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Malarowski

Boot too Stiff? Pain above ankle

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I recently started to play/skate much more and I noticed my leg just above the ankle hurts quite a bit while skating because I seem to be leaning into it hard with the top of the skate. I only get it on the outside of my right leg about 3" above the ankle-bone (knuckle?) and only while and shortly after skating. I tried using a bunga-pad around the ankle to no avail, and laced the skates a bit differently. Is this an issue with the boot being to stiff for my way of skating, me skating wrong, or just a matter of getting used to higher strain on that area?

I am skating with my tongue outside of the shinpad, in case that matters, tucking it in never felt right as it seemed to restrict ankle movement.

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One issue could be that your instep is bigger than the instep ideal for the skate. To test this you can get your foot in the skate with the heel back and leg straight, pull the tongue forward, and run a pencil over the eyelets where you feel the pain. If your foot/ankle/leg push the pencil off the eyelets your instep is too great. This makes you susceptible to lacebite. That is, the lacing on your skates will dig into your foot/ankle because the foot/ankle is sticking out where the laces would normally press into the boot.

It's also possible that you could tie your skates better. Tying your skates isn't as no-brainer or preference-based as you might have heard. The essential step in tying skates well is making sure you get your heel to "lock." On most skates, this will mean you will need to yank the hardest on eyelets 3,4,5 (counting down from the top). Getting those eyelets tight is key, the other eyelets can usually be loose. Similar to your skate situation, I can get pain above the ankles if I tighten my top laces too much. I focus on getting my heel lock by tightening eyelets 4 and 5 quite a bit. Eyelet 3 I keep a little looser so that the lace isn't digging in when I turn hard. Eyelet 2 I keep loose and eyelet 1 is very loose -- to the point where it would only be a little looser if the top eyelet was unlaced.

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Mike,

I will test the skate tomorrow, I completely misunderstood how to do the pencil test in the past, it seems. However, it's the edge of the skate that's causing the issue, as in the top of the boot pressing into my leg, not the laces or tongue. It hurts strictly on the outside of my leg above the ankle.

I do have a very custom lacing solution which locks the heel in nicely, so I don't think that's the issue (I have a floating lock on the 4th&3rd eyelet, skip 2nd, and go from the top one down into the lock and then around the ankle in the back, for those interested).

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If the pain is within the boot, I would think it's a pressure point and quite likely caused by the stiffness of the skate.

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I tie my ankles tight and when my skates were new on the 3rd skate or so I had pain on the inside of my ankle above that ball. I skated 2 games like that and changed to inside out lacing and never had a problem again.

Does the top of the boot actually dig into your ankle? Or is it below where the top of the boot hits?

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I do have a very custom lacing solution which locks the heel in nicely, so I don't think that's the issue (I have a floating lock on the 4th&3rd eyelet, skip 2nd, and go from the top one down into the lock and then around the ankle in the back, for those interested).

If I understand your lacing method, it's still possible it's adding to the pressure you're getting up top. Are you saying that you lace the top ones snugly, lace it back into the floating lock on the 3rd and 4th, and then wrap around the back? I haven't tried this myself and it's hard to think through the physics of it, but if you're lacing the top ones tightly, that could contribute to inward pressure. Lacing around the back of the skate can do that too, but since you're tying after you put into to the 3rd and 4th I'm guessing it's lower on the ankle and wouldn't be a factor.

Chadd could also be right. How stiff are your skates? Brand and model? If you learn your instep doesn't fit the boot, then it would make sense that a stiff boot would hurt your leg.

Maybe it could be a combo of both issues: Tying the top lace tightly makes the stiff material dig in (and if you have bigger instep, it wouldn't take much right?)

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If I understand correctly the pain is on the side of the foot above the ankle bone - NOT on the front?

If so lace bite and skate volume has nothing to do with it, and lacing won't change anything.

As Chadd pointed out it's a pressure point in the skate.

Curious what share is it? Wouldn't be surprised if it's Total one or NXG?

personally I always had the same problem with these skates while breaking them in. Unless I protected that area well I'd have a bloody blister (size between a nickel and a quarter) at the end of each game!

But once skats are broken in it'd go away.

There's just not a lot of padding at the top of these particular skates.

