 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys,
Really hoping someone can help, because at the moment not only can I not ski, I can't do any high-impact activity involving putting weight on my feet (e.g. badminton, tennis).
I think the cause for this might be too-tight ski-boots (across the mid-foot) from a holiday about 2 years ago, but I'm definitely not sure. I have extremely wide feet and so I got some customised ski-boots for the holiday, where the chap took the largest boots he had, stretched them again and again, and eventually ended up with something that still gave me pain from being too tight, but I could at least ski in. I did end every single day with excruciating pain in my foot though, that only slowly receded when I took them off. This is the main thing that makes me think the ski-boots are to blame.
I find it difficult to precisely locate the pain, but I would say that it's mostly evident along the outside edge of the foot between 10% and 50% from the front of the foot towards the heel, and predominantly in the right foot (but also a little in the left). It also feels as if it also spreads inwards to the area between the little toe and the one next to it, a little back from where they join to each other (the knuckle?!?).
I've been to my GP, to physio, to a private lower-leg specialist, and have just started seeing a podiatrist. In the process I've had both X-Ray and MRI on the foot, and there has been nothing evident on any of them that might cause the pain. It is generally brought on by either standing for a long time (e.g. when I'm on my feet all day shooting a wedding), or if I play a racquet sport where I'm jumping around a lot. I should also point out that I'm overweight, and I'm fairly certain that while it's a contributory factor, it's not the root cause. The podiatrist believes that I need to simply cushion my feet more to allow it to heal, and has prescribed wearing crocs at all times when at home, and put some basic insoles into my shoes. He has also said that he will create custom orthotics at some point in the future for me.
Does this injury sound to anyone like it could have been caused by too-tight ski-boots? Has anyone heard of a similar injury? Can anyone think of any alternatives methods for "curing" it?
Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
DaKid
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I had a similar experience, not with too tight ski boots but a combination of unsupportive footwear, fallen arches, being a couple of stone overweight and disability causing me to be non weight bearing for a while. I would seriously push your podiatrist to bring the orthotic fitting forward as soon as possible, this made a mad good difference to me. It didn't happen overnight, I had to build up the time I wore the insoles gradually and at about the 3 and 6 month mark the orthotics had to be remoulded as the jump from totally flat feet to having the arches exactly as they are supposed to be was too great to do all in one hit.
If you have not already got custom footbeds for your ski boots then I seriously urge you to get them. If the fitter you originally saw didn't suggest them to you at the time you bought your boots then perhaps you should visit someone else and take your boots with you for them to assess, if your boots are just plain wrong for you then simply putting insoles in will not cure the problem. Maybe message CEM, he might be able to suggest someone close to you if you can't get to him.
Some of the problems I had with my feet were helped with ankle and calf stretches as well as the foot stretches, your podiatrist should be able to advise you if he hasn't already. Good luck, it took me about 9 months to get back to normal possibly it would have been quicker had I been fitter overall with diet and exercise too. 
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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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Ps, normal meaning I'm still wearing orthotics except in flip flops (moulded footbed style rather than flat) but able to do a full days activity without wanting to cry! Another thing I found useful was changing my footwear a couple of times a day.
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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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DaKid, sorry to hear that. From my own experience I would say that it sounds like it could be Mortons Neuroma. However I would have thought an MRI would have shown this up though I'm not sure, mine were confirmed by just an ultrasound scan. Doubt that your boots would have caused the problem but likely that they would 'show up' a problem. My Mortons only really troubled me in ski boots and when running. Quite a few Snowheads suffer there is a thread here http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2207756&highlight=mortons#2207756 Good luck finding out what it is and 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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| lilywhite wrote: |
| I had a similar experience, not with too tight ski boots but a combination of unsupportive footwear, fallen arches, being a couple of stone overweight and disability causing me to be non weight bearing for a while. I would seriously push your podiatrist to bring the orthotic fitting forward as soon as possible, this made a mad good difference to me. It didn't happen overnight, I had to build up the time I wore the insoles gradually and at about the 3 and 6 month mark the orthotics had to be remoulded as the jump from totally flat feet to having the arches exactly as they are supposed to be was too great to do all in one hit. |
Thanks ... that's reassuring. Hopefully I'll get a similar success!
| lilywhite wrote: |
| If you have not already got custom footbeds for your ski boots then I seriously urge you to get them. If the fitter you originally saw didn't suggest them to you at the time you bought your boots then perhaps you should visit someone else and take your boots with you for them to assess, if your boots are just plain wrong for you then simply putting insoles in will not cure the problem. Maybe message CEM, he might be able to suggest someone close to you if you can't get to him. |
He was the guy whom I saw originally, and I wouldn't say a word against him. He certainly didn't want for trying, when it came to making the boots fit. Unfortunately, I think my feet are too far outside the normal range of widths that ski-boot manufacturers cope with - even with him then stretching the boot - so I think that avenue is exhausted.
| sarah wrote: |
| From my own experience I would say that it sounds like it could be Mortons Neuroma. However I would have thought an MRI would have shown this up though I'm not sure |
Most of the health professionals I've seen have suspected this, but the MRI really did rule it out, as it was a good, sharp MRI and it still indicated nothing in the pain areas, but thanks for the suggestion.
