View Full Version : Ankle Again! Help, Please.
Two weeks ago, the padding on the inside ankle area of my (still) new Klingbeils shifted, causing pressure on the ankle bone, which is quite prominent. I didn't have time to get the boot adjusted until I was already in pain. I took a day off, got the adjustment, and took it easy for a few more days. Yesterday I had my own lesson and skated for two hours, no problem. Today I was on the ice from 8 AM to 1:30 PM, teaching, and started having pain sometime between noon and 1. I got off and put a silicone donut in my boot, but it didn't help much. I think I need to make the hole larger. Meanwhile, my ankle is swollen and bruised, and I'm not sure how I am going to work tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 9 AM to 2:30 PM 8O. I soaked my foot in hot water for half an hour tonight and it feels a bit better, but the ankle bone is still very tender. Does anyone have any ideas for relieving the pressure on that bone?
doubletoe
09-30-2007, 12:40 AM
Two weeks ago, the padding on the inside ankle area of my (still) new Klingbeils shifted, causing pressure on the ankle bone, which is quite prominent. I didn't have time to get the boot adjusted until I was already in pain. I took a day off, got the adjustment, and took it easy for a few more days. Yesterday I had my own lesson and skated for two hours, no problem. Today I was on the ice from 8 AM to 1:30 PM, teaching, and started having pain sometime between noon and 1. I got off and put a silicone donut in my boot, but it didn't help much. I think I need to make the hole larger. Meanwhile, my ankle is swollen and bruised, and I'm not sure how I am going to work tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 9 AM to 2:30 PM 8O. I soaked my foot in hot water for half an hour tonight and it feels a bit better, but the ankle bone is still very tender. Does anyone have any ideas for relieving the pressure on that bone?
I am assuming you have already had the ankle of the boot punched out, but it might help to punch it out again. (Sorry, I know it's a pretty un-creative response!)
I am assuming you have already had the ankle of the boot punched out, but it might help to punch it out again. (Sorry, I know it's a pretty un-creative response!)
Yeah, Klingbeil did that when he adjusted the padding. I really need something that will get me through tomorrow. I've got 3 hours of LTS to teach and then another 1.5 hours of private lessons. It just occurred to me that my 2 hours of skating for myself, including my own lesson, did not hurt, but the LTS does. Maybe it's the swizzles that are doing it. They do put a lot of pressure on the inside of the ankle.
doubletoe
09-30-2007, 12:52 AM
Wow, how weird! Do you have an old pair of boots you can teach in, then just change into the new ones for your own skating time?
Wow, how weird! Do you have an old pair of boots you can teach in, then just change into the new ones for your own skating time?
I wish! Last Thursday, it was so bad that I ran home in the middle of the day to get my old skates, and nearly toe picked about 6 times because the blades are longer. Also, they really don't fit right, and by that time the ankle was so bruised that it was painful anyway. At the end of my day I was in so much pain that I took the skates off and walked behind two rinks and through the long corridor between them barefoot to get to the office where I had left my sandals. I've been rummaging around looking for some old cosmetic pads that I had...no luck yet.
Sessy
09-30-2007, 04:36 AM
Gel sleeves? A girl at our rink had an infected ankle eh... slime pocket or something? and jumped axels with those.
Well, I used a gel sleeve to hold two folded cosmetic pads in place on either side of the ankle bone to make a pocket for it. I lasted from 10 AM to 1:30 PM with only discomfort, then it got painful. Calling Klingbeil in the morning.
teresa
09-30-2007, 09:50 PM
I've had an ankle injury and I'm the queen of swelling. Use ice. My personal preferance is frozen peas as it molds to the inury better. You can keep using the same bag if you use it only for this purpose. No eating later. Elevate, keep the injured ankle raised even when sleeping. A firm pillow works. Massage the injured area. This helps to move the swelling out of the injured area. If you have a Bunga sleeve, wear it. Take tylenol every 4 hours for the first 24. Good luck,
teresa
Sessy
10-01-2007, 04:25 AM
Ok I dunno how things are now but you could try this too.
