Weight distribution issues: fix the blade, shim, or insoles?

[skategeek]

So my right foot tends to turn in slightly; I've had one coach tell me I just need to build ankle strength, but I think there's more going on.  Today I noticed that if I stand on my skates and make sure to keep them both upright (instead of letting the right skate turn in), at the front of the right foot nearly all of my weight is on the ball of the foot right behind my big toe, rather than being evenly distributed across the width of the ball the way it is on the left.  I'm wondering whether something needs to be done about this.  I have a feeling this is part of what's affecting my (nearly nonexistent) backwards right one-foot glides and my outside edges, among other things.  It's probably also contributing to the Morton's neuroma that flares up occasionally on that foot.

I can think of three potential solutions:  shift the blade (difficult… Jackson Classiques with PVC soles), shim under the blade, or modify the insoles.  The first two would have to be done by a tech, obviously; I'm not up to the task.  But I can play with my insoles… I've already done that.  Because my skates are a bit too big, right now I have three layers- 2 cheap CVS foam insoles under yellow Superfeet.  So there's plenty of material to play with. 

Does this sound like a problem that could potentially be solved by modifying insoles?  Or should I just head to the shop?

[Query]

Well, Mayo Clinic says the Neuroma may sometimes be reduced by switching to lower heel shoes - in this case, skates. Expensive. Sigh.

Have you heat molded your Superfeet, in your boots with your feet on top, in the same configuration that you use them? If not, you've defeated the whole purpose of using Superfeet. If they were properly heat molded, pressure would be equalized, within limits.

(BTW, I assume the Superfeet aren't too wide - i.e., that the sides of the boot don't scrunch them up, right?. And they were the Superfeet designed for skates, not shoes - right?)

If that doesn't equalize pressure (e.g., most of the time you really shouldn't just have pressure on the ball of your foot), we can discuss tape and foam.

It is good that you have space inside to work with - but that much space is overkill. How did that happen?

[skategeek]

Well, Mayo Clinic says the Neuroma may sometimes be reduced by switching to lower heel shoes - in this case, skates. Expensive. Sigh.

Have you heat molded your Superfeet, in your boots with your feet on top, in the same configuration that you use them? If not, you've defeated the whole purpose of using Superfeet. If they were properly heat molded, pressure would be equalized, within limits.

(BTW, I assume the Superfeet aren't too wide - i.e., that the sides of the boot don't scrunch them up, right?. And they were the Superfeet designed for skates, not shoes - right?)

If that doesn't equalize pressure (e.g., most of the time you really shouldn't just have pressure on the ball of your foot), we can discuss tape and foam.

It is good that you have space inside to work with - but that much space is overkill. How did that happen?

Luckily the neuroma isn't that bad; it only shows up occasionally, and it's just a "funny feeling," not pain.  But I'd like to make sure it doesn't worsen.  So far, if it starts up I can fix it by wearing a silicone spacer between my 2nd and 3rd toes for a while to ease the pressure on the nerve.

I trimmed the Superfeet (and cvs insoles) to fit the skate, and they seem to be a pretty good fit.  They're the yellow ones for skating.  I didn't know they could be heat molded, though, and I'll check into that.

These are my first skates; I bought them from the local pro (=hockey) shop about 2.5 years ago.  I did my research ahead of time and knew what level of skate to get, and that they needed to be snug, but didn't understand yet just how snug that meant.  And the shop didn't have anyone with real figure skate experience.  So they're about a half size too big, and without the insoles my heel is loose. 

I suspect that given all of this the long-term solution is new skates, but these have a lot of life left and if I can do something simple to make them better I'd rather do that.

[sarahspins]

Honestly, in your position I would move on to new skates - you're going to be fighting a losing battle with this no matter what you do because you have skates that don't fit as well as they could, and your options as far as moving the blade on a PVC sole are going to be limited.  I would suspect based on what you've described that they are more than "just" a half size too bit - it sounds like the width may be too much as well, if they aren't as much as a full size too large.

Yellow superfeet alone probably isn't enough to correct anything more than the most minor cases of pronation.  I am not aware that they can be heat molded either - some other brands of insoles can be, but that is new to me if you can heat mold stock superfeet.

[skategeek]

Honestly, in your position I would move on to new skates - you're going to be fighting a losing battle with this no matter what you do because you have skates that don't fit as well as they could, and your options as far as moving the blade on a PVC sole are going to be limited.  I would suspect based on what you've described that they are more than "just" a half size too bit - it sounds like the width may be too much as well, if they aren't as much as a full size too large.

Yellow superfeet alone probably isn't enough to correct anything more than the most minor cases of pronation.  I am not aware that they can be heat molded either - some other brands of insoles can be, but that is new to me if you can heat mold stock superfeet.

