New orthodics and sweaty feet

[miraclegro]

Okay, i'm hoping for some help. Paid about $350 for new special skating orthodics. They seem to be really helping! I am just wondering though...

The arch part is made of a very hard plastic-y part (made from airplane something or other -pretty much unbreakable), and i think although the rest of the insole is supposed to wick moisture away, my feet are really sweating to the point i feel i am slipping some inside the boot.

I wear trouser socks from Walmart (George brand - they are great), but wonder if there's anything more cotton-y that would not be thick to wear. It is nasty when it take my boots off and the entire sock is drenched. Skating without socks will not be an option for me. Don't think i could stand it!

I guess you solve one problem and then acquire another one?

Any tips?

[Query]

1. If the orthotics fit tightly against the sides of the boot they likely will eventually stretch the boot and the skate will no longer fit. I've met one person to whom this happened, according to one of the leading podiatrists who specializes in skaters.

2. Cut yourself a new insole to match the shape of the orthotic. Use a somewhat absorbant but not too squishy but flexible material, like felt, leather, or a cheap $1 thin foam insole from the drugstore. Add athletic tape underneath various places until it matches the shape of the custom orthotic.

You will probably find the custom orthotic wasn't quite the right shape. By looking for the right feel (the ability to touch different parts of the boot with roughly equal pressure, but leaving space around the front and sides of the toes), you should be able to get a better fit than the custom orthotic.

It is supposed to be useful, in terms of controlling the edge and, if needed, preventing excess pronation or supination (if you don't know what that is, ignore it), to have your foot apply roughly equal pressure to the entire boot below the ankle, not just the bottom of the foot. Most molded custom orthotics don't do that. So you will probably do better than what you just paid for.

However, the money you spent on the custom orthotic will save you several minutes of figuring out, to a first cut, where the tape should go.

[aussieskater]

Paid about $350 for new special skating orthodics. They seem to be really helping!

My guess is that they have been made for your skates like mine were. You're right - they do really help with pronation. I love mine and will no longer skate without them (I tried it the other day just out of interest and absolutely hated it.) I don't know about others' experiences, but mine have certainly not stretched my boots any! (Mind you, if I tried to use a regular-width shoe orthotic in my boot, it probably might?)

Mine are half-soles rather than full soles, and have the covering right over the entire top surface - in other words, where my foot touches the orthotic, it touches the cover rather than the fibreglass from which the orthotic is made. Sadly the cover is not a wicking one - it's vinyl or similar. When I'm not wearing tights, I'm wearing cotton knee-hi's (about the same thickness as 70-denier opaque tights). My socks/tights are pretty sweaty when I take the boots off too... :oops:

Could you maybe get your podiatrist to glue his miracle wicking cover over the arch as well?

[sk8lady]

1.

2. Cut yourself a new insole to match the shape of the orthotic. Use a somewhat absorbant but not too squishy but flexible material, like felt, leather, or a cheap $1 thin foam insole from the drugstore. Add athletic tape underneath various places until it matches the shape of the custom orthotic.

You will probably find the custom orthotic wasn't quite the right shape.

I suspect this is not going to work--you're talking about making yourself a new orthotic! (You're the engineer guy, yes? so you would probably do it but most of us wouldn't!) I know I had to take my orthotic back to the podiatrist several times, explaining in detail what was wrong. They have someone there who actually makes the orthotics and she had taken the original insole from my boot (I had already replaced it with a lambswool one) and built one to match out of neoprene, but didn't allow for the extremely tight fit of the figure skate. The gal who made it rebuilt it and then cut it back a couple times before it worked correctly. For some reason it still occasionally makes me lose all the skin off my middle toe but that's still better than having a painful callous that makes it impossible to spin!
I would take it back to the podiatrist and tell them the problem.

[miraclegro]

Well, the hard part is UNDER the insole, and it has been cut to fit my boot, so i can't see why anything would stretch out the boot. I've only had them in for a few days, anyway. The insole is OVER the hard part and has the moisture wicking on it.

So i don't have any idea why i would create anything new and different. I just feel like i might be sliding ever so slightly inside due to all the sweat.

[Query]

I suspect this is not going to work--you're talking about making yourself a new orthotic! (You're the engineer guy, yes?

I'm not an engineer. Adding tape to create a shape is fairly easy. If anything feels wrong, you just add more tape, or get rid of some.

I would take it back to the podiatrist and tell them the problem.

Oh! yes this makes sense - if they won't charge too much more money. But ask first, or you may spend another $350, again and again.

>Well, the hard part is UNDER the insole, and it has
>been cut to fit my boot, so i can't see why
>anything would stretch out the boot.

If it presses hard against the side of the boot, it will stretch it. If not, not.

Many skaters who go to typical podiatrists et al end up unhappy. They physics underlying a normal shoe is different then a skate, because skate blades have a single point of contact, and skaters use strong sideways forces for artistic and athletic purposes. Plus we have to wear skates way too tight for optimal foot health, which is probably what the doctor didn't realize here. Doctors are very bright people and can do the right things given the right info - but a least a couple podiatric references somehow omitted this info. However, if what the podiatrist or whatever did for you mostly works, maybe it is good enough. You can always add tape or sand it or the insole down to fix what they did. Don't be afraid - but make your modifications after giving the person who made the orthotic a chance.

Wicking socks are certainly possible - go to an outdoor store, like REI or EMS. Polypropylene socks probably wick best, though they hold smells. You might try a very thin liner sock for more space, then cut yourself a piece of thin felt (which wicks a little too) the same shape as the insole, and put it on top. It's a fairly cheap thing to try, and if you are too nervous to copy or modify your official orthotic, it might work. Some people prefer silk.