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Ski boot problem

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I apologies in advance if this has been asked before but after a bit of advice.

Last year after trying on many boots at Ellis Brigham Tamworth we settled on a pair of Atomic Hawk 90s. In the past when I have skied I always hired boots and ended up having to change them quite a bit. So we thought it would be a good investment to buy our own.

I have suffered with pain mainly numb toes 2nd 3rd and 4th on both feet. I have worn them in the dome 3 times, and been on a weeks skiing which I ended up having to keep taking boots off to get feeling back to toes then I'm able to carry on. Then after about 20 mins will need to take them off again. The start of the week I could last till about 12 boots been on since 8.30 and by Friday managed till about 2 till I needed to take them off as the pain is so bad only relief is taking them off.

I have had custom footbeds done and had them put in the oven three times to stretch them again. Last time was today then I skied for an hour in the dome and still got the numb painful toes but not as bad. They don't seem to give me much confidence at EB today told me my socks were to thick (falke) they don't appear over thick and would diffrent thinner socks make much diffrence?

I can move my toes in the liner and the shell appears to be very spacious with out the liner. The Staff are confident I have been sold the correct boots.When I first put them on they are very comfortable but after a while I get the painful numbness again. We are going skiing again in 7 weeks and really don't want to have to keep stopping at the top of the lifts to take feet out of boots before carrying on. I only feel the pain when I'm not skiing when stationary or on the lifts.

It's a round trip off 300 miles to go back to EB so really don't want to go back a forth time. Any advice greatly appriciated and please don't tell me it was wrong to use EB in first place. Their service has been good but just can't solve this problem. We have left it today that they just need bedding out a bit more.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Linnylou26, can't help, but sympathies, it sounds absolutely miserable. Yes, thinner socks worth trying. My last boots only had room for skinny silk socks.
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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?
@pam w, thanks currently looking at thinner socks do you reccomend a certain brand?
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First few questions...

1. Did you choose a boot which they then fitted?
2. Have you done a basic she'll check ( take liner out, but bare foot in empty she'll and slide foot till toes just touch front of boot) if so how much space between heel and the inside of the shell at the back of the foot.
3. Are you making sure your boot is done up correctly?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Sounds like they could do with some more specific work rather than just heat moulding the whole boot / liner again. Problem maybe somewhere like the instep where pressure is cutting off circulation. Where are you based? Colin at Solutions for Feet in Banbury and Graham at Rivington Alpine in the NW are both well recommended regularly on here and should be able to identify and resolve the issue...
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Hi There,
I suffered a sililar problem and had to get my boots blown and re blown, one point that may be of intrest is that when standing your boots will feel unconfortable as they are designed to be used in the ski position and the active effort of placing pressure on the front of the boot will actually relive pressure from the foot.
Another point to think of is that when we are tense it is very easy to clench or lift our toes, this can be completly automatic and un noticed at the time. this in it self can be the cause of many types of foot pain.
The only positive point is that as you wear your bootd they will only get more roomy, even if it does take about ten years...... Puzzled
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ansta1 wrote:
First few questions...

1. Did you choose a boot which they then fitted? No it's the one they recommended

2. Have you done a basic she'll check ( take liner out, but bare foot in empty she'll and slide foot till toes just touch front of boot) if so how much space between heel and the inside of the shell at the back of the foot. Yes they did this every time I have been back


3. Are you making sure your boot is done up correctly?
yes I hardley have bottom two buckles done up.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
That doesn't answer the question (3) or questions 1 or 2.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
My guess is that you lack flexibility in your calves. Heel lifts may help in the short term but stretching your calves a lot would be the long term answer.

I suffer from symptoms like this and have to do a lot of stretching in the run up to the ski season to sort it
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Cynically, don't put the things on until required and take them off when possible. I get crampy feet, have rubbish ankle flex (work in progress). Last couple of holidays have carried light walking trainers in a small pack to wear for walking, buses and crowded gondolas. Has made a massive difference to my happiness.

This year was -14 or so for 4 days so far too cold to FAFF. I finally managed to limit my need to take boots off and stretch by getting my weight more forward and realising the difference between back pain referring down and foot pain going up - different stretches required.

Loosening boots when seated really helps me too.
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@Linnylou26, there are a number of things which could be causing the issues

1 width of shell too narrow
2) footbed not supporting the foot correctly
3) lack of flexibility
4) socks too thick
5) nerve entrapment between the metatarsal heads
6) restriction of blood flow over the instep
7) large calf muscle
Cool restriction of nerve at back of lateral ankle
9) fitness
10) poor technique
11) binding delta

some of these things are things which a boot fitter can help, some however are things which you have control over and only you can fix, a boot fitter can change the shape of the boot add or take away support and change how your foot is loading inside the boot BUT they cannot increase your flexibility or fitness/technique

go have a chat with them, explain the problems and see if you can reproduce the pain in the store, if you can't then it is most likely one of the factors which YOU control

good luck getting sorted, let us know how you get on
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@CEM, Thank You.

