Blade adjustment

[AgnesNitt]

Pardon me while I vent...Actual question in bold
I posted earlier about the issues to get on my outside edge on my FO8 for figures on my left foot (rightie is ok). I got much good advice , and my coach and I have been working this . I am still skating on the inside edge on a FO8! Getting to the left outside edge requires me to bring my right leg behind my left, glue my knees together, then stick my right boot deep into the circle like a christmas ornament hanging off a wayward limb. Oh, yeah I have to be in my heel on the skating leg and facing outwards with my arms held 'just so'.
Plus, since I'm now skating 5 times a week, my left hip, knee and ankle have become painful all day.
When I stand in my skates, my right leg is straight up and down, but my left one is conked at the ankle and knee so that I'm standing on the inside edge rather than the flat. This is true even in hard guards. Oh I can make the left leg straight, but once I stop thinking about it, it conks in.
I've got custom orthotics in the boots (works fine on right leg) but there's no room left in the left boot to make any more changes.

So I'm thinking, if I move my blade to the toe side of the boot what are the down sides? Are there rules of thumb for this?

I suggested this to my coach and skate technician last year, but everyone thought the problem would go away with practice, it hasn't. I've had the practice, and not only have not made improvement, but tonight on a 3 turn my left knee buckled at the check--scary fall. I think it's the stress I'm putting on that leg in figures trying to make my body work over the blade.

[BuggieMom]

My dd pronates (rolls to the inside) really bad on her landing leg. When her current blades were mounted, this blade was moved almost all the way over toward the inside to accommodate the pronation. It made an immediate difference in her jump landings and basic edge control on that foot. There has been NO downside to shifting the blade for the pronation, and as far as I know, it is a standard adjustment for this type of foot alignment problem. Looking at her boot/blade from the bottom, it looks weird because it is so far to the inside, but it has made all the difference.

[dbny]

Try it. I know a lot of skaters for whom this has worked well. I had a similar problem on my R foot. I have custom Klingbeils, so I went back and had the boot adjusted, again, and again. They also tried moving the blade several times. Ultimately, I had to get new boots because my feet had changed. I haven't had the problem again, except when it's been due to my own mistakes.

[mintypoppet]

Works for me. Personally, I find that I only need to move the heel inwards - if I move the whole blade, it doesn't help my particular problem, which is RFO edges (but not RBO). My coach tells me that blade alignment is very individual, and that I should do what works for me - one of her blades is off-centre too.

Use a marker to outline where the blades are now, then take out all of the permanent screws and shift the blade in the slots. That way, you can still see where the central alignment is, so that you have a reference point to work from.

[sk8lady]

Both feet both pronate--when I got my current boots, Scott Cooke spent about an hour having me stand in the skates and then adjusting the blades for the pronation. (You know, that's one of those words that looks weirder and weirder the longer you look at it.) If you explain the problem to your boot guy or gal they can probably adjust things till it works better.

[AgnesNitt]

Thanks for the support. :bow: :)
I just got back after about 90 minutes and (5!) adjustments on the left--and while it's skatable, the blade plate is actually butting up on the inside edge of the skate sole, and I don't feel it's far enough in yet. Tapped the right blade in about a quarter of an inch in on my right foot--it's heaven.
I told Mike that I'd skate on it a couple of weeks and see. But right now, I'd like to move it a quarter inch further inside and a quarter inch to the back which would make a big chunk of the blade plate sticking out of the boot--which may be an ugly adjustment. (I have seen this on another adult skater who was coincidentally a figures fanatic)

My important lesson learned from this is to trust my instincts. From the first day I put on skate I felt the blades needed to be more inside mounted, but I let coaches and friends, and technicians tell me I needed practice. I'm not a growing kid, I'm an adult with 57 years of experience living with /arthritis/ scoliosis/ orthopedic injuries, from now on I'm taking the lead.

[Query]

The main effect of offsetting the blade to the big toe side is to place more weight on that side, probably because there is a mismatch between the shape of your insole or boot and the shape of your foot.

But you say it isn't enough on one side.

Try taking out the insole and putting tape under the side where you are falling towards. See

http://mgrunes.com/boots.html

An main advantage of using tape instead of offset is that it doesn't change your spin balance. In addition, using tape to equalizing pressure over the bottom of your foot reduces soreness and (in exreme cases) overuse injuries, due to assymetric aerage use of muscles and ligaments.

Many cautious skaters are afraid to place weight on the outside of their boots, for fear of falling. You will be balanced over your blade while skating no matter where the blade is, or how the boot fits, if you place your body center of gravity directly over the point of contact. Your coach and technician probably did not want you to create an assymetric muscle use if a fear to place weight on the outside was the source of your problems.

[SkatEn]

OP: Please check to see if your ankle pronates OR if you have high arches. High arches and flat feet need a lot of support. I have similar pains. The pain typically begins with my ankle, and then knee, and then up my hip. Then the shoulder will hurt. ouch. For me it's due to high arches that are under high stress from skating. Since you said you have orthotics, the next thing to do is to increase the strength of your hip ABductor and ADductor. It helped me a lot. Sometimes it's because these muscles are unable to counter the forces exerted on the opposite side. Eh, I don't make much sense right?

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/strengthening/body_weight/hip_adduction.php
something like that. PM me for more info.

Blade adjustment should be made if you really are on the inside. It has been how long? Usually skaters get used to it over time. Since you didn't, no harm trying right? At the worst, you have to change back. At best, you gain better edges!

Without hijacking the thread, I try not to, how will you adjust the blade after the permanent screws are on?:giveup: Take everything out?

[Skate@Delaware]

Altho I don't pronate/supinate, I have a misaligned hip joint that caused me to have to move my right blade all the way to the inside.....it worked great when I did it.

Try it and see how it goes. Give it a bit of adjustment time and let us know how it goes.