Arch pain in new skates (beginner)

[stvrgirl]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new skater. I've had 2 lessons and have skated once in between those lessons. I'm currently learning forward stroking, one foot glides, backward marching and snow plough stops. Before I started my lessons, I went to Everglides to get fitted. I'm 21, female, 5'5 and 78kg. I wanted a boot that would last me longer and with a bit more support because I have a chronic ankle sprain from quad skating. I was fitted in wide Jackson Freestyles. I also got the Sidas Insoles for Medium Arches to help with my over pronation.

In total I have skated around 2 hours total over these three sessions and I struggle to skate more becuase I have excruciating arch pain. I don't know if it's just breaking in new skates or if it's a problem with the skates not fitting me correctly. I tried on Risport Electra Light and those felt nice too. I also tried on Jackson Elle's and they were OK but I had the best heel lock with the Freestyles.

I told my coach about it and she said to skate more to break the skates in and see if they break in. I am wondering if it's the insoles or the skates just not being right for me or if the Risports would've been better. If the pain doesn't stop, I am considering an online consultation with Everglides because I don't think I can go there any time soon.

I am worried though that if I take out the insoles my ankles will rock in, so I'm not quite sure what to do. The thought of going to skate in these is quite off putting because it is really painful for me.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new skater. I've had 2 lessons and have skated once in between those lessons. I'm currently learning forward stroking, one foot glides, backward marching and snow plough stops. Before I started my lessons, I went to Everglides to get fitted. I'm 21, female, 5'5 and 78kg. I wanted a boot that would last me longer and with a bit more support because I have a chronic ankle sprain from quad skating. I was fitted in wide Jackson Freestyles. I also got the Sidas Insoles for Medium Arches to help with my over pronation.

In total I have skated around 2 hours total over these three sessions and I struggle to skate more becuase I have excruciating arch pain. I don't know if it's just breaking in new skates or if it's a problem with the skates not fitting me correctly. I tried on Risport Electra Light and those felt nice too. I also tried on Jackson Elle's and they were OK but I had the best heel lock with the Freestyles.

I told my coach about it and she said to skate more to break the skates in and see if they break in. I am wondering if it's the insoles or the skates just not being right for me or if the Risports would've been better. If the pain doesn't stop, I am considering an online consultation with Everglides because I don't think I can go there any time soon.

I am worried though that if I take out the insoles my ankles will rock in, so I'm not quite sure what to do. The thought of going to skate in these is quite off putting because it is really painful for me.

Hi and welcome! First of all, do you need a wide boot? Secondly, with your height and weight etc you aren't in a stiff enough boot and the others you looked at won't be either. If you have the proper foot shape for a Risport, you need to be looking at RF3 Pro stiffness level.

I would talk to Everglides about this and get the issue fixed, b/c you don't need to suffer in boots.

Good luck!

 

[hope_skate]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new skater. I've had 2 lessons and have skated once in between those lessons. I'm currently learning forward stroking, one foot glides, backward marching and snow plough stops. Before I started my lessons, I went to Everglides to get fitted. I'm 21, female, 5'5 and 78kg. I wanted a boot that would last me longer and with a bit more support because I have a chronic ankle sprain from quad skating. I was fitted in wide Jackson Freestyles. I also got the Sidas Insoles for Medium Arches to help with my over pronation.

In total I have skated around 2 hours total over these three sessions and I struggle to skate more becuase I have excruciating arch pain. I don't know if it's just breaking in new skates or if it's a problem with the skates not fitting me correctly. I tried on Risport Electra Light and those felt nice too. I also tried on Jackson Elle's and they were OK but I had the best heel lock with the Freestyles.

I told my coach about it and she said to skate more to break the skates in and see if they break in. I am wondering if it's the insoles or the skates just not being right for me or if the Risports would've been better. If the pain doesn't stop, I am considering an online consultation with Everglides because I don't think I can go there any time soon.

I am worried though that if I take out the insoles my ankles will rock in, so I'm not quite sure what to do. The thought of going to skate in these is quite off putting because it is really painful for me.

I also pronate (albeit very slightly) and I use the Sidas insoles for medium arches. the insoles fit perfectly on street shoes but it is not enough to prevent me from tilting inward in skates. From what I've been told, in street shoes, the insoles were flat on the ground/shoes, so your feet are firmly planted. however, in skates, the only point of contact is that thin strip of blade in the middle. so, although the insoles may help with pronation, they won't be enough (at least for my case) to compensate. I fixed my issue by going to my skate tech and getting the blades moved. he manually move the blade by very small increments until i'm fully balanced. So, definitely also ask if this is a possibility in your case

 

[stvrgirl]

Hi and welcome! First of all, do you need a wide boot? Secondly, with your height and weight etc you aren't in a stiff enough boot and the others you looked at won't be either. If you have the proper foot shape for a Risport, you need to be looking at RF3 Pro stiffness level.

I would talk to Everglides about this and get the issue fixed, b/c you don't need to suffer in boots.

Good luck!

Hi, thank you for replying. Yes I do need a wide boot. I forgot to mention, I also tried on a Jackson Debut but felt it was too stiff for me and pressed uncomfortably on the top of my foot. I will speak to my coach about it as well and see what she says.
Thank you!

