 Poster: A snowHead
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Do you live in a house with stairs? Do you like skiing? Do you think your boots hurt?
Ok, when you go up the stairs, rest your foot on the lip of every other stair. Somewhere behind your Metatarsal Heads( just behind were your toes flex), now drop your heels down lower than the forefoot, hold yourself there and bounce very gentally. Try and get around 30-40 repeations like this a day. Do this all year, make it a habit. You should feel it pull a little at the back of your calf, where the Achilles meets the muscle or maybe, under the foot somewhere between the middle of the foot and the heel. Go gentally, if this is done too hard it could cause damage to your foot, but try it. Easy now! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SMALLZOOKEEPER,
Before I cause a major traffic jam on the stairs, could you tell me why I'm doing this please?
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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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It helps to offer greater extension of the muscle/tendon structure we use whilst skiing/boarding. The whole month of Feburary is taken up by helping people with their boots, where as in reality this is the problem. Heel lifts help, but the problem resides in the bio-mechanics. Imagine, swimmers have the most problems, they contract the achilles to create an extension of the leg.(All but those whom choose the breast stroke that is).
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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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OK, with you so far, but what do people come in complaining of, boots feeling too tight, toes getting crushed, pressure over the instep?
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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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General numbness, boots too tight around the calf, pins and needles. It's just better if we can rule out this as a cause, that way we can locate the problem more quickly, deal with it and get you skiing in comfort. Better value holidays, yippee!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If I promise not to ski in February have comfortable boots and I promise not to go near Chamonix, please can i be excused the exercises on the stairs, I live in a bungalow and I think I might get strange looks wandering the streets in my boots looking for a staircase!
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| Ford wrote: |
| If I promise not to ski in February have comfortable boots and I promise not to go near Chamonix, please can i be excused the exercises on the stairs, I live in a bungalow and I think I might get strange looks wandering the streets in my boots looking for a staircase! |
Can't stop you getting stange looks, you live in a Bungalow!
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Can't stop you getting stange looks, you live in a Bungalow
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What a rude young man. I certainly will avoid your shop at all costs and reccomend others too as well. No doubt your comments here will serve as a warning to others.
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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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Thank you, should you be that easily offended, you wouldn't last 5mins in the shop, nor any of your friends. Now should you wish to start over and bring something constructive to this thread, maybe you'll find some help on this Forum. Alternativley you could search out another chat room where your lack of wit and satire can be nurtured. Good Luck.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER,
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hold yourself there and bounce very gentally. Try and get around 30-40 repeations like this a day. Do this all year, make it a habit. You should feel it pull a little at the back of your calf,
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Thinking about this would skipping barefoot have a similar benefit (not across the dancefloor obviously.....)serious question though
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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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szk - yup - fantastic exercise. calf raises may be boring but by god they can hurt when you push through the pain threshold. A more fun method is to frontpoint up huge gullies of neve hehehe
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, I've been thinking for a while that when my boots hurt it's more likely due to my poor fitness than a problem with the boots.
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You know it makes sense.
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SZK,
Is this designed to stretch the calf muscle or strengthen it?
My podiatrist urged me to avoid calf raises ("your calves are quite strong enough") but recommended plenty of stretching and I do stretch by "hanging" of steps with my heel below my toes. I'm just wondering whether the bouncing will tend to build calf muscle - which I coud do without - or whether its judt meant to help the muscle release.
Any thoughts?
J
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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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Just a small note. Rather than "bounce" on the step, one should gradually lower then raise oneself. Bouncing has a tendency to cause ruptured achilles' tendons and calf strains.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Kramer wrote: |
| Just a small note. Rather than "bounce" on the step, one should gradually lower then raise oneself. Bouncing has a tendency to cause ruptured achilles' tendons and calf strains. |
Thank's, i wasn't sure. I hoped i had stessed 'be gental', but then 'gental' is a little subjective.
