 Poster: A snowHead
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I have the dreaded sore balls!! I've been skiing for 5 years in rental boots and never got any pain. Last year for the first time I had the sore burning balls! I could only manage to ski in the morning, and found myself ripping my boots off on the slopes to relieve the pain. I'm gutted  so I tried changing my rentals three times in the holiday - this made no difference. When I got home I was determined this was not going to happen ever again. I bought myself some boots and have had insoles made, with a 5mm heel lift. I got them out the box a week a go to try them out, but the familiar pain revealed itself within about 30 minutes, of just walking around at home.
I went to snow and rock and the lovely sales lady has given me an additional 5mm heel lift, i'm currently trying them out. I'm also doing calf stretches everyday. I ski in 4 weeks, so I have time. But today i'm feeling the pain creep in again. Any other suggestions? I'm despairing. I love skiing and don't want to give this sport up. Any ideas why it would suddenly start after 5 years?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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See a foot specialist. A salesperson is not a foot specialist. You clearly don't have an off-the-shelf problem so don't go looking for an off-the-shelf solution.
As others on the forum will say - https://www.solutions4feet.com/ it might be far from you but he knows his stuff
HOWEVER also go see your GP, if you're lucky you might get referred to a podiatrist. This may be a problem with your feet in general not just with ski boots.
I used to get terrible burning in my heel, this was due to weight not being distributed over my whole foot, only a small part. Been wearing corrective orthotics nearly 3 years, problem hasn't gone away but has improved hugely. Don't give up! You can fix this. But it's time to see professionals about it, not shop staff.
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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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Ok, thanks for your reply. It's somewhat devastating to have this, my fitness is very good and I (think I) have a high pain threshold so for this to be so debilitating makes me really sad and frustrated. A specialist it is. Your recommendation is a bit for for me as I'm SW London, but i've found a podiatrist nearby that may be able to help.
Thanks so much.
Jane
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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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I've had something similar but not caused by ski boots, which ironically were quite good for the condition, but by a dropped arch and wearing shoes without wide enough toe-boxes. My GP used the catch-all term 'metatarsalgia' (aka aching balls) but on the whole was not greatly helpful. As @dp says, you'd be best advised to consult a podiatrist and perhaps get some custom orthotics via that route.
In my case a lightweight soft insole with a firm plastic arch support and some toe cushioning (and wearing my widest shoes) helped the problem disappear. I also rested my feet as much as possible until the initial pain subsided and bought a weird leg-brace contraption to sleep in and keep my foot flat at night. Heel lifts most definitely wouldn't have helped me as this would increase the forward pressure on the metatarsals.
Anyway, best wishes in getting it sorted.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks, it's good to read other peoples experiences of this. I don't know anyone in my group that has had it, I think they thought I was being a wuss about it last year.
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@lilleyjane, if you need a bootfitter as well, Profeet in Fulham are good.
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Pro Feet in Putney are definitely good and that was going to be my recommendation too, based on you being in SW London
I think you should see a podiatrist - in case there is a bigger issue here - but don't forget it will be important to also go to a reputable ski boot shop (like ProFeet is) as they understand ski boots, which a general podiatrist may not.
The main thing being, take this seriously and get it seen to now, the longer you leave it, then often the worse it will get.
There are a number of things which could be causing this, a lot of them due to the limitations of skis / boots / bindings, so it is important to see both a healthcare professional and a ski boot specialist; not one or the other. Yes this will cost money but if it stops a week of misery then it's got to be worth it.
Don't just settle for some standard custom-moulded footbeds from a high street shop. They're good for what they do, yes they're custom, but they won't be formed by a professional with the understanding of what that footbed will do for your feet. The footbed is only one piece of the jigsaw.
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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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| dp wrote: |
Pro Feet in Putney are definitely good and that was going to be my recommendation too, based on you being in SW London
I think you should see a podiatrist - in case there is a bigger issue here - but don't forget it will be important to also go to a reputable ski boot shop (like ProFeet is) as they understand ski boots, which a general podiatrist may not.
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IIRC Profeet have a podiatrist on their staff.
Regardng the suggestion earlier about getting a GP referral to a podiatrist my experience was that NHS podiatrists are hard to come by and have long waiting lists, and private medical insurance tends not to cover podiatry (or when they say they do they make it virtually impossible to claim for) - but I got an appointment quickly, in central london, for about 45 quid. So it's not that cost prohibitive
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| Tubaski wrote: |
IIRC Profeet have a podiatrist on their staff.