What worked for me best was moleskin actually. Everything else would just shift during the game and make matters worse.

Maybe give that a try?

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Pencil test passed with flying colors.

The skate is a Bauer Supreme One70. I have the feeling that it is a breaking in/getting my body used to abuse kind of thing as the pain is getting less week over week. It is a pressure point, the odd thing is that it hurts on a deeper tissue level, much akin to the pain of getting hit with a puck in a soft spot (I now have a frame of reference for different pains, haha). Will try the moleskin and maybe doubling up the bunga gel ankle sleeve. Thanks folks.

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Solarwind is totally right, if it's not in front of the ankle then it wouldn't be a volume or lace issue (unless you have clubs for ankles). I have a friend who has the same problem with his One100s. He bleeds each ice-time and just ignores it lol. I had the same problem on the left foot with my Graf Supra 535s. I wonder if it's possible to punch the problem area out. Malarowski, I think the reason it hurts deep is that the pressure is applied when you turn hard, applying significant and prolonged digging. My issue was on the outside-facing ankle, and I felt the pain when I turned hard.

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I've had this issue on and off in the past. It was the top of the skate (the area where skate makers put a "comfort edge" now) digging into the side of my leg above the ankle and it only happened on my left leg. A temporary fix was putting a wristband I had in my bag on my leg where the pain was and the padding was enough to ease the pain.

It started happening again when I got a new pair of Easton RS skates. I had already baked it once but it wasn't fitting very well so I baked it again (for unrelated reasons) and for whatever reason the pain is gone. A noticeable difference in the skate is the top opening area doesn't flare out as much as it use to- it wraps around my leg better. Hope this helps.

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I have what sounds to be exactly the same problem as Malarowski. I've been skating on a pair of X50's for almost two years now with no problems whatsoever. In april I started to skate with my tongue tucked under my shin pad, (have always been a "flopper") that, coupled with the boot loosing a bit of stiffness and me compensating by tieing the skate too tight at the top (I think) has caused me sharp pain in the outside of my ankle at and above where the boot ends.

It feels like a deep bone bruise. It hurt so damn bad that I took a break from skating and have only been wearing low cut shoes because it hurts too much. Doesnt hurt AT ALL unless something is touching or rubbing it.

I gave it 3 weeks and then strapped on my inlines to try out to see if it still hurt. It only took one loop around the rink and I was done. I hope this thinge heals soon. I want to play in a summer league, but I'm really wondering what its going to take to heal this freaking thing!! Any ideas appreciated..

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Any updates on this? I am suffering the same issue but I think it is a stress fracture as it hurts to walk for a few days after... Xray came up with nothing but minor swelling though... Pain in fibula, inch or two above ankle. Feels like a bruise to the touch but it is only aggravated when on my inside edges(ie pushing off hard and turning). Less pain when I have my top eyelets tight as hell(loose top boot causes more pain as more mobility in the ankle)

This is occuring after using the same skates for two years with no breaks inbetween. The only difference was from playing 2-3x week to 4-6x per week.

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Your answer may be 'Tongues In" When I had a similar (or possibly identical issue), someone recommended this.. I hadn't tried it before (had only been playing a few years), and needed get a longer shin pad to get the proper protection. But, within days I realized the pressure was off that spot. It took a few weeks to get rid of the irritation, but clearly tongues in was a solution.

On occasion, if I'm on the ice a few extra hours a week, and if I lace up too tightly on the ankle, I'll still feel that little bit of discomfort. But, it's no longer a problem with each skate.

I'm also in a Nexus 400 boot, perhaps not as stiff as what you're in.

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Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, I have always played tongues in(shinpad over tongue). Also, the looser I tie the top, the more pain I am in, as my ankle can move around more. My boots are not stiff at all, in fact, it may be because they are too soft?

The problem is that its affecting me off the ice as well. I rested it for a week and did not play(hurts when putting pressure on foot for several days after). Within 30 minutes of skating after a week off, I had already reinjured enough that I was in pain walking around for the next 3 days.

I am at my wits end...

