Foot cramps

[JDC1]

Has anyone else experienced bad foot cramps on the TOP part of your foot. My coach and I just began working on dance, Dutch waltz, and after the second time I have had such bad foot cramps I limp at times. I thought it was a bruise or the bone was irritated but last night I massaged the heck out of the area and it was full of "knots" like you get in your shoulders. Any suggestions? Soak in hot water or just keep massaging? If this continues I am going to a podiatrist to see what I should do just wondering if someone out there has had a similar experience.

[jenlyon60]

Are you lacing your boots really tight across the top of your foot?

You might try loosening the lacing across the top of the foot (from the bottom of the lacing until just before the eyelets.

Lacing is very individualistic, plus what worked with one pair of boots may not be ideal with another, especially since you just changed brands. Plus some people aren't comfortable with super-tight lacing (I'm one of them... if I pull my laces over the top of my foot super-tight, my foot aches and goes tingling from numbness.)

Some people also believe that the looser lacing can help minimize tendonitis in the big tendon that runs on the top of the ankle (right where "lace bite" can occur.

[dooobedooo]

It may be that your boots are too big, (too wide or too long) and that you are cramping up your feet in order to get stability for taking edges. You could try putting in an insole to take up some space, and see if this makes a difference.

[Mrs Redboots]

For first aid for cramp, the homeopathic remedy cuprum met seems very effective.

Arnica cream massaged into the affected area also helps.

[JDC1]

I bet I laced them too tight. I like my boots REALLY tight but my guess is I overdid it and somehow I think it does have to do with what we did, I've noticed my body freaks out whenever I do one element alot so I think my bodies just adjusting to doing 30 minutes of dance. It feels better today, I've been stretching my foot and then crunching it up and it's helping.

Thanks for your input.

J

[Lili]

I usually have this problem with my arch when I skate too much. Last week I skated the entire week at school and then on regular club ice, and my feet were in pain by the middle of the week. Good luck, and soaking your feet after skating works, trust me!

[Andie]

I usually get soreness and aches in my toes after skating, especially my left big toe. I'm suspecting my boots may be a bit too big, my instructor suggested an insole, but my feet haven't got blisters (Thank God!) so I don't think they're actually too large. The girl at the shop I bought the skates from didn't bother to fit me....

[JDC1]

I used to make fun of my mom and her foot bath but I'm going to buy one. My foot feels a little better but I'm still in pain, I skipped skating last night to give it a rest. I'll skate again Saturday and not lace them as tightly. I can work through pain I just don't want to cause anything worse than I already have.

[skateflo]

Top of your foot you say? Hmmm, too tight laces could be part of the problem especially if the new elements are causing you to bend differently (more deeply than you are used to) thereby putting increased pressure on the top of your foot from the boot. Be sure to check the condition of the tongue of your boot. Is it well padded? Did it slip to one side a bit? You may have a mild case of tendonitis of the tendons that run down the top of your foot or side of your ankle that have branches that cross the top of your foot. You could try a Bunga pad or some wooly stuff for thin layer of extra padding, or make a horseshoe pad so the inside of the horseshoe (the top of the foot) doesn't get the full pressure but it is absorbed by the sides of the horseshoe pad. Don't try to work through any moderate to severe pain - if it is tendonitis, you will only prolong the recovery.

[JDC1]

It does go up from my big toe, up through my foot and into my ankle.
Should I see a podiatrist about this or a regular doctor? It's weird because the pain seems to have come out of nowhere and to be extreme. My foot definitely feels best in my hiking boot and my sneakers, shoes without a top enclosure a tad uncomfortable.

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by JDC1
It does go up from my big toe, up through my foot and into my ankle.
Should I see a podiatrist about this or a regular doctor? It's weird because the pain seems to have come out of nowhere and to be extreme. My foot definitely feels best in my hiking boot and my sneakers, shoes without a top enclosure a tad uncomfortable.
JDC1--
It's been a while since I took anatomy class, but I think the tendon that's irritated on your foot is the called hallux extensor tendon.

I've never been to a podiatrist--my regular doctor refers me to a physical therapist or an orthopedist for sports injuries, so I have no idea which would be better, but it sounds like you should get yourself to some kind of doctor, especially since the pain doesn't sound like just a sore muscle, but actually something wrong (such as overuse or irritation from something to do with your boot versus the natural anatomy of your foot).

Until you get to a doc, I'd avoid soaking the foot in hot water--if anything is inflamed, it will just get more inflamed. Eight- to ten-minute ice massage every few hours may make it feel better.