Last time I got them sharpened (at the figure skating pro shop I go to now, not the hockey shop where I got them!), so long as I was there I measured my feet on the Jackson gizmo, and came up a 7.5B.  The skates are 8C.  So you're probably right.  Sigh.  I may still play with the insoles, since even if I get new skates that may take a while.  I reread AgnesNitt's blog posts on the subject last night, so I have some ideas now.

[cbskater]

My skates are a bit too big, too. Shortly after I got them I changed the insole to improve the fit. I've been skating on them for 3 1/2 years. Lately they have been bugging me more, my ankle slipping in the right boot & having to hockey tape the right skate to get it stable enough. After talking to my coach, I decided to go see a professional skate fitter. OMG! I learned so much about how skates are supposed to fit! My skates are both too long & too wide & my feet are 2 different sizes. He said that my current skates are in good shape, not broken down at all, they are just too big. He spent over an hour with me. He took measurements, tracings & photos of my feet to use in ordering new ones. He didn't have a pair in stock in my size, but I tried on a pair that was a little too small. Other than my toes being squished against the front of the boot they felt good, more support even though the boots weren't any stiffer than my current ones. I am waiting to hear back from him after he hears back from Riedell as to what they can do for me. Hopefully I'll have some new properly fitting skates soon. 

[Query]

It is possible it is only that skate-version Superfeet that can be heat molded. Anyway, you can do a web search on heat molding Superfeet, if no directions came with them.

I eventually switched to tape and/or foam instead of Superfeet and other heat-moldable insoles, because it gives me more direct control over fit.

I like the idea of getting large enough boots to have room to make mods inside - provided you intend to do so. But you've taken the extra space thing a lot further than I would. Why?

I'll message you some stuff on insole modification. Maybe it will help.

[skategeek]

My skates are a bit too big, too. Shortly after I got them I changed the insole to improve the fit. I've been skating on them for 3 1/2 years. Lately they have been bugging me more, my ankle slipping in the right boot & having to hockey tape the right skate to get it stable enough. After talking to my coach, I decided to go see a professional skate fitter. OMG! I learned so much about how skates are supposed to fit! My skates are both too long & too wide & my feet are 2 different sizes. He said that my current skates are in good shape, not broken down at all, they are just too big. He spent over an hour with me. He took measurements, tracings & photos of my feet to use in ordering new ones. He didn't have a pair in stock in my size, but I tried on a pair that was a little too small. Other than my toes being squished against the front of the boot they felt good, more support even though the boots weren't any stiffer than my current ones. I am waiting to hear back from him after he hears back from Riedell as to what they can do for me. Hopefully I'll have some new properly fitting skates soon. 

Yay!  Good luck with it.  Looks like I may be heading down that road myself soon.  Which Riedells are you getting?

[icedancer]

I was thinking that if you have two CVS insoles PLUS Superfeet your skates are just plain too big.  You can fiddle and fiddle and fiddle and fiddle and they will never be right.

Get some well-fitting skates!!

[cbskater]

Yay!  Good luck with it.  Looks like I may be heading down that road myself soon.  Which Riedells are you getting?

I don't know what model I'm getting yet. The fitter was supposed to talk to Riedell & then get back with me. I'll let you know when I find out.

[skategeek]

Got bored this afternoon (OK, it's the last day of break and I'm avoiding the huge pile of work I need to do asap) and measured my feet and checked against the Kinzie's Closet size charts.  According to that, I should be in a Jackson 7B.  (Maybe 7C? My feet are the same length but slightly different widths.  Maybe 7.5B if I want my toes to have a little more wiggle room.)  I'm wearing 8Cs.  Yep, skate shopping time.

[rd350]

Find a good fitter @skategeek it's worth it.

[skategeek]

That's the plan!  The guy I go to for sharpening now seems to be pretty good, but I know you were also really happy with Jim at the Ice house, which is about 40 min from me.  I'm also going to ask folks at the rink for recommendations.

[cbskater]

Yay!  Good luck with it.  Looks like I may be heading down that road myself soon.  Which Riedells are you getting?

I finally got my new skates today. I'll be skating on them for the first time tomorrow. They're Riedell model 255 which is the same as I had before, but they're 1/2 size smaller. The width is different too. They're a B/AA on the left skate & a C/AA on the right. They also have extra padding in the ankle area to help with keeping my heel in place. I got Coronation Ace blades. The last pair just had the cheap blades that come with them. With the bigger toe picks, I expect to be going down a few times until I get used to them.

Have you went skate shopping yourself yet?

[skategeek]

not yet… haven't found the time.  Soon, I hope.  Might not be until the school year ends, though, at this rate.