in the last few weeks i have suddenly started getting blisters/sore spots from my skate and was wondering if anyone might be able to point to a possible cause

the blisters are on my toes, the outsides of my big and little toes on my right foot.

my skates are risports RF4s which i've had for about a year now, they have always been very comfy and never gave my any problems when i was breaking them in. i am to old for my feet to be growing so thats not a cause, they don't seem particularly broken down to me, i don't have much experience of judging this.

i had them punched out in the toe area when i brought them, could it be that the leather has 'shrunk back' and they just need punching out again

thanks guys

The most obvious cause I can think of is foot wear. Are you wearing the same type of socks or tights, or something different?

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Did you leave the skates in a warm area, like the trunk of your car? That could have undone the punchout.

There could be something inside the skate that you didn't notice. Maybe a bandage that came loose or some glue?

I second SkatingonClouds' suggestion that your socks/tights (specifically, the toe seams) may be a cause. Have you gained or lost weight recently?

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Speaking of punchouts ... does one leave the skates at a shop overnight? Or is it something done while you wait?

Depends on how busy the shop is that day.

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thanks for the suggestions i did change from wearing socks to v. thin tight socks about a month ago but have found that they bunch up in my boots after a while, today i went back to skating in thin socks anf was much nicer

i have checked my skates and there are no random objects hiding in there but my skates have spent alot of time in my car recently because i have been travelling to uni and back (300 miles) alot for various reasons.

i will see how a go with regular socks again and then decide if this was the problem or if i need to get them punched out again

thanks for the help xx

It might be your socks. I had a similar problem in walking boots when I started wearing a so-called "technical" walking sock, with a high synthetic content (polyester). Since then I have stuck to natural fibres - wool for walking boots, and cotton for gym - and been OK.

Actually, it is a sign that you are skating better--improving--bending into the ankle more and down in the knee more, so that you are creating new pressure points inside of your boots. Not that this makes your toes feel any better--I'm ready to have my pinky toe amputated at this point! I have a corn on my right pinky toe that makes an appearance once a year. I do the Dr. Scholls thing, but it invariably returns I'm tempted to just cut the toe off and be done with it, but something tells me I might need that toe

Actually, it sounded to me like there was suddenly the tiniest bit more room in your boot (I was thinking maybe the padding had compressed just a bit), but this confirms my idea--your boot molded itself to the size of your foot+sock, and once you took away the thickness of the sock, you ended up with just a hair more room for the toes to move around in, thus, blisters. (Which come from rubbing, not just pressure.) If the original socks work for you, stick with them. (Or, if youre skates are heat-moldable, you could try re-molding them wearing the thinner socks.)

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I have the same problem -- the bloody right pinky corn that I had also when I was a kid skater!! Got so bad one year I took a scalpel and just cored the whole thing out (don't try this at home -- well, I did...) -- worked great.

Who needs a podiatrist when you can just do the amputation yourself???

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I tried to do it myself, but it became really infected, and I couldn't even put my boots on after that. This is when I switched to the Dr. Scholls technique, which I seem to have to do, at least, once a year. The Podiatrist just wants to cut my toe off.