Good luck! I hope it feels better soon.

[JDC1]

I went on the internet on to a tendonitis page and yep that's exactly what I have. The page recommended ice and advil and if it doesn't get better to see a doctor. It also recommended to do the actitivy in limited amounts, so Sat I'll skate for 20 minutes, ice the foot and see how I feel. It definitely seems to feel a little better each day. Part of the problem is I need my skates punched out more but I've been slow about doing it so I'll see if I can do that on Saturday too. I have had a bad habit of curling up my toes and I when I experimented and did a deep knee kinda squat - OUCH - so I think it maybe that the deeper knee bend I'm getting in dance caused me to curl up my toes which may have been what "pushed me over the edge" because until then I'd had some discomfort but nothing like this pain.

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by JDC1
I went on the internet on to a tendonitis page and yep that's exactly what I have. The page recommended ice and advil and if it doesn't get better to see a doctor. It also recommended to do the actitivy in limited amounts, so Sat I'll skate for 20 minutes, ice the foot and see how I feel. It definitely seems to feel a little better each day.

I hope you're feeling better soon! You may know this already (or the internet page may have said it) but for others who are reading this with similar symptoms, remember to take the advil and do the icing AFTER the activity, NOT before it (so as not to make the pain go away DURING the activity and then overdo it)

[JDC1]

Actually I was planning on taking the advil before so I wouldn't feel as much pain. :-) But you're absolutely right that makes no sense so I'll do it after I skate. If I have to I'll stop skating for awhile but I think limiting the amount and then following directions will help the healing. It really does feel substantially better since I haven't skated on it since Monday.

[Mrs Redboots]

I have a similar problem at the moment, on my left foot - it feels the way it feels when your sock gets wrinkled inside your skates. I suspect it's some kind of tendonitis, so I'm massaging it with arnica, using an ibuprofen gel if and when I need to - but not not skating, because oddly, about the only time it's not sore (and, to be honest, it doesn't really hurt, it's just sore), is when I have my boots on!

[JDC1]

I decided to make an appt. with a sports medicine doctor for this friday, now my right ankle hurts. The ice does help when it starts to hurt.

Thanks for all your input.

[dooobedooo]

While I was having a spring-clean clearout at home yesterday, I found a stack'n'store box in a forgotten corner, packed full of bandages, animal wool, corn plasters etc. I had completely forgotten about it. Then I remembered it dated back to my first pairs of ill-fitting ski and skating boots from several years back. I used to have to bandage my shins in ski boots and would get huge blisters on my shins where they rubbed. In skating boots I got strange knobbly bone growths that I needed to protect with cut-to-measure animal wool, and pieces of sponge.

For the last few years I have had more expensive (advanced intermediate) ski and skating boots (not customs) from manufacturers whose boot last suited my feet, with a good range of fittings, and for which I was properly measured up by an expert fitter. It did take a bit of experimentation to find a manufacturer that suited my foot shape but now I will stick to them as far as possible.

The skating boots were punched out in a couple of places, and I also changed the manufacturer's insoles for Sidas conformable insoles.

And now I just take foot comfort for granted - and had forgotten just how much until I found this box. I must have saved a fortune on chiropodist's felt over the years (let alone the performance benefits!) just by getting better quality well-fitted boots.

[JDC1]

As far as "quality goes" I have Graf Galaxy and they're only one step down from Irina S and Michelle Kwan use so it's not just the quality.

It's really the fit and that's the hard part. I skated around for 20 minutes in these babies and they felt SO GOOD. Then the first time I skated beyond 20 minutes I got foot cramps and have since then. THe problem is one bone (I forget it's name) sticks out on outside of of my foot and it's getting pushed and squished, apparently there's alos a nerve right there which is causing the burning and cramping across my foot, it's quite unpleasant and really painful.

All I can do is try and get the boots punched out MORE and buy some pads and if that doesn't work see if they guy will let me trade them in on some customs, probably Klingbeil.

It's really very frustrating as I have spent lots of money and time on boots and some people can buy a $200.00 pair and skate for 3 years no problem but I have bony, skinny feet and that's just my cross to bare, I have LOTS of problems with shoes fitting right too so I shouldn't be surprised I have boot problems. The first pair of non-sandals that have fit me well were $175.00 pair of German walking shoes.

[dooobedooo]

JDC1 - I have PM'd you with some boot suggestions.

[JDC1]

Thanks!! It's really been frustrating having to deal with constant pain.