Arch cramping

[CathyGo 15]

So I initially started out wearing a second hand size 6.5 Supreme and had lots of issues with arch cramping in both my feet. Ended up with so much foot pain that I stopped skating till I could actually go and get fitted for new skates. Turns out I was in the wrong skate all around. Wrong make, wrong size, just plain wrong fit.

Behind the Mask fitted me in 5.5 Reebok 12ks. I felt like they did a good job making sure everything fit right. All went well the first 3 skates or so but now the arch pain is returning in my right foot only after about 20 minutes of skating. I got some relief temporarily from loosening the laces a bit but the pain came back about 5 minutes later.

I pronate real badly and don't put equal weight on my feet when I walk. My right foot is the one that I pronate the most in. I've noticed that I was clenching my foot inside the skate and made an effort to relax it and let the boot do it's job. I also have trouble keeping my right ankle straight enough to get to the outside edge. It's pretty much double the effort of my left foot.

Do you guys think this pain is just a matter of strengthening the muscles in my feet? Would taping my arch help or hinder me? Do I need to modify my skates in any way?

I have skating lessons starting Saturday. I'd love to play hockey eventually.

[Stewie 721]

you might want to consider getting into a better insole. I recommend maybe looking at superfeet!

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Superfeet would be a good start. They don't fix everything and aren't for everyone, but they may help support your heel a bit. It's worth a try, at least.

Also, how tight are you tying your laces?

[IslandRyhno 0]

I have crazy bad flat feet, yellow super feet help quite a bit.

[Buzz_LightBeer 961]

If nicer insoles don't cure the problem, Gel heel inserts a la Dr. Scholls should.

[CathyGo 15]

I shred dr.scholls. They're not strong enough.

I'll drop by BTM to get a pair of those Superfeet tonight. I normally hate stiff insoles but it looks like they're worth a try.

[Stewie 721]

_{I shred dr.scholls. They're not strong enough.}

I'll drop by BTM to get a pair of those Superfeet tonight. I normally hate stiff insoles but it looks like they're worth a try.

one skate in and I notice a huge difference over the stock foot bed that I have used for years in my U10.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

I shred dr.scholls. They're not strong enough.

I'll drop by BTM to get a pair of those Superfeet tonight. I normally hate stiff insoles but it looks like they're worth a try.

Its the heel of the superfeet that are the important bit. The little bumps on the bottom of the footbed stabalize your heel.

[Amiroo39 121]

I shred dr.scholls. They're not strong enough.

I'll drop by BTM to get a pair of those Superfeet tonight. I normally hate stiff insoles but it looks like they're worth a try.

You also have 30 days to try them out and if they don't work for you, you can send them back. Also, make sure you follow the guidelines of cutting them, there needs to be a little bit of wiggle room for the superfeet to move around in your skates.

[AfftonDad 88]

Whenever I have arch cramping, the vast majority of times it is due to me over tightening the laces through the middle section. I have flat feet and it just drives them into the arch of the boot way too much.

[CathyGo 15]

How tight are you supposed to tighten them? I know if my feet go numb I've gone too far. I've been doing them up as tight as I can without numbness to try and get more ankle support.

[Vet88 673]

You may get some relief from superfeet or custom orthotics but they don't work for everyone or every boot. I pronate also but went a different route after much research on the web and talking to a lot of people, especially those involved in figure skating with experience in correcting feet issues. Things still aren't easy but I'm now correctly on top of the blade and have good edge control. I have to tape up my feet with various bits of padding to keep my feet intact but that is a happy trade off for 2 - 3 hours of ice time every day.

imho you are still in the wrong skates. I suggest you read this article, it provides one of the best explanations on pronation I have come across and how to correct it for ice skating / hockey etc.

http://www.ladyinredcreations.com/Ankles_Down.htm

As for skates, I went the graf route. I was going MLX and then Easton brought them out just as I was trying to buy some boots.

The main advantage of Graf for people who pronate / supinate is that the holder screws into the boot. You can undo the screws, file out the holes in the holder and move the holder under your feet to help correct pronation / supination. It's not hard to do this at home or you can give your skates to a foot specialist who can work with you to adjust the boot. I did mine at home so if you need any help just ask.

[MThockeydad 469]

For tightness, it really depends.

When you're first starting out, a lot of people like to tighten them as tight as they can stand. Until you get a good feeling for keeping the blade balanced under your foot, you need that crutch of a tight skate to keep your ankle aligned.

Work on power skating drills and both edges. Your ankle will get stronger and you'll develop a sense of balance and keep centered over the blade.

Once you feel balanced, tight laces are a LOT less important.

If tight over the middle of your foot hurts, try waxed laces if you don't already have them. You can run them fairly loose over your foot and really tighten them on the top 3-4 and they'll stay that way while you skate.

If you strengthen your foot/leg muscles, you might find that you're more balanced walking, too.

Do whatever it takes to get comfortable and stick with it. Skating and hockey are a lot of fun!!!

My wife pronates some and has crazy high arches. I'm hoping to help her find comfortable enough skates to try hockey this winter.