With my foot in the shell without the liner I have lots of room with the liner I can still wiggle my toes.

I find the boot comfortable when I put them on and don't do them up to tight. I do have thick muscular calfs. ( I used to walk on my toes a lot when little something I haven't grown out off) this I'm sure isn't helping the problem at all. This is all things I mentioned when buying boots in the first place.

Could it be that I'm tensing my toes up when skiing without realising?

I get the same problem when I buy any new shoes Untill I have broken them in then they are very comfortable.

Fitness wise I like to think I'm fairly fit cycle, run and do strength exercises.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Linnylou26 wrote:
@CEM, Thank You.

With my foot in the shell without the liner I have lots of room with the liner I can still wiggle my toes.

I find the boot comfortable when I put them on and don't do them up to tight. I do have thick muscular calfs. ( I used to walk on my toes a lot when little something I haven't grown out off) this I'm sure isn't helping the problem at all. This is all things I mentioned when buying boots in the first place.

Could it be that I'm tensing my toes up when skiing without realising?

I get the same problem when I buy any new shoes Untill I have broken them in then they are very comfortable.

Fitness wise I like to think I'm fairly fit cycle, run and do strength exercises.


that one line in bold answers a lot of the problems

you are probably being pushed forward in the boot by both the size of the calf muscle and the tension in it .....toe walking is a sigh of a VERY tight Achilles /calf muscle!

the boot is 15 degrees of forward lean... you you will need to do a couple of things... add a heel lift, flare the cuff of the boot and remove any rear spoiler so that you can get closer to the angle which your body is happiest, it might not solve it 100% you will need to do a whole heap of stretching and probably work with a sports therapist on massage /myo fascial release to get it better
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
If it's just the 2nd/3rd/4th toes and not the big toe then it's probably your superficial perineal nerve being squashed.
Is starts just below the knee on the outside of your calf...we see it in patients who wear casts and during operations.
Is the top of the boot too tight/ digging into your calf esp on the outside?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@FunnyPseudonym, I have been to physio and have exercises to help my calf which are very tight and strong. Got to build up my glutes and hamstrings.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Nothing to do with how strong your calves are, the nerve is superficial (near the surface) just below the bony bit on the outside of the calf just below the knee (you can feel it easily even in body builders!).

The nerve can get squashed if that area is pushed on for a while and will give you neuralgia/ neuropraxia in the 2nd/3rd/4th toes....during operations we pad that area of the leg and position people to try and not push on it for long as it can cause the same problem.
If the boot is digging in at the top on the outside it MIGHT account for your problem, would also explain why you don't get problems in bigt and little toe as supplied by different nerves.

Just a thought...might mean just looking at a different area for a problem than the foot/ sole to stop it happening again.


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 15-02-15 10:29; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@FunnyPseudonym, thank you. I am currently trying to wear boots around house to pad them out a bit. I go skiing again in 5 weeks so will see if pain hapens again. Kind of at a loss a bit been told lots of things but am positive its a nerve proble.
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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?
@FunnyPseudonym, Welcome to SnowHeads - some good input !!
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@FunnyPseudonym, welcome to the mad house, don't think i ever said it was anything to do with calf muscle strength! the LARGE calf and the toe walker bit was the clue.... limited ankle joint dorsiflexion will cause overloading of the metatarsal heads in a ski boot simply because of the angle at which the boot puts the body, combine that angle and limited dorsiflexion and then add a LARGE calf and you will use up all available ROM before you even start skiing, fully agree that there could well be nerve involvement but i think i am hearing horses rather than zebras in this particular case
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
CEM wrote:
that one line in bold answers a lot of the problems

you are probably being pushed forward in the boot by both the size of the calf muscle and the tension in it .....toe walking is a sigh of a VERY tight Achilles /calf muscle!

the boot is 15 degrees of forward lean... you you will need to do a couple of things... add a heel lift, flare the cuff of the boot and remove any rear spoiler so that you can get closer to the angle which your body is happiest, it might not solve it 100% you will need to do a whole heap of stretching and probably work with a sports therapist on massage /myo fascial release to get it better


this all sounds like the issue I have to manage (and which CEM helped me identify - thanks, CEM!) - stretching at every opportunity makes a big difference for me. I also remove spoilers from my boots (if they have them.) Have used heel lifts, but don't particularly like them because they take up space in the boot which I like to have for my high insteps
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@Arno, I have heel lifts like you I don't particularly like them. I don't think I have spoilers just thick lining.
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