Don't believe this. Suspect I have a stress fracture in my foot.

[MCsAngel2]

Uggggggggggggh.

Have suspected it for a few weeks. In my right foot, the 'good' less pronated foot. I know exactly when it happened, too. The last time I went to see my tech (July 8 ), to have my blades sharpened, one blade moved and a wedge added. He said I wasn't pulling my laces tight enough (said my tongue is all broken in but not the rest of the boot) and he laced me up. REALLY, REALLY tight.

After that, I thought he had just aggravated my tendons because I developed (like by the next day) what I thought was lace bite in both feet. Took forever, but the left foot finally feels normal again. And I looked up the symptoms, because the only time I would feel pain/weirdness in the right foot was when I flexed the foot upwards. No pain when I touched it.

Until today. As of an hour ago, I have a bit pain when it points downward and tiny spots of sharp pain if I rub the top of the foot.

Really sounds like a stress fracture. I guess...I have to go see my doctor?? And maybe have an MRI? !@#$(%&*^@@!!@???*

[tstop4me]

Really sounds like a stress fracture. I guess...I have to go see my doctor?? And maybe have an MRI? !@#$(%&*^@@!!@???*

If you're having medical problems, yes you should see a doctor.  The doctor will decide what tests (if any) are needed, make a diagnosis, and prescribe a course of treatment.  Guesses from people on forums could be more deleterious than beneficial.  Good luck, and speedy recovery!

[Bill_S]

If there's a sports doctor or a sports medicine clinic near you, you might try them instead of a general practitioner.

I'm on first name basis with a sports doc in my town, and he has a kid in LTS. He knows the types of injuries associated with skating.

[Query]

How awful!

Given what you describe, I too would choose to go to a medical expert. Even if someone on the board was medically qualified, they'd have to examine you, and do appropriate tests, to guess right.

Skates don't need to be super-super tight - if they fit right. You only need extremely high tension if the boots won't conform to your foot without it. Perhaps your skate tech is completely incompetent, and does more harm than good? Perhaps you would have spent less time and money in the long run if you had splurged up front, and flown out to see one who was really, really good? We hear so, so many cases on this board of people who get messed up one way or another by bad skate techs.

As with skate techs, if f possible, it is worthwhile to ask other skaters in your area what medical experts they've had good experiences with. Doctors and radiologists aren't interchangeable, even if you restrict yourself to ones trained in sports medicine.

Also - a doctor told me that some MRI machines do much better than others. Discuss that with your doctor, and try to make sure you get the test done at one of the good ones, father than just using the closest facility.

If you have a serious injury, you can definitely do harm by continuing to skate on it. I've made mistakes along those lines. Get evaluated first.

[Query]

Skates don't need to be super-super tight - if they fit right. You only need extremely high tension if the boots won't conform to your foot without it.

There is another consideration: If the boot fits perfectly, tightening down a lot doesn't do all that much immediate damage - unless you lose circulation.

E.g. - if the boot makes your foot bend in a place it isn't designed to bend (like a place other than the ball of your foot), or makes your foot bend too much, it will do harm.

So: The worse the fit, the more you need to tighten down. And the worse the fit, the more damage to your feet (and the feet too) tightening down does.

So let me clarify what I was suggesting: You probably shouldn't skate again until you heal. You should see a competent medical professional to find out if you need help to heal, and make sure they use the best available equipment, be it MRI or a really fancy X-Ray machine. Once you heal, you may still need to find a skate tech. If I were you, I would never use that particular skate tech again, because he is messing up both you and your skates, and, if he is that bad, maybe your blades too. I would bite the bullet, and pay to fly somewhere there was a really, really good one - maybe even at the factory where the boots were made.

And, I would learn to do everything myself that I could, in terms of modifying boots, and sharpening my own blades, so I wouldn't need a skate tech very often again.

That is more or less the route I took after getting hurt in misfit boots (though there were other factors), and after bad skate techs kept messing me up.