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I had this exact same issue with my current pair of one60s, once broken in really good the top of my right skate was rubbing my upper ankle area/leg and causing swelling/bruising and a very noticeable hard bump to grow right where the skate rubbed. I dealt with it for a year or so until it started getting painful and I couldn't skate. I let it heal for about 2 months and at some point I wanted to play so bad I ended up taking some foam from an old pair of elbow pads and stick tape and creating a homemade "comfort edge". I also use a bunga pad 5" sleeve that I cut in half and double up on over the bump. All this together keeps the bump protected but still gives me needed ankle flexibility. I hold it together with one single wrap of clear tape. It took some experimenting but now I am on the ice 2-3 days a week again and the bump has actually started to go down and doesn't get irritated as easily as before..just try and let it heal completely first and do some experimenting

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My pain is an area an inch or two below the top of the boot, just above my right ankle bone. Did you have pain when walking or jumping up and down the day after skating? Or did it only bother you when on the ice? I have no visual signs of bruising... only minor swelling.

The pain is also not manageable, there is no way I could last a year yet alone another month.

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for a long time it was just a bump but wasn't painful... eventually it got bigger and at its worst it started being too painful to skate a whole game and also tough to walk for a full 2-3 days after skating which is why I eventually took a long break. It sounds like you might be dealing with some other kind of issue though so your best bet might be to see a doctor

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I had a similar issue with Easton RS last year pain outside of my ankle just above where the boot ends. Lasted about 2 months till my doctor(sports medicine) suggested I try a softer skate (vapor X6.0) pain subsided after two weeks.

Went back to the RS after the first hard stop my ankle just felt weird and to no avail the pain returned after that game. After all that it was deemed a high ankle sprain due to the stiffness of the boot. I've tried stiffer boots a year later Vapor X100 just did not feel right made the same spot tender with a bit of swelling...I'm currently in Makos with zero problems so far after 2 months. Nice to be pain free again.

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I had this problem with my Vapor XXXX. I used a silicone pad over the area that was bothering me. Thi immediately relieved the pain. YMMV.

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I have what sounds to be exactly the same problem as Malarowski. I've been skating on a pair of X50's for almost two years now with no problems whatsoever. In april I started to skate with my tongue tucked under my shin pad, (have always been a "flopper") that, coupled with the boot loosing a bit of stiffness and me compensating by tieing the skate too tight at the top (I think) has caused me sharp pain in the outside of my ankle at and above where the boot ends.

It feels like a deep bone bruise. It hurt so damn bad that I took a break from skating and have only been wearing low cut shoes because it hurts too much. Doesnt hurt AT ALL unless something is touching or rubbing it.

I gave it 3 weeks and then strapped on my inlines to try out to see if it still hurt. It only took one loop around the rink and I was done. I hope this thinge heals soon. I want to play in a summer league, but I'm really wondering what its going to take to heal this freaking thing!! Any ideas appreciated..

Just to follow up on my issue. I still have the bump, but it is not painful to the touch anymore. It has also gone down some. I took a month and a half off, but I have been skating on about it 3x per week since mid june by putting a small piece of silicone over the bump when I tie my skates. Other than that Im not doing anything different. It has not bothered me at all. The silicone is a piece of a "gel heel insert", just a ripped off chunk that fits inside the skate over the bump. I have even gone without it a bunch of times and it doesnt hurt to awfully bad.

I am pretty relieved at how it kind of resolved itself. I was so painful that there was no way I could skate on it the way it was.

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Do you still tuck your tongue under your shinpad and tie your skates extra tight at the top?

No, I went back to flopping the toungue immediately. I only did it for two games and thats when I started having the problem so I switched back. I do still tie the top fairly tight and it hasnt been a problem.

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Been having a similar problem recently. I basically plan on just home-fudging a "comfort edge " onto the cuff of the boot. Someone on here a while back suggested a particular type of foam, but I couldn't remember what it was. Thinking some sort of thickish neoprene rubber might be the way to go but would love to get some advice. Also, glue or stitch? Stitching might make it tough to get through some of those stiffeners but will probably work better and last longer.

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I had a similar issue in the past, when I was using a S15 boot. The pain was about an inch above my heel. It felt like something was compressing it and it was on both feet.

I agree that it could be due to the stiffness of the boot. Did you also check that it might be due to you not having enough depth?

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