We played parents vs. kids at the end of last season and she enjoyed it. She ended up wearing rental skates that had pretty thick foam padding (like a ski boot) and a plastic outer shell. Not "oh, boy, wow cool!" hockey skates, but they comfortably got her on the ice, where her ankles were weak enough that she would have only lasted 5min to start in hockey skates.

[CathyGo 15]

I took my first skating lesson since I was 4 years old this morning with the Superfeet in. Holy $%&* did that hurt! My foot felt like it was more supported and my right ankle was definitely more vertical than it normally is. Not sure whether I should pull the Superfeet back out or not. The rink shop offered to punch my boots if there was pressure on a specific spot.

Pain started at about the same time that my ankles decided they didn't feel like supporting me anymore. We spent a lot of time working on pushes around a circle and trying to stay on my outside edge was taking a ton of effort. Fried my foot/ankles muscles quick.

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/64298-skate-shims/

Thinking of doing this to at least for at least my left boot although I should probably do both if I'm going to mess with them at all. Moving the holder would be a better fix but I feel like I can experiment with this without substantially changing my skate like drilling holes to move the holder would.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I am reading this and thinking that the depth of the boot may also be a litte of an issue if your getting that much cramping? Can your foot pass the pencil test?

[CathyGo 15]

When I do the pencil test it grazes my foot on the third eyelet and solidly is touching it on the 4th.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

The the skate is not deep enough as I suspected and hence hitting a vein when you tie them causing poor circulation and your foot going numb. Graf possibly or Nexxus would be a better choice I think.

[andymac1324 1]

Will custom insoles like Superfeet or CCM's custom footbeds improve performance as well as comfort? or are they more of a "comfort only" thing?

[Stewie 721]

Will custom insoles like Superfeet or CCM's custom footbeds improve performance as well as comfort? or are they more of a "comfort only" thing?

it all depends. Me personally it improved comfort and seems like a slight performance boost. It took some strides to get used to them but I like them so far.

[CathyGo 15]

For somebody like me with bad foot mechanics insoles can have a performance benefit. Less power going to moving parts of the foot and more power going to the ice. With somebody who has solid food mechanics it's more of a comfort thing. Too much cushion could even interfere with power transfer I'd imagine.

Went to a different hockey shop and got fitted again. I asked to try either the Nexus or Graf and they said they thought Graf would be a better choice if I was looking for more boot depth. Ended up in Graf Supra G5035 5.5W. I feel a lot more stable in these. The ankle particularly seems to fit better. Even just walking around in the shop my ankle is moving around a heck of a lot less. I no longer look like my foot is trying to escape the boot either. All the eyelets are relatively straight when laced up. With the Reeboks you can see that it bulges out in places. My big toe is pretty much right up against the cap in my right skate when I stand straight up but the next size up was too loose. When I bend my knees I get a tiny amount of space. The toenail on that side is partially removed anyway so I figure it should be fine. I'm also much more squarely over the runner.

Thanks guys. I didn't realize how iffy the fit in those Reeboks was until I started testing the fit and got into a boot that fits so much better. I would have been chasing my tail trying to modify them. Incidentally, while I was in there the folks beside me were also complaining about a fitting at the same place I initially went to.

Reebok 12k 5.5 headed onto Craigslist. Baked once and skated maybe 7 times.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Awesome to hear. Seen this all too often and love when it works out for someone.

[CathyGo 15]

I went skating today and still had the cramping in my right foot when I did some stops, turns, edge work, etc. Just straight skating was fine and I was able to stay out as long as I wanted. Lessons are still going to be a challenge due to all the edge work. I'm going to try some taping for PF since that's right where the problem is. More on the bottom of my foot than right at the arch. I'm still happier with how these fit. I think my foot just needs to get used to actually working.

Anybody else noticed that Graf's stock laces are really short? I can get them tied but have absolutely nothing left over which makes tightening a pain.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I went skating today and still had the cramping in my right foot when I did some stops, turns, edge work, etc. Just straight skating was fine and I was able to stay out as long as I wanted. Lessons are still going to be a challenge due to all the edge work. I'm going to try some taping for PF since that's right where the problem is. More on the bottom of my foot than right at the arch. I'm still happier with how these fit. I think my foot just needs to get used to actually working.

Anybody else noticed that Graf's stock laces are really short? I can get them tied but have absolutely nothing left over which makes tightening a pain.

Yes they are, and also waxed. Switch them out for cotton laces, I would try the Superfeet in the Grafs if you aren't using the Siadis customs ones. That should help even more.

[SCOMPL 14]

As some have already said, you're tightening your skates too much and compressing your arch, which is causing the cramping. I had the same problem, until I switched to wax laces and changed my lacing technique to one similar to the one described in the first part of this video:

I basically keep everything below the arch relatively loose, lock it at the hinge point (at a 45 degree angle from my ankle bone), then tighten down the ankle area to give me stability. Works like a charm!

[MThockeydad 469]

I'm so happy that you were able to stay out as long as you wanted!!

If skating straight is OK, but edges give you trouble, chances are you just need to build up your muscles and your coordination.

Of course lessons are difficult because of the edging--the edging IS the lesson. :)

Once you get those outside edges, staying centered over the blade is a million times easier. Have fun!

I finally got on the ice yesterday after a 2.5 month break. Where the heck did my edges go?!