Podiatrist? PT? Orthopod? Medical Advice needed!

[icedancer2]

So once again I'm turning to you guys for medical advice -- mostly I just need to know where to start...

I'm having a lot of problems with my feet/ankles -- I am 52, former kid skater who came back to the ice about 20 years ago and have skated regularly, etc., etc. Over the years I have had a lot of injuries -- fractured one foot a couple of times, broken toe, sprained ankle, etc., etc. I always gave myself time to heal and came back to the ice very slowly and gave myself plenty of time before really pushing back to whatever former level I was at at the time.

So last year I bought new boots -- SP Teri DAnce boots -- very stiff of course -- and now, a year later, I am still trying to break the darn things in and my feet/ankles are really starting to suffer.

So I'd like to get some help, but don't really know where to start -- does a podiatrist have enough to get me going in the right direction? Or should I start with my regular MD and see what they have to say and see where to go next? I don't know if I need an orthotic or something else in my shoes, skate-boot, etc. It doesn't help that I got a letter from my regular internist yesterday saying she is leaving practice in two weeks -- now I have to find a new person and I really really liked her!!

Thanks for any direction that you can point me in. It is getting really frustrating... of course skating 6 days in a row two weeks in a row probably didn't help, but ouch! I need help!

[phoenix]

If your boots aren't broken in after a year, then I'd start with new boots! They're clearly not right for you.

[icedancer2]

If your boots aren't broken in after a year, then I'd start with new boots! They're clearly not right for you.

Well, I didn't see that coming but I guess I have more explaining to do about the break-in, but it is kind of complex. About a month ago I switched from Super Dance 99 blade back to my old MK Dance - the Super Dance 99, while they had excellent flow and run, were just too darn short and I felt unstable. The Super Dance 99 has a low profile like a Pattern 99. I felt like the boots were breaking in okay with these blades.

Then changing blades about a month ago (and really just getting them adjusted a few times and just trying to figure out all of that blade alignment/sharpening issues) -- I feel like I have having to re-break in the boots because my feet are angled in them differently because of the difference in the blade profile -- it's hard to explain, but I really do feel like I am re-breaking in the boots with the new (old) blades. Is that at all clear?

So I may have answered m own question as to WHY I am experiencing foot problems (I am breaking in new skates and yes, they may not be right for me but I still want to give them some more time -- after all -- I am not doing any jumps on them and they are SP Teri after all -- they WILL break in!) -- but I'm really wondering what sort of medical professional is really going to give me some help with this -- I don't want to continue skating if I am really hurting myself (can that be true?).

So yes, the skates might not be right but I am not exactly willing to give up on them and try another type/pair right now -- that just seems just too painful -- both to my pocketbook and to my poor feet, who really don't want to try to break in another pair of boots...

Thanks for any advice you gys!:)

[beachbabe]

well if you are so light on your boots, perhaps you should have just gone with a light boot and had the back fixed for dance (scalloped back? i dunno what its called) since sp teri can make adjustments to the boot of your choice. Or maybe you should have gone with graf's, i hear the break in very easily- for some too easily.


If you are having trouble with the stiffness of the boot, maybe you should go to a shoe repair shop. There are ways to weaken the boot a little bit so it won't be so stiff. I think they do something like stretching the leather over and over in different directions. You could also get them heat molded if your boots are heat moldable.


Did you try wearing them with hot, wet socks until they dry?

Are you doing special moves to breka them in? When i have a new pair of boots i do lots of sit spins, shoot the ducks, or just skate around bending my ankle alot on edges and stuff.



totally understand what you mean about the blade...I had the same old story when i put some new ISE blades on my boots last week and I'm having to re break in my boots, even though I'm actually very happy with the blade.


but yea, ask a fitter or a shoe man about what they can do, and get them heat molded-it does wonders

[dbny]

Can you be more specific about your problems? I've been having problems too, and have been to a podiatrist, which helped off ice, but not on. I'm about to get new boots, but haven't yet decided which ones. My dream boots would have a Birkenstock footbed!

[krisseye]

I'm 37 years old and have had foot/ankle problems since my early 20's (6 sprains, 1 fracture, fallen arches). I ended up seeing a bunch of health care providers and the variety ended up being the key. The orthopedist diagnosed the extremely tight achilles tendon which led to the fallen arches resulting from running with tight achilles. The physical therapist made me some orthotics and taught me exercises to do to loosen up my hips, calves, and achilles. The naturopath said that I have tight hamstrings and back and gave me a backside massage that did wonders. SP Teri built custom boots around my orthotics which helped a TON. So...as long as your insurance company is okay with it, it may be worth your while to see what different specialists say. Each discipline comes at the problem from a different point of view and in my case, together they came up with a treatment plan that works for me even though individually each didn't completely solve my problem.

[doubletoe]

And in the meantime, it can't hurt to punch your boots out in the ankles again, if your ankles are now ending up in a different place.

[Madame Saccoche]

Can you be more specific about your problems? I've been having problems too, and have been to a podiatrist, which helped off ice, but not on. I'm about to get new boots, but haven't yet decided which ones. My dream boots would have a Birkenstock footbed!


