me well over $100) and I think that they only worsened the problem and wreck biomechnical balance as they tend to be fixed... I then got some rubber gel insoles from here http://thebosh.com/product/bosh-orthotic-insoles-2, these ones have been okay but the problem is still there slightly however that might have just been me. and a dody physio I went to see.

Help!!

insoles for supinate feet

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