Take isolating foam (the kind used for isolating the hot-water tubes to the radiators in the house) and cut donuts out of it. Put two donuts on top of eachother, wrap sports tape (I'm guessing duct tape will work too) around them to stick them together. Make another one of these donuts. Put on both sides of the ankle to your comfort and then put a layer of sports tape over it on 1 side. Then, using this layer as measurement, put the 2 donuts together with sports tape (two horizontal layers on top of eachother and one spiralling around it)
You should get something like this:
O--O
If you make two of those you can put it around your ankles and fix it with more sports tape. Then put thin socks on top and get into your skates. The girl with the ankle infection claimed it was great. My mom did something similar to break in her skates.
doubletoe
10-01-2007, 12:41 PM
Is it possible that Klingbeil punched out the ankles but not in quite the right spot?
Query
10-01-2007, 06:37 PM
This isn't much help, cuz everything takes more time than you want.
Klingbeil stands behind their product, might fix the foam free. They can also replace foam, which goes bad periodically, add a soft liner, and do a heat mold to your foot at the factory. Call them for suggestions.
Punches only last a few weeks before leather mostly returns to shape. I bought a ball and ring plyers so I could keep re-punching it. Bigger balls and rings make punches that last longer.
I've considered using a ski boot dryer to keep the boots warm while punching. Don Klingbeil said their boots heat mold at 140 degrees; hotter and maybe something melts. Moist molding, like is done at the factory, should help - I've been afraid so far. From my experience, skating with wet socks stretches the boot to shape and helps somewhat. Not too often - if boot gets too big, tighten by putting first aid tape under the insole, to push your foot up. I've tried a stretching oil when punching - maybe it helped.
Some say our foot problems relate to the USFSA requirement that figure skating boots look like figure skating boots, but I believe there are good solutions to make boots fit and stay that way. I've thought of several but haven't the skill and resources to try them out.
Good luck.
emkayy
10-01-2007, 07:58 PM
I'm having the same problem with mine, but on the outside ankle bone of my left foot. I skate, do some loops and flips and then it hurts too bad to walk on it after skating and doesn't start letting up till about 2-3 days later. I've tried using cosmetic sponges and those cushiony Dr Scholls pads that stick that have the center cut out and neither works. The Dr Scholls does make it bearable for a couple hours. I used to use Bunga pads, the ankle sleeves until they started giving me blisters.. so now I've run out of ideas. I'm going to NY next month so I might go and see them. By the way I've only had mine since around the beginning of August and have had them punched out (at the rink) multiple places.
Is it possible that Klingbeil punched out the ankles but not in quite the right spot?
It seems to be the right spot, but maybe not enough.
Klingbeil stands behind their product, might fix the foam free. They can also replace foam, which goes bad periodically, add a soft liner, and do a heat mold to your foot at the factory.
Don Klingbeil and I are well aquainted with each other. Even Lorraine, his receptionist, knows me well enough that she recognized me when the camera happened to catch me in the audience at Skate America a few years ago. Don is going to try to see me on Wed morning because my schedule doesn't allow Thurs, Fri, or Sat right now. He replaced foam and practically rebuilt my old boots over the past two years entirely free of charge, so there is no "might" about it. Klingbeils are not heat molded. Where did you get the idea that they are?
Update:
The folded cosmetic pads were a terrible idea, and now my ankle is bruised all around the ankle bone. I had to work about 1.5 hrs today, so I tried a gel sleeve (Silipos) and laced the ankle area looser than usual. I had only mild discomfort, and no pain. The real test will be Thursday when I have group and private lessons most of the day.
Query
10-04-2007, 05:24 PM
Don Klingbeil and I are well aquainted with each other. Even Lorraine, his receptionist, knows me well enough that she recognized me when the camera happened to catch me in the audience at Skate America a few years ago...