The last step, learning to do stuff myself, was a very long road for me, and is still somewhat incomplete, because I didn't have the kind of mechanical and/or engineering background to do this kind of stuff. But it was worth it. I know not everyone has the self-confidence to do stuff themselves. But in the end, it may be worth it. And if you aren't willing or able to do that - a really good skate tech is even more essential.

E.g., there are a fair number of skaters who actually mail their boots back and forth to a skate tech they really trust for sharpening. If they are in a  hurry, they use overnight mail, or the closest available equivalent. Some of the really serious ones buy two pairs of skates and blades, so they can keep skating while one pair gets sharpened, or otherwise worked on.

Some of this is pretty extreme, and expensive, so you need to decide how far you are willing and able to go.

But it sounds like the way you have been going - trying to make do with boots that you have so far been unable to make fit, and using a less than stellar skate tech - is just causing you aggravation and harm. Something should change. If not, skating may never be a source of joy to you again.

[MCsAngel2]

But it sounds like the way you have been going - trying to make do with boots that you have so far been unable to make fit, and using a less than stellar skate tech - is just causing you aggravation and harm. Something should change. If not, skating may never be a source of joy to you again.

To be clear, IMO, my skates *do* fit properly. That is, they are the right size and width. It's true I have flat feet and pronate and the Jackson sole was not helping; and it's true I was finding the boots really uncomfortable especially the first two months. As of today, four months in, I have 30 hours on the skates. I did read it's common to find new boots uncomfortable for awhile.

Now that I've identified that flat feet are often problematic and painful, I've got the correct black superfeet insoles (after first trying yellow superfeet). I suppose my tech should have looked at my bare feet and arches the day he measured me and told me what to expect. (if I were a tech, I would do this). I don't know how commonly that is done. Based on the million threads I've read since I came back, it doesn't seem to be and most skaters seem to be on their own for diagnosing issues. I'm doing my thing with homemade wedges and I seem to be well on my way to fixing my pronation. I would imagine he doesn't get a lot of older adult beginners, but he is the one who educated me on how to correlate the stiffness rating to weight rather than strictly skill level.

He did measure the heck out of my feet and strongly recommended Jackson. Given I had no choice but to get a semi custom boot (remember, as a brand new/returning skater, this is a bit of a gamble) and that my feet are a EE width, Jackson was probably the best bet since I wasn't buying a full custom. It's true I have sponges behind my right heel to keep my heel in place, but my right foot is smaller than my left and my boots are a matching pair. Again my impression is if you aren't buying full custom, having to find a fix is pretty usual.

It's true when the blades were first mounted, he saw my left foot pronated and he moved the left blade inside, and did not give me any wedges. I don't know enough about the technicalities of exactly how one moves a blade, how much front/back, etc, but no, it didn't work for me, it didn't feel right. I had him move it back to center and that's why I'm doing the wedges (which is actually how I prefer to fix this if I can).

About the only thing that frustrates me with with my tech is that he's opinionated about which ROH is appropriate for beginners (7/16") and he tried to convince me (both times I've had sharpenings) a bit to do that. But he doesn't push it and he gives me my 1/2". (I know another adult skater who has the exact same problem with him). He did also tell me that my ever so slightly curved right blade (I used a ruler to see it isn't straight) that makes a wsshhhh scraping sound is not problematic, but it is and the next time I go I up I will insist he remount it and try to straighten it out. It's possible that such things usually aren't issues for smaller lighter skaters, and it's possible that I just happen to have extremely sensitive feet/skating needs.

My issue with not being able to get on one foot, at this point, I am thinking it's me and something physical and not something to do with my skates. It's entirely possible, I have like no core strength. I'm working on it.

That I know of, my metro area has six rinks. A few of them have pro shops attached, but everyone I've asked (coaches, etc) goes to this guy. He's been doing it 25+ years and seems to be one of the major preferred dealers (of all the brands) in the southwest. He's also a full service roller skating and derby tech, though every customer I've ever seen in there has been for ice skates. He is 500% better than the 'customer service' I had when I went to one of the pro shops when I first decided to get new skates, when some 18 year old kid only measured my foot for length and was puzzled as to why the 6.5 M (half size too big by the way) didn't fit. That seems to be what an awful lot of people get in their area.

