When I get on the ice (I skate about twice a week), after about five minutes of just plain stroking, my arches start to really hurt, and I mean REALLY. It feels like muscle pain or something. It goes away after about ten minutes or so, but that isn't very convienient when I have a lesson at the beginning of patch. Is that normal? I'm on Skate UK level 10, almost finished, and beginning Passport (Waltz jump, spirals). I've also got Belatis, my first pair of skates...not sure what blades if that's any help. Is there anything I can do to avoid it, or any stretches I can do to lessen it?

Did the pain start at about the same time you tried to break in your new skates? If so, then the arches of the boot might be too high for your foot or in the wrong place. Maybe an insert/corrective could help with the placement of your foot inside the skate or a different brand of skate. Another reason is that your feet are not used to the skates (My feet started going flat during the summer when I wore flip-flops and didn't skate for a while. After a session on the ice, my foot corrected itself). Do your normal shoes not have enough arch support? Just some ideas.

No, I've had my skates for about a year...and I wear trainers most of the time so I doubt it's that...thanks anyway though.

I had the same problem with my running shoes. I had them for about 3 months ran all the time never a problem and then all of a sudden i was having lots of issues and my arhces started to hurt even after i took the shoes off. I talked to a sales lady at lady foot locker who sold me on new inserts. And they have never hurt again! :-)

Hopefully you can have a simple fix like that

I have always had this problem. Like you, it starts early in the session but goes away after about 10 minutes. Not sure if it's because I am a bit tense to start with, or what, but it does go away once I stop doing figures work.

One thing that helped me was to make sure I didn't try to tighten my boots too much to start with. I skate around, do a few edges and warm ups, then tighten up for spins & jumps.

Hope you find what works for you, I feel your pain !

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

I had the same problem with my Gam boots, except the problem didn't go away after ten minutes. I know exactly what you mean about them REALLY hurting - made it almost impossible to have a lesson because all you can think about is how much your feet hurt.

Anyway, I achieved some relief once I got some Superfeet inserts for the boots (unfortunately that wasn't my only problem with the boots) - I just had the ordinary blue ones, but apparently the grey ones are intended for skating boots. More info here - you can search for a nearby dealer using the search box at the top right of the page.

I had this problem for years - until I strengthened the muscles in my feet. You need to warm up your feet before putting your skates on. When you do put the skates on, lace them more loosely over the arch, and more tightly around the ankle. And do exercizes to strengthen your feet off ice. SuperFeet inserts are awesome. I swear by mine.

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3turn
The Great Skate Experiment

I agree with everyone who suggests not tying so tight across the instep/arch. Two other tips are to warm up more slowly (stroking and field moves before jumps or spins) and also to warm your skates before skating so they won't be as stiff around the foot. I put mine on my heated passenger seat in my car, but you can also put your skates on the floor of your car in front of the floor vents and turn the heat on them.

BTW, I have noticed that in my new boots--which are half a width wider in the ball than my old pair--my arches stopped aching after the first two weeks. In my old boots, my feet continued to ache for at least the first year whenever I warmed up too fast or whenever the boots were cold. So you may also get your feet re-measured to see if it would be advisable to get a wider width next time.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I might need new boots then..joy

Thanks everyone, I'll try the not lacing so tightly, and if that doesn't work, investigate some insole things.