orthotics for skates

[Morgail]

I've been dealing with tendinitis in my right ankle for several months (caused by flat feet), and I finally put up the $$$ and got custom orthotics for my shoes. The orthotics have been great. I have almost no pain walking around. I got the dress shoe style ones for work, and hoped they'd fit into my skates, too. No luck.

The tendinitis comes back in full force when I get on the ice, even if I've felt great all day. So, I'd like to find some orthotics for my skates. I did a search and found references to Active Feet and Superfeet. I can't figure out if these companies make actual custom orthotics or not. (I see a form to fill out for Active Feet, but shouldn't they need a mold of the foot to make the orthotics?) Has anyone ordered from them? Or are custom orthotics for skates only available from boot companies when you buy new boots?

[AgnesNitt]

Morgail, it would be useful to know if you pronate (the ankles bend to the inside), supinate (the ankles to the outside), or are blessed with straight ankles.

[Isk8NYC]

So, I'd like to find some orthotics for my skates. I did a search and found references to Active Feet and Superfeet. I can't figure out if these companies make actual custom orthotics or not. (I see a form to fill out for Active Feet, but shouldn't they need a mold of the foot to make the orthotics?) Has anyone ordered from them? Or are custom orthotics for skates only available from boot companies when you buy new boots?I have custom Klingbeil skates and Don replicated my orthotics insole for my skates.

I used to work with a woman who was a track star in high school and college. She worked her way through college as a salesclerk in a high-end running store. I asked her about the Superfeet custom skating inserts and she said that a lot of her customers loved them, but they were rollerbladers, not ice skaters. Supposedly, the "Yellow Insole" from Superfeet fits figure skates, but they have to be trimmed. They were really designed for hockey skates.

Customers bought the custom insoles through her store - their staff did a fitting of some sort, which was included in the price.

I bought a stock pair of Superfeet running insoles from a running store down here and they were very different from my orthotics. They served their purpose: I had left my insoles and sneakers at a friend's house five hours away, so I just needed to make do until she could mail them back to me. I actually felt like there were plastic "teeth" inside the heel that had to collapse in order to make the insoles comfortable. They were made of much softer material and could be cut to fit easily, unlike my orthotics.

[Query]

Just curious - what do the orthotics your doctor provided you do, compared to what the original shoe insoles did?

1. Do they make your flat feet less flat - i.e., they force the arch up?

2. And/or do they pinch the sides of the feet near the arch together?

3. Do they force the ends up more than the middle, in comparison to the original insoles, and thereby equalize pressure over different parts of the bottom of your feet?

4. Do they snug the fit on the sides of the feet, but not pinch any part more than any other?

5. Something else?

If only # 3 and/or #4 applies, your problem is really not that you have flat feet. Your problem is your shoes and skates were designed for different foot shapes than your feet happen to have.

Superfeet and similar products mold to your feet and can solve #3, which as near as I've been able to figure out from talking to people with problems is the most common issue. Specifically, they can be heat molded to equalize pressure on the bottom of the feet, but they don't come up next to the sides of the feet.

Regardless, you can duplicate the same feel as your custom orthotics by cutting insoles out of something like felt (or trim a $1 or $2 insole from the dollar store or drugstore) the same perimeter shape as the insoles currently in your skates, and adding athletic tape to the bottom and/or sides to reshape them until everything feels right. See my page.

I am convinced everyone should be taught to do this themselves in school, because a lot of people have foot or spinal problems caused by putting their feet into shoes that just don't happen to fit their foot. It's really easy.

[Morgail]

Morgail, it would be useful to know if you pronate (the ankles bend to the inside), supinate (the ankles to the outside), or are blessed with straight ankles.

They pronate.


I have custom Klingbeil skates and Don replicated my orthotics insole for my skates.
I used to work with a woman who was a track star in high school and college. She worked her way through college as a salesclerk in a high-end running store. I asked her about the Superfeet custom skating inserts and she said that a lot of her customers loved them, but they were rollerbladers, not ice skaters. Supposedly, the "Yellow Insole" from Superfeet fits figure skates, but they have to be trimmed. They were really designed for hockey skates. Customers bought the custom insoles through her store - their staff did a fitting of some sort, which was included in the price.


I may have to give the Superfeet a try, then. I hope to get new boots later this year, and then I'll have them built in. But I'm desperate for something to use before then. This tendinitis has really done a number on my skating.


Just curious - what do the orthotics your doctor provided you do, compared to what the original shoe insoles did?
1. Do they make your flat feet less flat - i.e., they force the arch up?


This, #1. It feels almost like a bump under my arch. The only reasons they don't work in my skates are that, 1) they're too long (although they fit perfectly in my shoes), and 2) the heel cup takes up too much space and forces my foot up and forward so that I feel as though I'm going to trip on my toepicks. I'll check out the website. Thanks!

[sk8lady]

My podiatrist made an orthotic especially for my skate. It's been a tremendous help.

[sexyskates]

I don't have flat feet, but I do pronate. So I had sport orthotics made for my skates by Surefoot. That company has been making custom insoles for ski boots for many years. I was able to do a better sitspin and lutz on the first day I wore them in my skates (and I can take them out and use them in my ski boots and inline skates too). It only takes 1/2 hour in the store in NYC. They line up your hip, knee, ankle, and foot on a computerized machine and make the insole so everything will align in your skate.

[Morgail]

I think I found a cheap, temporary fix for myself. I found some athletic tape left over from a knee injury and used it to wrap the areas of my arch and ankle that hurt when I skate. I wrapped it around my arch (from the bottom of my foot up over the top of my foot), across my inner ankle bone, and then twice around my ankle.

It works! I jumped two days in a row without pain. :) I'm almost afraid to hope that it will keep working...

[Kristin]

I've been dealing with tendinitis in my right ankle for several months (caused by flat feet), and I finally put up the $$$ and got custom orthotics for my shoes. The orthotics have been great. I have almost no pain walking around. I got the dress shoe style ones for work, and hoped they'd fit into my skates, too. No luck.

The tendinitis comes back in full force when I get on the ice, even if I've felt great all day. So, I'd like to find some orthotics for my skates. I did a search and found references to Active Feet and Superfeet. I can't figure out if these companies make actual custom orthotics or not. (I see a form to fill out for Active Feet, but shouldn't they need a mold of the foot to make the orthotics?) Has anyone ordered from them? Or are custom orthotics for skates only available from boot companies when you buy new boots?

I have very flat feet in my skates as well so I can offer some help here.

I don't know where you live, but I have a certified Orthotist near me who made orthotics that fit in my skate boots & regular shoes. His name is Ernie Bastian from "Wolverine Orthotics" and he is located here in Novi, Michigan. He specializes in orthotics for sports issues, and has taken care of many of the skaters/athletes in Michigan & beyond. www.wolverineorthotics.com

Not every health insurance covers the cost of a pair of custom orthotics (approx. $500/pair), but some will cover 1 pair over a lifetime. In most cases, you only need one pair per lifetime & he can alter them as your skating needs change. Ernie makes a mold of your foot, then makes orthotics to match that mold & cuts them to fit into your skates. You can move them to your shoes for daily wear as well with no problems (I have). Good luck!