 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
A while ago I bought a pair of boots and then had custom foot beds made by a good boot fitter.
I still had pain, but it was much better than before. I now wonder if more can be done.
When using buttons lifts in a fridge, of which you spend a lot of time on, the pain in my feet builds quite a lot.
After an hour skiing, in my right foot I have an awful lot of pain on the side of my foot, below my little toe, where the flesh is squidgy (i.e. below the bone). I get a bit of pain in the same spot in my left foot.
I also have a lot of pain in both arches. I have fallen arches so this isn't new. I tend to get this after any form of impact exercise, such as running, but would have thought that when skiing your feet are largely in a fixed position so it wouldn't be as bad? For example, general walking or trekking I don't get this pain.
Any ideas? I find it a affecting my skiing and would love to get it a bit better.
Thanks
R
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Where are you based? After years of pain I finally have mostly comfortable boots after a lot of work and a visit to a couple of decent boot fitters.
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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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North London . I also go to Hemel for some indoor skiing.
But I'd really like some ideas of what I'm probably experiencing and ideas that might help.
Thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rossyl, Why not go back to the bootfitter who sold them.
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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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The boots came from a chain shop the footbeds from a boot fitter.
Just after a bit of advice.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Some if it could possibly be your technique? I get arch pain occasionally - but I now know it's when I'm nervous and start clenching my feet. General causes are starting the day on a black run without a warm up, or cruising around for a morning then stepping it up suddenly with tough offpiste etc. I now always do a nice easy run to start the day and check my position is correct etc, and build from there - no more arch pain!
Just a suggestion though - might not be the same for you, and I've no idea about the rest. You'd probably see some improvement from seeing a proper boot fitter re the boots themselves.
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@rossyl, I know many won't agree, but next time you go on holiday I strongly suggest you just leave your custom fitted boots at home and rent a nice comfy pair of sloppy boots. If they still hurt then change them, and so on. Life, and holidays, are far too short to endure painful boots in the name of making you ski a few percent better. Skiing is meant to be fun and you really don't want to become one of those irritating people who unclip and reclip their bouts every time they catch a lift.
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| Quote: |
you really don't want to become one of those irritating people who unclip and reclip their bouts every time they catch a lift.
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I don't know - if it makes you more comfortable, why not? Besides, the only time I skied with someone who clipped and unclipped their boots a lot they overtook me after 15 metres anyway. 
Are you wearing really thin socks? If not, might be worth trying.
Boots that are a little big are certainly far better for most of us than boots too small. I'd certainly agree with @foxtrotzulu, that, if there's a choice, comfort comes before performance but it ought to be possible not to have to compromise the latter too much to achieve the former.
If the shells are basically wrong for your foot the custom footbeds won't put them right. A good bootfitter probably IS the answer.....
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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.
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The only time I tried rent boots my feet hurt so much I could actually barely walk after a day of skiing. That's what prompted buying my own boots and comfort was all I had in mind. The improvement from rentals to my own boots is huge, night and day. But I was thinking maybe I can improve it further.
The fact that my arches hurt loads when using a button lift I thought might be a clue as to wear I can better my current set up?
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| rossyl wrote: |
The only time I tried rent boots my feet hurt so much I could actually barely walk after a day of skiing. That's what prompted buying my own boots and comfort was all I had in mind. The improvement from rentals to my own boots is huge, night and day. But I was thinking maybe I can improve it further.
The fact that my arches hurt loads when using a button lift I thought might be a clue as to wear I can better my current set up? |
Understand about the rental boots you previously tried, but I'd still suggest you keep that as an option. You can just keep changing boots until you find some that DO work for you. Snowheads is littered with people who ski in agony in their expensively fitted boots. I ditched my own, moderately painful, boots when they got old and the carriage charges meant owning skis and boots was no longer a significant saving. Can't say I've ever had a bad pair of rental boots and never been more comfortable. Skiing has improved too!
Sorry I can't offer more specific advice about pain on button lifts. The short answer is your boots don't fit and you just have to work out how much you wish to spend and how many days you wish to waste trying to get them to fit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Have you thought about the point made by @fixx about clenching your toes - trying to "grip"? If you are not entirely comfortable on button lifts that might contribute. Or are you shoving your feet into the front of the boot? Otherwise there is no particular reason I can think of why a button lift should be harder on your feet than any other aspect of skiing.
Is there any difference if you wear the boots with the original "carpet tile" footbed?
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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.
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Another thought. Some button lifts are long (though not the ones in the fridges). I find that lifting my feet alternatively (ie shifting weight completely onto one ski, then onto the other), then flexing my knees a bit, etc etc helps with any incipient stiffness and also makes the whole thing less boring. In time to music, usually. Probably looks mad from behind, but who cares? Maybe your posture is a bit rigid?
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Foot pain is almost always caused by foot bed issues.
Don't assume that just because you bought custom insoles from a "reputable" fitter that they are correct.
Boot fitting is not an exact science and very difficult to get right first time.
Sounds to me like a little more arch support is worthy of investigation and may solve your problems - though impossible to say online.
Have had similiar experience myself... swapped the custom carbon insoles for standard green super feet and all my problems were solved.
| Quote: |
| when skiing your feet are largely in a fixed position so it wouldn't be as bad |
even the smallest movement in a ski boot can cause cramping pain.
many think their boots are too small - when the opposite is the case.