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I thought so too. I more meant getting a podiatrist on a general medical level, preferably though the NHS, to identify if there is a bigger issue at play here which could develop into something more serious. NHS are generally happy to do a bit of preventative maintenance on your feet if it means they don't have to pay for an operation later on! Only problem is the number of inadequate bean counting pencil pushers in the way.
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Regardng the suggestion earlier about getting a GP referral to a podiatrist my experience was that NHS podiatrists are hard to come by and have long waiting lists, and private medical insurance tends not to cover podiatry (or when they say they do they make it virtually impossible to claim for) - but I got an appointment quickly, in central london, for about 45 quid. So it's not that cost prohibitive |
You are not wrong!
It went like this:
GP Surgery
Me: My feet hurt when I walk. Especially my heels. I've done some research and think I might have plantar fasciitis.
GP: They look OK to me. Prod prod prod. They feel OK to me. Nothing wrong here.
Me: But after a full day on them, they're seriously painful and I can't walk.
GP: Maybe you just need different insoles. That's all I can suggest. Bye.
So my mum is an orthopaedics nurse, she works with an NHS podiatrist, so she said, come to work with me, have an appointment with Mr Podiatrist before his first patient, see what he says.
Podiatrist
Me: My feet hurt when I walk. Especially my heels. I've done some research and think I might have plantar fasciitis.
P: Prod prod prod. Hmmm. I think you might have plantar fasciitis.
Me: Oh. OK. The GP said I didn't and got rid of me quick as.
P: I'll write you a letter. Give it to your GP, she'll refer you to me, job done.
Me: Perfect.
Back at the GP Surgery
Me: I have a letter from a podiatrist at the hospital. Can you please refer me to him for treatment?
GP: No.
Me: Why not?
GP: Because it's not his place to comment on this. I don't think you have P.F so I won't refer you.
Me: But podiatry is his specialism.
GP: I don't care, I'm not referring you as I don't think there's a problem.
So I had to get a solicitor to write a letter to the GP saying that preventing me seeing a specialist - despite his advice to do so - was bad for my health and that deliberately withholding access to the healthcare that a specialist had said I was in need of was worthy of suing her for. I got a begrudged referral and a new GP out of that.
But you're right, it's a bum ache.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@dp intresting story and insightful thanks for that!
Plantar fasciitis is more around the arch and heel rather than ball of foot wich could be someit like metatarsalgia.. if thats the case then support and protection of the ball of the foot is in order, what helped me was a good pair of insoles like these arch support ones.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 10-02-17 14:32; edited 1 time in total
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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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Oh I wasn't saying you have plantar fasciitis. I was just saying that I had a pretty crap experience of getting podiatry on the NHS and from what I can gather from other people I'm not an isolated case.
But I firmly believe that you have paid for the NHS, you are entitled to their care, you shouldn't have to go private just because they make it difficult to go NHS. It's our health service and we should be able to use it, and not using it to go private only further serves the bar stewards in charge with ammunition to privatise it.
Even if you don't need to see a podiatrist long term, you should at least get the advice of a professional to that effect.
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Hi All, thanks so much for your stories and advice. I went to see a podiatrist today and was given the initial diagnosis of 'Morton's neuroma'. The symptoms and causes match my experience very closely. The NHS offer a good info page on it: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/mortonsneuroma/Pages/Introduction.aspx. Key points that correlate with me - i'm female, in my 40's, have worn high heels, and key to the fact that this only started last year ago...I started running two years ago, which could have aggravated and sped up the symptoms. The reason it only hurts with ski boots is that they have less flexibility than normal shoes which can aggravate symptoms.
Next stage is to see my GP to get an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis and then, depending on the severity, treatment can range from using orthotics, exercises at home and then if necessary surgery. I'm very glad I went to see the podiatrist as this at least starts a journey to recovery, although I think I'll have to endure the pain this year as we leave for ski next Friday.
Jane
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You know it makes sense.
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@lilleyjane, sorry to hear that's what you've got. Obviously listen to your GP and whoever you get referred to. Worth pointing out that there are other surgical options out there that are not widely available on the NHS. You might want to consider talking to someone who offers cryosurgery alongside regular treatment options. Ron McCulloch at the London podiatry centre is good if you need to progress beyond conservative management of the issue.
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