I have a Birkenstock inserts in my skates, I could not skate without them!!! ( In a GAM 450 boot if that helps)

Ankle problems? Could be due to a lot of different reasons, in my case the problem (achilles tendonitis)originated with a post baby muscle imbalance in my low back. my specialist of choice is an osteopath or a physio with osteopathic training. They can look at (and correct)how muscle imbalances in one part of the body can wreak havoc in more distant areas. In most cases it only takes one or two visits to get everything moving again the way it should.

[icedancer2]

well if you are so light on your boots, perhaps you should have just gone with a light boot and had the back fixed for dance (scalloped back? i dunno what its called) since sp teri can make adjustments to the boot of your choice. Or maybe you should have gone with graf's, i hear the break in very easily- for some too easily.

Did you try wearing them with hot, wet socks until they dry?

Are you doing special moves to breka them in? When i have a new pair of boots i do lots of sit spins, shoot the ducks, or just skate around bending my ankle alot on edges and stuff.



As far as the boots go, they are the ultra-light SP Teri Dance boot -- with a low back and scalloped lace-area for easy break-in. they are also very stiff with that new "duobond" material -- much different than my old SP Teri Super-Teri which I had for 15 years -- those were just plain old leather and very very comfortable after all of those years. I guess I am light on my boots although I am an average-sized woman and pretty strong skater, but having those very broken-in boots and then getting new boots was a bit of a shock -- I knew it would be, but oh how I miss those old boots (and don't think I haven't thought about getting them rebuilt!

As far as sit-spins go, that is out of the question, but I may try some two-footed shoot-the-duck type things and see if that helps. I also like the idea of having them re-heat-molded or punched out again -- that may really help as far as the boots go.

I am going to post this reply in several sections because my internet keeps cutting out on me and I keep losing partially-formed replies, so I hope you guys don't mind!

[icedancer2]

Can you be more specific about your problems? I've been having problems too, and have been to a podiatrist, which helped off ice, but not on. I'm about to get new boots, but haven't yet decided which ones. My dream boots would have a Birkenstock footbed!

Mostly ankle instablity -- specifically my right ankle (the one that I have sprained most often and most recently) -- pain in the ligament that runs from the ankle bone up the inside of the leg and some pain on the outside -- I don't know what it is called.

Also on my left foot I am feeling a place where I fractured my fifth metatarsal (a mid-shaft fracture) about 3 years ago, which healed fine.

This is in addition to various misalignments of hips/ribs/legs/back/whatever which I have had addressed by an assortment of osteopaths, PTs, chiropractors, etc., which has been an interesting (and sometimes expensive) exploration -- but nothing that has had sustained relief.

In my next post I'll tell you what I discovered this weekend!

[icedancer2]

So this weekend I picked up one of my favorite new books, "The Trigger-Point Therapy Manual; Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief" (http://www.triggerpointbook.com/index.html) and looked at the pages about treating feet and legs and found that I have all of the characteristics of something called "Morton's Foot" (http://www.triggerpointbook.com/mortons.htm). My eyes just bugged out of my head 8O when I saw that this condition can cause a lot of the problems that I'm experiencing, including pain in back and shoulders.

So I have been applying moleskin patches to the insoles of my shoes and slippers and will probably try putting some in my skates as well (as indicated for this problem, I am placing them under the ball of the foot behind the big toe). I've already noticed that with this simple treatment that my back and chest didn't cramp up when I went on a brief walk this morning (this is something that happens when I walk but not when I skate somehow), and so I am psyched!

I want to thank everyone for their replies -- it seems that just asking the question made me start to really look for the answer rather than just murking around in pain and trying to ignore it and skate through it (something that I have done for years) -- I am interested in seeing maybe a sports podiatrist and/or a chiropractor/PT that works with atheletes (I am an athelete, dammit!) to see if I can get some further suggestions, treatments, etc. -- maybe there will be a Birkenstock insole in my future -- who knows??

Thanks again, everyone!:)

[dbny]

I have a Birkenstock inserts in my skates, I could not skate without them!!!

8O :D

Which ones? The Birkenstock website has quite a few listed, and I have no clue which would be best for skates.

[Madame Saccoche]

I have the half insole that basically supports and stablizes my heels. It has a slight rise in it so it has the effect of pushing my wieght slightly more onto the balls of my feet and consequently pushing my centre of gravity a little more foreward. It's made a big difference especially in dance, i always felt like I was falling over backwards.


I'm starting to get pain under my metatarsal arches so I'm going to try to see if I can get a full-length insert into my skates. The guy at the skate shop is really knowlegeble about this stuff but if i can't get I Birk in there then I"ll probably look at getting a custom insole done by a podiatrist (dh's insurance will pay for this.)

[icedancer2]

I have the half insole that basically supports and stablizes my heels. It has a slight rise in it so it has the effect of pushing my wieght slightly more onto the balls of my feet and consequently pushing my centre of gravity a little more foreward. It's made a big difference especially in dance, i always felt like I was falling over backwards.


So Madame, which insole do you use? Birkenstock insoles page (http://www.birkenstockbeach.com/Library/Main/insoles.html)