Sore Feet!

[Daisy2]

My daughter is having some problems with her feet. When she was very young (5) and began skating her coach at the time told me to buy Reidell Silver Star boots with Professional blades. What a mistake! I know better know. But anyway, those boots gave her bumps on the inside of her feet up towards the arch of her foot right where there is a little bone. They were sore for a while but then as time went on and changed boots they were ok. They didn't go away but they didn't hurt anymore. Well, about a month ago she got new boots. The same ones she had previously. Well, these bumps flaired up again and they got bigger and more painful. Has anyone out there had these bumps and what did you do to get rid of them?

[mary]

My daughter has those too. They don't go away, unfortunately. The place where I've been buying her skates said that it comes from the boot being too wide and short (i.e., the toes have nowhere to go so the bones of the foot will push out to the side causing that bump you were talking about). Try to have them fitted somewhere else when you purchase your next boots. I would get recommendations from some of the higher level skaters' parents on where they go and who they trust.

[Isk8NYC]

A good Pro Shop can adjust the skate to fit better and prevent this bump from getting worse. If you bought them from a particular shop, go back to them. If you bought the skates from a chain store, such as Modells or Sports Authority, they can't help you. You'll need to go to a shop within a rink.

In our area, most pro shops don't charge for "adjustments" like this IF you bought the skates from that shop. Otherwise, the charge is small, less than $10 for adjustments.

You can also try "bunga pads" which are cushioned protectors for parts of the feet.

[IceDanceMom NW]

Good fittings take time. We have had excellent luck with two different boot specialists that were recommended by our coach. They should fit the boot first without the blade, and they take many measurements of the foot before putting on the boot. Here a pro will know from the measurements whether your child has a narrow heel, a high arch, a longer second toe, large or small bones. They will make different recommendations accordingly. Each brand has different widths available, but some brands are cut differently from the others. In addition, they will either heat up the boot, or simply ask your child to walk around in the store to determine where the boot rubs;they may give her a pencil to circle areas that hurt and these areas can then be "punched out" or softened up. It usually takes us 2 hours in the store before the blades are finally screwed on, after which the fitter looks carefully at alignment and balance before the final tightening of the screws into place. Good fitters guarantee their work and will readdress the fit with softening, stretchings, etc.

Getting a good fitter is worth several hours of driving, maybe even a flight out of town, considering the price of the skates and the price of lessons. Good equipment with a good fit is key to prevent serious injuries caused by poor alignment of the joints. With repetitive jumping and high impact landings, and with fast steps on an unforgiving surface, the quality of the boot fitting is critically important.