I'm actually seeing the podiatrist again tonight, so hopefully he'll have more suggestions/treatments for me to try. If anyone else has ever experienced anything like this (that wasn't Morton's Neuroma), then I'd definitely be grateful to hear from them 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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DaKid, at least that's excluded then, good luck with getting it sorted.
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| Quote: |
Some of the problems I had with my feet were helped with ankle and calf stretches as well as the foot stretches
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This may be the issue, [insert non specialist disclaimer] I think if your ankle is inflexible the front of the foot rotates outwards, causing pressure on the outside.
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Might sound a little off the wall but have you considered it could be gout? I had a problem with the ball of my foot for several months that I was convinced was tendonitis but it went away when I took gout medication. Saw a young, fit bloke on a ski performance course once who cried off with ski boot induced foot pain - he was diagnosed with gout, too.
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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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Well, visited the podiatrist last night. He seemed pleased with the progress, simply from trying to wear crocs instead of bare feet around the home, and also with the rudimentary insoles he gave me (just thin, flexible insoles, built up with hand-cut bits of added sticky-support). Seems I just carry on and see if it continues to improve.
I would say though that I might try those calf stretches ... I personally think they might make a real difference. Although the podiatrist expressed some scepticism about whether calf stretches do anything, he did think that lack of ankle flexion was very likely to be contributing and/or causing my problems.
I don't think gout is relevant, having done research online. It doesn't seem to match up with my symptoms, and also I believe someone would have spotted that before (probably the GP). Thanks though!
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| DaKid wrote: |
| I don't think gout is relevant, having done research online. It doesn't seem to match up with my symptoms, and also I believe someone would have spotted that before (probably the GP). Thanks though! |
You could be surprised! This is actually a good suggestion from Raceplate, my husband's first ever attack of gout was unusual, unexplained foot pain. He saw two consultants, had x-rays, MRI and no cause could be found. He actually went on to have several further attacks over a period of a few years and they all went undiagnosed and were put down to various sprains and strains. Eventually he had one such severe attack in his knee that a diagnosis was finally made but not before he had sustained quite a bit of damage to that joint.
Gout is not always easy for a GP (or a consultant) to detect especially if it doesn't present itself in the classic 'big toe' way and especially in an otherwise fit, young man.
When he eventually got a diagnosis everyone started taking the mickey with comments like 'ah too much rich living eh?!' which is just rubbish. He later found out that every single male relative on his mum's side and some of the female ones too had gout and so the odds were really stacked against him.
If it's even an outside possibility get it ruled out.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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DaKid, Good luck going forward, you can only gain by doing sensible stretches. Have some patience with the process, it took a long time for me to really notice the benefits. x
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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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| Quote: |
If it's even an outside possibility get it ruled out
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It's easy enough to do - just ask your GP for a course of Colchicine. It only lasts 3/4 days and you'll know after 2 if it's making a difference.
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DaKid, a lack of ankle flexion can be greatly improved with calf stretches, if the pod doesn't think so then maybe he should go back to to studies that show that it does work
give me a call or ping me a message at some point if you want to revisit the boot thing at any time, happy to see if we can push them just a bit more or do a bit of liner surgery if we hadn't tried that (a while ago so i don't remember what we did), if the foot is abducting into the side of the boot due to the tightness of that calf then i think we need to think outside the box for solutions as just making it wider probably won't do a lot
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You know it makes sense.
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CharlotteSykes1990
CharlotteSykes1990
Guest
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ouch!
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Poster: A snowHead
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It's been interesting reading this post. I had been suffering similar foot pain for a number of years and despite visits to my GP only ever received painkillers and a "in time it should settle" comment.
Because of the pain, finding comfortable shoes was increasingly difficult resulting in soft trainers, one size larger than my usual footwear, to have a pain free walking experience.
Last year I bought new ski boots, surrendering my old hard-cast Nordica's for LiveFit Atomics, purposely because of the increased last and the flexi side panels.
The specialist fitter, having been appraised of the pain I suffered, continued with his assessment and sizing and announced a ski boot size two whole sizes smaller than what I had understood my foot to be.
The boots were put on and soon the comfort and removal of pain was evident.
The fitter then explained the mechanics of what had happened with my feet and I must admit, in addition to incorrectly buying larger sized shoes I was also guilty of walking barefoot at home causing my feet to lose posture.
Unfortunately, my wife is not keen on me wearing my super-comfy ski boots about the house 
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