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You know it makes sense.
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Your pain on the side of your foot sounds like your 6th toe. Quite common to get shell punches or grinds done there to accommodate it before bunions are caused.
Re unclipping every lift I feel that if you aren't doing that at the start of a week early in the day your boots are probably too sloppy by the end of the day.
Nerves in feet are strange - burning soles for me seem to be symptom of a liner that's packed out allowing the foot more movement. I can also get truly debilitating pain in the second and third toes in my lead foot at the end of a day's snowboarding which I put down to compression of the nerve over the top of the foot by straps.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@rossyl, one question, if you hear it over the white noise.... how were your footbeds built? was it standing, sitting with feet in a mould, or sitting feet hanging free? there are a number of different ways to build a custom footbed, some methods work better for some feet than others, there is wrong, just wrongly made or wrong for YOUR feet your fitter should be able to help with that
when on the button lift you probably stand a little knock kneed (due to the arches trying to collapse) which will exaggerate the pain in your feet, it could also be boot related in terms of shape of the boot, or it could be flexibility of your ankle joint, which is very common and can cause loading through the arch and ball of foot, it also causes the foot to try and externally rotate which will put pressure exactly where you describe on the outer edge BELOW the little toe, again a boot fitter can help with this
hope that helps a little
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rossyl, there's an easy solution, just go and see CEM.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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+1 for CEM - I have a "6th toe" problem - like a small bunion but where the little toe meets the foot - a sort of bone spur. Sometimes called a tailors bunion I believe. I just saw my local boot fitter who spot stretched the shells - went to the dryslope and tried - back for more until they were OK. You can't pad or cushion away this problem - you get ceaseless pressure on the bone from the boot and it just gets worse over time. Worth getting a decent boot fitter to have a look as they will have a good idea what to do. Even heard of chains selling the wrong size to people before now. Pro fitting is worth every penny!
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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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| spyderjon wrote: |
| @rossyl, there's an easy solution, just go and see CEM. |
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| CEM wrote: |
@rossyl, one question, if you hear it over the white noise.... how were your footbeds built? was it standing, sitting with feet in a mould, or sitting feet hanging free? there are a number of different ways to build a custom footbed, some methods work better for some feet than others, there is wrong, just wrongly made or wrong for YOUR feet your fitter should be able to help with that
hope that helps a little |
Hi
The footbeds were built with me sat in a chair, my foot in a plastic bag, the heated footbed put against my foot and the bag used as a sort of suction device to mould the footbed.
Make sense?
With regard to the other bits you mentioned, how could a boot fitter find all that out whilst my feet are in opaque boots and also when it takes a but if skiing for the pain to build?
What tools are used? Pressure sensor pad?
Thanks very much
R
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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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@rossyl, because a good bootfitter doesn't just understand boots, but more importantly understands feet. Certain bootfitter will spend longer talking about the type of boot for your skiing rather and matching your outfit than actually finding what your foot, body and skiing wants.
CEM and other will spend more time working out what your foot is doing and will send people to other shops if he doesn't have a boot that he is sure is right for you and your feet.
Colin (CEM) isn't the only good bootfitter in the world or uk and there are some good ones all over the place, but my experience is that on the whole even though it's promoted differently most large chains have people who sell boots with some staff who can fit boots, Colin fits feet to boots and boots to feet. If he can't fit you with a boot then he won't.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@rossyl, you can test for lack of flexibility, you can see excessive pronation and you don't need the foot to be in a boot to see that, these are the two key things which cause the problems that you describe, a pressure mat will tell you where you load the foot but not what it is doing inside a ski boot... the footbeds you have are one of the Superfeet custom products, which i may well have built, depending on which product it is it may need more stabilisation adding to it, it may just need to be changed for a different product in the range whoever built it can do that if required.
the last bit of the puzzle is the boot, i the start point was not ideal then a fitter can only make it as good as it can be, it might need a small stretch it might just be a nightmare start point, this is the problem with having one place supply the boot and another build the footbeds/work on the boot...neither one can be fully responsible for what is happening
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Hi CEM and ansta
Thanks for those responses.
I think you are certainly right, buying both the boot and getting it fitted at the same place makes sense. That wasn't the way I did it and I'm not really in a position to change that now as I can't afford to spend £250+ on new boots and all the other bits. If there are bits that can be done to alleviate or better the situation that would be perfect.
In terms of the beds themselves, as I said when they were done it was like going from a situation where I honestly thought I would be unable to learn how to ski because of the level of foot pain I'd experienced in rentals. No exaggeration, it was like I'd been stabbed in the foot as there was (is) no arch support in them. I had my footbeds made by someone near the discount shopping place in Biscester who seemed good. But CEM where are you based and how much do you think i'd be looking at to have a look at me/make some modifications to my current set up without changing the boots themselves?
If I can get it improved I'd be happy. I get significant pain even jumping on the spot, let alone running, so I guess it's part of my life, but if I can improve the pain in ski boots that'd be nice 
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@rossyl, i am based in Bicester (skiing capital of the UK ) difficult to say without seeing them as to give an estimate of cost, if it is just a simple stretch the boot then £20-£30 if it is a different footbed then they vary form £75-£130 PM me some details about what the boot is, where it came from and the footbed etc and i may be able to say more
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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.
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Jeez - was it you? That's a freakishly small world. Ok I'll PM you.
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