Wow! Either you live next door, or you must be very serious about getting your boots right. I only visited once, after about 5 or 6 years of pain, which he partly fixed, for free.
Klingbeils are not heat molded. Where did you get the idea that they are?
Don said they could be when I visited. Unfortunately, I didn't know before I visited, and hadn't made an appointment for that. He claimed the only difference between a heat moldable boot and one that wasn't was how they were marked.
If I didn't live about 6 hours away, I would go back and get the heat mold. I really wish I had done the initial fit and modifications at the factory. There is still a fair bit of pain. If I had more money to spare I would start over.
No bootfitters I've talked to outside the factory heat mold Klingbeils. KB doesn't advertise it can be done, and I'm guessing Klingbeil doesn't want to deal with the aftermath if they get too hot.
A boot fitter I trust says some brands heat mold hotter and more completely than others. 140 degrees is very low compared to most of the ones that advertise heat moldability. A dark car on a hot sunny day might go over 120. (BTW I've been told not to leave boots in the car in the summer - that ruins the fit. I imagine routinely using a boot dryer could do the same thing.)
AFAIK, all boots are heat (and oil or water) molded during manufacture, when they fit it to the last.
Isk8NYC
10-04-2007, 07:55 PM
Although any leather skate can be heat molded, I didn't think any Klingbeil skates have the heat-molded plastics built into the boot. I picked up new Klingbeil's last year and discussed heat molding. The gist was that a correctly made skate shouldn't need heat molding. Maybe your situation was exceptional?
I wouldn't miss out on visiting Klingbeil to for adjustments - the humor and bagels are just too good. Reading the walls is just as much fun as gawking at the other customers (like Sarah Hughes) and chatting with Lorraine, who's a gem. If you live within range, go for the experience alone. LOL
mikawendy
10-04-2007, 08:13 PM
I soaked my foot in hot water for half an hour tonight and it feels a bit better, but the ankle bone is still very tender. Does anyone have any ideas for relieving the pressure on that bone?
I don't have any good in-boot tips--I use silipos myself but nothing else. However a few ideas re: soaking--have you tried soaking with epsom salt in the water, to draw out the inflammation? Otherwise, I wonder if cold, such as an ice pack or gentle ice massage (rather than heat) would work better? I always find that a plain hot water soak without epsom leaves inflamed areas more puffy after the soak.
Wow! Either you live next door, or you must be very serious about getting your boots right.
A little of each. I live about 30 minutes away, and once made a round trip in 40 minutes by driving like a bat out of H*ll. DH and I had shown up for his new boots without his new blades. I ran home for the blades, while he stayed and got all the fine adjusting done.
I don't have any good in-boot tips--I use silipos myself but nothing else. However a few ideas re: soaking--have you tried soaking with epsom salt in the water, to draw out the inflammation? Otherwise, I wonder if cold, such as an ice pack or gentle ice massage (rather than heat) would work better? I always find that a plain hot water soak without epsom leaves inflamed areas more puffy after the soak.
I haven't tried epsom salts, and now have silipos also. The father of a student is a PA and told me to buy medicated patches at the local drugstore. They do seem to help, but what I really need is a week off, and that's impossible!
The father of a student is a PA and told me to buy medicated patches at the local drugstore. They do seem to help, but what I really need is a week off, and that's impossible!
These things are called Salonpas, and are wonderful! I was able to skate for myself today for two hours with no pain. When I took my boots off, my left inside ankle was a bit red, but not sore. I told my coach about it all, and she told me that when she had to work for 5 hours straight, her feet were sore too, and she's just 25!
I may ask Klingbeil to re-pad my old boots to marshmallow softness inside, get some shorter blades for them, and use them for teaching on my long days. That plus Salonpas as needed and a bit more padding in my new boots should do it.
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