Don't bounce, lower.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Kramer wrote: |
| SMALLZOOKEEPER, I've been thinking for a while that when my boots hurt it's more likely due to my poor fitness than a problem with the boots. |
Rubbish, nothing to do with bootfitting!
That's natures way way of saying go to nearest restaurant and relax!
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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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| jedster wrote: |
SZK,
Is this designed to stretch the calf muscle or strengthen it?
My podiatrist urged me to avoid calf raises ("your calves are quite strong enough") but recommended plenty of stretching and I do stretch by "hanging" of steps with my heel below my toes. I'm just wondering whether the bouncing will tend to build calf muscle - which I coud do without - or whether its judt meant to help the muscle release.
Any thoughts?
J |
Yep. Mr S Z Keeper is asking us to stretch for flexability, not to add strength.
At least that's how I read it. 
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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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marc gledhill, So that's where I've being going wrong. My pain is all down to not flexing enough in the weeks before I go skiing. Nothing to do with being overweight or having a hangover from the night before! I bet you suffer from this as well eh Mr Gledhill?
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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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Why do my toes feel like someone's tried to chop them off then?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| Why do my toes feel like someone's tried to chop them off then? |
The problem is most commonly found in the calf, but it's the same motor that follows the Achillies undre the heel, between the heel and the Metatarsals and finally between the instep and the shin. Your problem is often found because of the same inflexability issue. Try lifting your toes up in the air and pushing your thumb in to your instep/arch. You'll find a tendon on the base of the foot that maybe the cause of the problem, ot could also be that your boots are to narrow or the foot needs support.
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Its Snowman, you sandal wearing trendy leftie. Carrot for pumpkin  What else are you offering, some flip flops for the ski boots. C'mon man get real. A weeks free top gear hire to go with my weeks free catered accomodation was more of what I had in mind.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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As a quick aside - a handy exercise I came up with for the front muscles around the shins - lay on your bed face down (no - this is not that type of exercise!!!) with your toes just poking flat over the bottom end of your mattress. Then pull your toes upwards squashing the mattress as much as you can and hold. Do sets until your shins feel on fire
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You know it makes sense.
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marc gledhill, Nope sorry, I lost the camera but John said he wants his tortoise back!
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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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Jack Hallam, 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
General numbness, boots too tight around the calf, pins and needles. It's just better if we can rule out this as a cause, that way we can locate the problem more quickly, deal with it and get you skiing in comfort.
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Ah yes, thanks SMALLZOOKEEPER for the reminder! I have a terrible habit of properly stretching hamstrings/quads and ignoring muscles below the knee....until the end of the morning on the first day of the season in my skiboots, of course
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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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Ford, nature's way of telling me to go to the next restuarant is when the first one is out of sight.
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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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| Manda wrote: |
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General numbness, boots too tight around the calf, pins and needles. It's just better if we can rule out this as a cause, that way we can locate the problem more quickly, deal with it and get you skiing in comfort.
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Ah yes, thanks [b]SMALLZOOKEEPER for the reminder! I have a terrible habit of properly stretching hamstrings/quads and ignoring muscles below the knee....until the end of the morning on the first day of the season in my skiboots, of course :lol[/b]: |
That trick of sliding one ski back ward whist resting on your poles works well too. Slide a leg back whist clipped into the ski and hold. This to helps see how much energy is required at a given temperature to flex your boots, it gets your shins ready for the resistance
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER,
I keep falling off the stairs. Can I make the exercise a bit easier by taking my ski boots and ski googles off?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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These exercises sound similar to the ones I do twice daily to help me get over having suffered shin splints last season.
The exercise I do involves pulling your toes upwards towards your shins and then point your foot away from your shins, and repeat 100 reps or till I have lost the strength to do anymore.
Has worked wonders for my shin splint problem and prevented them recurring thus far while sliding. Is also a good warm up to do just before skiing to get those tibia/fibia related muscles ready to rumble.
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FAQ
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