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Debilitating sole pain - Podiatrist required?
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Hi all

Just hoping to get some advice about excruciating, searing pain around the metatarsals to the heel.

Until last month I hadn't skied for 15 years due to emigrating abroad, I previously had skied for 5-6 weeks cumatively as a kid. I have never had this searing pain issue previously, the only issues I had as a kid was shin bang from inexperience. I am currently in Meribel with 5 days left of ski time to go.

Throughout December I hit up the Chill Factore to get some practice in and to try and get my quads ready. For the first 30 mins of those sessions my boots would be agony but then be ok. Unfortunately for the last 7 days here they've been unusable after the first 5 odd mins to the point of having to stop every few hundred metres, to eventually not being able to finish the run back into the resorts and having to get the lift down. I think it's because I've been working them much harder on more challenging runs, and for much longer periods of time. In 7 days I've probably only managed about 10 hours of ski time. I am dosed up the eyeballs on Ibuprofen, Volatarol (both gels and pills) and deep freeze, they haven't helped.

I had Head Edge Lyt 26.5s bought and fitted from Ellis Brigham with custom insoles. I have had them remoulded 3 times here by expert boot fitters, a new Sidas custom insole (the EB one was too rigid and inflexible, apparently) and the shell pushed 3 times, due to the composition of the plastic they cannot be pushed anymore. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, they're just too narrow according to the boot fitters here. He measured me at about 105mm width.

Having limped into the fitters store for the 7th time I relented and bought a pair of Nordica HF 120s (planning on taking advantage of the EB surefit guarantee when I get home with the old boots) these have 1 buckle across the top of the foot and the material there is a sort of rubber which is stretchy. The ankle fastening is one buckle around the achilles tendon area. These can apparently be pushed much more easily and to a greater extent. Unfortunately on trying them out on Monday they had the same issue, although I got 10 mins out of them rather than instant pain when skiing as with the Head boots. As I type they are in the fitters store being pushed for the second time, I'm pretty sure they're sick of the sight of me! Although I did take a bottle of red with me last time as thanks for all the extra work they're having to do.

I had a rest day yesterday, reluctantly, but having skied for 5 days in boots way too narrow and consequently being in agony I wanted to give myself the best chance of enjoying the rest of the trip and being able to ski pain free. I only got the pain when skiing, walking in either pair of the boots is fine. Wearing them tightened up is fine. Legs dangling when on a chairlift is actually a sense of relief. It's only when skiing that it starts, and also when standing perpendicular to the slope on the skis on a reasonably steep slope - I have noted other people on here mentioning that is a source of pain for them, when trying to research what might be wrong with me.

Today I tried the Nordica's after the rest day and first push, got 10 mins out of them and then, frustratingly, the agony started again, so they're in for a second shell push.

Something the fitter mentioned previously as a potential fix is seeing a specialist doctor to insert what he referred to as a teardrop - I believe this would be seeing a Podiatrist to insert some kind of orthopaedic lift under the insole? Unfortunately in France that is regarded as a medical procedure and so the fitter says he can't do it himself.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone on here? If this second push doesn't work, does anyone have any suggestions please? I've found a podiatry clinic about 45 mins from me back in the UK where one of them is an ex boot fitter so I'm hoping I've found a golden ticket there, but obviously I'm desperate to get this resolved while I'm here at the resort - the whole point was to come and enjoy skiing instead of stopping every few hundred metres to scream into my balaclava! Razz

I have (poorly) annotated the diagram below to give an idea of where the searing pain is. It's like cramp but non stop when skiing. Occasionally it will stop straight away after stopping, on other occasions it takes 5 mins to fade away.

Many thanks for reading.


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ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

the new boots with the width friendly design

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

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snow report



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