 

[stvrgirl]

I also pronate (albeit very slightly) and I use the Sidas insoles for medium arches. the insoles fit perfectly on street shoes but it is not enough to prevent me from tilting inward in skates. From what I've been told, in street shoes, the insoles were flat on the ground/shoes, so your feet are firmly planted. however, in skates, the only point of contact is that thin strip of blade in the middle. so, although the insoles may help with pronation, they won't be enough (at least for my case) to compensate. I fixed my issue by going to my skate tech and getting the blades moved. he manually move the blade by very small increments until i'm fully balanced. So, definitely also ask if this is a possibility in your case

Thanks for the reply. When I visited Everglides I asked about moving the blades and they told me to try the insoles and if they don't help with pronation to get the blades moved. I don't think I need to get them moved as the insoles work fine for me. I just thought that maybe that was causing pain in my arches. I'm not sure. I'll definitely ask my coach about this next time I see her.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Are you lacing too tightly over the arches? That can cause unbearable pain. You need to lace loosely over the toes and arches, and more tightly around the first hooks. Lacing is a personal thing and different ways work for different people.

Also, you've nothing to lose by taking out the arch support insoles. Try it. You can just put them back in if things are even worse.

 

[stvrgirl]

Are you lacing too tightly over the arches? That can cause unbearable pain. You need to lace loosely over the toes and arches, and more tightly around the first hooks. Lacing is a personal thing and different ways work for different people.

Also, you've nothing to lose by taking out the arch support insoles. Try it. You can just put them back in if things are even worse.

I don't think I am. I lace them tightest around my ankle. My coach had a look at my lacing as well and she said it was fine, just new skates, but I'll give it another go. I'll also try skating without the insoles next time I go.

 

[IceM]

Were the skates heatmolded? If not, that would be the first thing I would ask to get done in the shop. If you're having arch pain, pay attention to pressing the arch area in, as well as moving your toes around to make sure the toe box is wide enough for you.

As far as arch support goes, unless you have pronation issues, you shouldn't need arch support per say, but it shouldn't hurt you either, unless there's some problems with not having enough volume in the boot with the supports (which can put pressure on your arch as well). You can take the arch supports with you and put them in after the skates have been heated, and mold the boot with the supports.

In general, there are many possible causes for arch pain. Not having enough space for the ball can cause arch pain as well. Are there any pressure points (red marks) on your feet when you take the skates off after skating with the pain? Heatmolding could be enough to fix this, but the ball area can be stretched further if needed as well.

Then there's the possibility of lacing too tight, especially near the instep, but this too usually means there's likely something going on with the fit of the boot, as tying a good fitting boot too tight is a very different sensation than the kind of arch pain that I assume you're having, which is mostly due to your foot muscles getting tired, because the boot doesn't fit well (tying boots too tight will hurt even sitting with them on, and I assume they don't).

If you're a new skater, there's also the possibility that the muscles in your feet are simply not used to the activity and need to strengthen a bit, but this alone is unlikely to cause the major issues you're having (even if the problem will likely diminish as you progress). I would still do the heatmolding to make sure the boot fits you as good as it can.

And as far as progression goes, I agree that the boot wont last you long, and you're going to need a stiffer boot soon anyways (if you start jumping), but you can at least learn the basics and solve the fit issues with what you have now.

Good luck!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I don't think I am. I lace them tightest around my ankle. My coach had a look at my lacing as well and she said it was fine, just new skates, but I'll give it another go. I'll also try skating without the insoles next time I go.

Do not lace up to the last (top) hook from the start until they are more broken in.

 

[stvrgirl]

Were the skates heatmolded? If not, that would be the first thing I would ask to get done in the shop. If you're having arch pain, pay attention to pressing the arch area in, as well as moving your toes around to make sure the toe box is wide enough for you.

As far as arch support goes, unless you have pronation issues, you shouldn't need arch support per say, but it shouldn't hurt you either, unless there's some problems with not having enough volume in the boot with the supports (which can put pressure on your arch as well). You can take the arch supports with you and put them in after the skates have been heated, and mold the boot with the supports.

In general, there are many possible causes for arch pain. Not having enough space for the ball can cause arch pain as well. Are there any pressure points (red marks) on your feet when you take the skates off after skating with the pain? Heatmolding could be enough to fix this, but the ball area can be stretched further if needed as well.

Then there's the possibility of lacing too tight, especially near the instep, but this too usually means there's likely something going on with the fit of the boot, as tying a good fitting boot too tight is a very different sensation than the kind of arch pain that I assume you're having, which is mostly due to your foot muscles getting tired, because the boot doesn't fit well (tying boots too tight will hurt even sitting with them on, and I assume they don't).

If you're a new skater, there's also the possibility that the muscles in your feet are simply not used to the activity and need to strengthen a bit, but this alone is unlikely to cause the major issues you're having (even if the problem will likely diminish as you progress). I would still do the heatmolding to make sure the boot fits you as good as it can.

And as far as progression goes, I agree that the boot wont last you long, and you're going to need a stiffer boot soon anyways (if you start jumping), but you can at least learn the basics and solve the fit issues with what you have now.

Good luck!

Hi,
Yes the skates were heat moulded. The toe box is large enough, I have enough room to wiggle my toes and I also do have pronated ankles. I don't have any red marks on my feet when I take off the skates but I did notice that I did have pain in the balls of my feet.

I've skated once for about 2 hours since my original post and have tried lacing them a little looser and it has helped, my heels just don't feel as secure. My right foot was hurting more than my left, probably becuase it is a little wider but after loosening my laces both feet were fine. However I think I need to experiment more with the lacing to find a happy medium where my feet feel secure and aren't in pain. I did have a much better skate and managed to skate for a lot longer than I usually do since I was more comfortable.

It's unfortunate that my skates might not last as long as I'd hoped but I'm happy to upgrade when the time comes. I'm also still unsure if I even want to jump.

Thank you!