Foot Pain in Skates

[FThurstonXXII 0]

Hey! I recently started skating again (had not skated in about 20 years) with my son who has really drawn interest in the sport. I found a pair of Bauer Supreme skates at a local used sports store that fit my feet great. There was no real discomfort at all when getting the skate on, standing, or even initially into the session. However, after about 10 minutes on the ice my feet would feel like there were little cramps. It was not a feeling like the skates were too small or uncomfortable, it felt more like maybe my foot was being used differently. Is this common? I have more of a flat foot. The pain lies mostly in the forefoot and instep of my foot. Not in the heel or ankle at all. I am a bigger guy (6'2 240) so I am not sure if this is something that's common and my feet muscles are being used differently or if I need new skates or new insoles? The pain goes away the next day. However, I did have one experience where there was some pain for a few days. It wasn't unbearable but it felt like my foot had been bound up for a day. Any help or adivce is appreciated. 

[Vet88 673]

It could be unused muscles getting used to skating again but if its in the forefoot area I'd suspect forefoot skate width / fit. Standing in them versus skating in them are 2 very different things.

Couple of things to try, as difficult as it may be try tying the skates really really loose, or even not at all. Go for a gentle skate and see how your feet feel after 20 minutes. Yes, you will wobble all over the place until you start to get the hang of it but the loose fit will give your forefoot some room and help to orientate your balance over the top of the skate blade (better body alignment, less stress on the feet). If your feet dont hurt in the forefoot (your ankle and calf may get tired because they are working harder) doing this I'd question the forefoot width of the skate. Then you have 2 options, get the boot stretched or get wider skates. If you go for another pair of skates don't get a wider model just for the forefoot width. If your current skates fit you ok everywhere else then getting a wider, bigger fit just makes everywhere else a marginal or sloppy fit for the sake of the forefoot. Stretching the boot isn't hard to do, any half decent shop should have the tools so always buy for the best fit all over then fix the individual problems with stretching and punching. However it may mean that you can't buy a bottom end model, you will need to buy a boot that can be baked and will tolerate stretching. Customs are another option but I won't cover this here.

For your arch pain try a foot bed like superfeet or Bauer speedplates. They will help to keep the shape of your instep whilst in the boot. And if you try this option first, you can still try the above if the pain persists.

[FThurstonXXII 0]

I have been looking into the insoles as a potential option. I went for a skate today with my son, a smooth slow skate, and there was very little discomfort, but there was some. Once the skate was off it was fine. Again, the skate itself doesn't feel small or pressing in any areas, which makes me want to think that it is just my foot experiencing new movements that have not been utilized in decades. I am still at the early stages in re-learning how to skate so I feel like I keep my foot in s tense state as I skate in hopes of not falling. I will get a spwwd plate and see how that goes. Thanks for taking the time! 

[psulion22 402]

Cramping in the instep, especially underneath, can also be caused by tying the skates too tight.  Too much pressure on the top of the foot and cut off the blood flow and cause that cramping.  Lace bite is another symptom there, and can be combined with the cramping, but isn't always.  Try tying the skates looser, especially right over the top part of your foot.  Another cause could be poor arch or heel support.  Your foot is having to flex to maintain support and balance, so it's tiring out and cramping.  You could try different insoles, like Superfeet.  Also, cramping like that can be caused by too much extra space in the toe cap.  You lift or curl your toes if the cap is too high and the result is fatigue and cramping.  They sell little foam pads called Powerfoot (iirc) that stick to the top of your toe cap and fill the space, keeping your toes down and flat.

[Left Wing King 47]

Skates to tight, or not wide enough in the first place.

[Sniper9 517]

By instep do u mean arch. Instep is on the top of your foot , the area where lace bite generally occurs with ppl. 

[Paddy 11]

Symptoms sound, like others have said, too skinny of a skate in forefoot or midfoot, probably combined with tying too tight

[FThurstonXXII 0]

THANKS GUYS!