And the good news is that I caught the problem early. The bad news is that, as I feared, the bones in my left foot are out of alignment. Some of it is congenital, including a fusion of two bones (not too unusual). If I had let it go, I would develop tendonitis and have pain all the time instead of just from the pressure of my foot against the inside of the boot.

I need to have orthotics made for both my street shoes, and my skating boots. The podiatrist explained that the orthotics for my skates would be different from those for my shoes, because the standard shoe orthotics take into account the normal gait from heel to toe, whereas that is not how skating is done. I have to call Klingbeil first and ask them what kind of experience they have with this. My podiatrist is going to speak with her orthotics manufacturer about it also.

Do any of you Klingbeil wearers know about orthotics in your boots?

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Glad to hear your update. When I read your post, I thought right, normal walking is a heel toe mechaism, while skating you are already positioned in the boot that has a heel and movement is much more subtle. I have never heard of a different orthotic for inside a skating boot (other than having to be very narrow to fit inside the boot. Could you explain a little more??

Talk to Mr. Klingbeil. I know that he made the boots Elaine Zayak wore (I think she still wears Klingbeils.) Elaine's skates were very custom - she's missing toes. (I think she was born that way.)

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I thought I heard she lost them as a result of some kind of accident as a young child- something about a lawnmower maybe? I don't remember where I read that, so I could be thinking of someone else.

I dono't wear Klingbeils, but I've heard good things about them from people needing all kinds of accomodations. I bet they can do what you need.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

The doctor said that orthotics for correcting pronation have something called "posts" in the heel portion that helps push the foot outward when you step onto the heel. She felt it would not work the same way in skates.

I did call Klingbeils on Sat morning. Lorraine spoke briefly to one of the Mr. K's and very politely explained that they were terribly busy that morning (I can believe that, having been there on a Sat myself), and that she would pull my file so they could look at it later, and I should call back on Tuesday. My orthotic appointment isn't until the 29th, so I do have time. I also still don't know if my insurance company will pay for one pair, much less two!

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Yup, they were definitely very busy, I was there being measured for my first pair of customs. Hope these boots turn out to be as wonderful for MY feet as everyone has been telling me theirs are!

Not to worry, if Bill & Don cannot make you entirely happy with your new boots, they will refund your money. It does not happen often!

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I brought my skates in today for Don Klingbeil to work on. He told me yesterday that he will need to keep them for a day. I'm picking them up Friday before noon and going right to the rink. Wish me luck!

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Got my skates back this morning, and they are a whole lot better, but I may still need a tad more of something for the left one. Sadly, they replaced my laces, which were perfectly fine, but a little dirty. I say sadly because I use cotton, and they were out of them and put in nylon. Guess I'll suffer with them till I get the time to switch them.

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