Hello,
I posted a few months ago about several issues I was experiencing with my skates and my feet. At that time I was told to go to Rainbo and skip the skates (Freestyles) that were ordered in for me at another shop. Unfortunately, I felt obligated to take them and had limited money. As expected, these skates have caused me more issues. I am hoping for some advice about some skates that may be better for my feet. I have been told, here, that the techs at Rainbo are knowledgeable and I will take their advice. I have an appointment to get fitted there this upcoming Saturday. However, I would like to have some sort of idea on what may be good for me so I am better prepared. I am also seeing a podiatrist Oct. 2 (in addition to treatment over the years for some of the feet issues). I am not sure whether I should postpone the fitting until I see the podiatrist, or order skates and bring them to the podiatrist later if I end up needing custom orthotics. I do not think the podiatrist is a sports specialist.
I am also going to PT to improve leg, knee, and ankle strength. I have a coach now, but he suggested that I go to a soft boot because my feet are too sore and swollen to do the skills I used to be able to do with other skates (crossovers, spiral, some spins, etc) due to escalating pain. I do not think this "soft boot" is good advice in light of my situation and stature. But maybe I am wrong on that.
I am hoping it is okay to proceed with the fitting on Saturday before I see the podiatrist? If so, here is my info:
Stats: I am an adult, 5'7" and 150lbs. The shape of my feet are greek and I never wear high heels because they are too painful for the ball of my feet. I have broken down arches and have rolled my right ankle many times. I have a bad pronation problem. I have a size 9 street shoe and my skates are an 8.
Things I hate about the Freestyles: 1) overly aggressive padding where my achilles attaches to my heel makes getting a decent ankle lock near impossible. I also seem to lose the lock when I walk to the rink. 2) When skating forward, I feel like I am on the rocker and am very unstable due to seesawing action. My coach thinks this too high of a heel for me and I agree. I would really like a lower cut boot but it may be just this heel height issue. 3) There is way too much room on top of my toe box. The front halves of my feet completely lift when doing a dip so I am on my heels. 4) My skates feel too narrow on the ball of my feet and I get numbness, tingling, burning, and swelling in the front half of my feet. 5) The skates feel too big, despite being told by two different fitters that I am this size in Jacksons. 6) The blades feel huge.
I have tried multiple inserts and DIY wedge and insert combos and nothing has helped for more than 20 minutes.
After researching skates, I thought that Riedell or Risport might be decent options. Ideally, I can find something somewhat reasonable for my feet while I build up more strength, but there does not seem to be a lot of mid-level skate options. Thank you for any help.
I posted a few months ago about several issues I was experiencing with my skates and my feet. At that time I was told to go to Rainbo and skip the skates (Freestyles) that were ordered in for me at another shop. Unfortunately, I felt obligated to take them and had limited money. As expected, these skates have caused me more issues. I am hoping for some advice about some skates that may be better for my feet. I have been told, here, that the techs at Rainbo are knowledgeable and I will take their advice. I have an appointment to get fitted there this upcoming Saturday. However, I would like to have some sort of idea on what may be good for me so I am better prepared. I am also seeing a podiatrist Oct. 2 (in addition to treatment over the years for some of the feet issues). I am not sure whether I should postpone the fitting until I see the podiatrist, or order skates and bring them to the podiatrist later if I end up needing custom orthotics. I do not think the podiatrist is a sports specialist.
I am also going to PT to improve leg, knee, and ankle strength. I have a coach now, but he suggested that I go to a soft boot because my feet are too sore and swollen to do the skills I used to be able to do with other skates (crossovers, spiral, some spins, etc) due to escalating pain. I do not think this "soft boot" is good advice in light of my situation and stature. But maybe I am wrong on that.
I am hoping it is okay to proceed with the fitting on Saturday before I see the podiatrist? If so, here is my info:
Stats: I am an adult, 5'7" and 150lbs. The shape of my feet are greek and I never wear high heels because they are too painful for the ball of my feet. I have broken down arches and have rolled my right ankle many times. I have a bad pronation problem. I have a size 9 street shoe and my skates are an 8.
Things I hate about the Freestyles: 1) overly aggressive padding where my achilles attaches to my heel makes getting a decent ankle lock near impossible. I also seem to lose the lock when I walk to the rink. 2) When skating forward, I feel like I am on the rocker and am very unstable due to seesawing action. My coach thinks this too high of a heel for me and I agree. I would really like a lower cut boot but it may be just this heel height issue. 3) There is way too much room on top of my toe box. The front halves of my feet completely lift when doing a dip so I am on my heels. 4) My skates feel too narrow on the ball of my feet and I get numbness, tingling, burning, and swelling in the front half of my feet. 5) The skates feel too big, despite being told by two different fitters that I am this size in Jacksons. 6) The blades feel huge.
I have tried multiple inserts and DIY wedge and insert combos and nothing has helped for more than 20 minutes.
After researching skates, I thought that Riedell or Risport might be decent options. Ideally, I can find something somewhat reasonable for my feet while I build up more strength, but there does not seem to be a lot of mid-level skate options. Thank you for any help.