It's not that I feel the need to defend my tech, it's just I wonder do you really think my fit and issues are surprising given I'm an older skater and this is the first try at new skates? He really strikes me as experienced.

I have my eye on getting full customs (and I mean flying to the factory to get measured in person), at some point....some time next year, I hope, if I can resolve my core strength issues and begin progressing. But I spent $520 on these. Stock sizes won't fit me, I can't try something cheaper. It would be foolish to drop another $1000 until I know exactly what all needs to be different and until I know I *can* progress.

[MCsAngel2]

Dup, sorry.

[Query]

OK, I'm not an expert. My feelings on these matters is only based on my own bad experiences, and talking to others who have had problems.

From what I have seen, the best skate fitters do look at things like flat feet, pronation, etc., and mark measurements relating to them on the fitting forms. It's pretty common to also do a foot impression on foam, that helps tell the manufacturer what footbed shapes and orientations are needed to make the boot work right. I don't know how common that is on semi-custom fits.

But even if you order full custom boots, having to do minor fixes, is pretty normal.

Doing those fixes is part of the job, as I view it, of a skate tech. He/she should do whatever is needed so that wearing and using the skates creates no pain, no sores, etc. IMO, he/she should not cause an injury to his/her customers, as you think yours did. (That said, strength, endurance and flexibility training all create various types of dull pain, sometimes delayed pain - but that pain different in character from the type of pain that indicates that harm is being done.) A day or two should be all that he/she should need at most, if he/she knows his/her business. If he/she can't do that, I think he/she should refer you to a medical professional who can, and who has a lot of experience working with skaters. But obviously you disagree, and are more forgiving of your tech.

In fact, not all skaters in my area with such problems learned to do things themselves, though it is astonishing how many do, and how many coaches get fairly good at it too. But a lot of the skaters in my area ended up going to a particular podiatrist who developed a good reputation for dealing with skaters.

I think you shouldn't need unbalanced muscle use to stand on one foot. If the skates are done right, you should be able to glide on one foot with normal symmetric muscle use.

If you do feel that you need to strengthen your core strength to balance on one foot better, you might try a variety of exercises. A PT could show you a bunch of such exercises, and could also help you figure out what issues you might have to work on. Your coach, if you have a private coach, may be able to do this too.

The most obvious exercise is to stand on one foot for a while, off-ice. Tighten your core muscles to create balance - e.g., in the abdomen and lower back, and if needed, your lower oblique muscles.  Then do it slowly moving the free foot around to various positions. (E.g., the performance dance community likes to move the leg between front/side/back/side positions, at various heights.) That strengthens different groups of muscles, as the leg moves around.

You can graduate to a balance board, like this cheap one:

  https://www.fivebelow.com/series-8-fitness-trade-workout-balance-board.html

or a more expensive "half bosu" ball, with or without resistance bands which might help you balance:

  https://www.amazon.com/URBNFit-Balance-Trainer-Stability-Resistance/dp/B06XZYX5QD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2IC0OKGYJ4402&keywords=bosu+ball+balance+trainer&qid=1568039258&s=gateway&sprefix=bosu%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRlBPV0JFM0dTN1g3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDYzNzI1MTFXQ0RYUklZVDc5TCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDEyMTk2MVJKSjZGTjBCQUdNWSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Many gyms, BTW, have something that looks like the second one, though usually without the resistance bands, that customers can use.

I use it with the rounded side down, put one foot on top, and try to stay balanced. I also make sure I am close to something I can hold onto, so I don't fall off. Then I try slowly moving my free foot around. I'm sure your coach could suggest better training exercises. Some people do it on two feet, and do deep knee bends, trying to stabilize their orientation as much as they can.

The cheap one I mentioned doesn't let you go off balance as far, so you are less likely to fall off. I prefer it. Though it might not be strong enough for a heavy person.

There are a whole bunch of Yoga exercises that focus on balance and core strength too. E.g., "Tree pose". The exercises are all easier to learn off-ice, rather than while gliding on-ice. They are nearly impossible balanced on a skate while standing still, so don't worry if you can't do that.

But you can always come to your own conclusions and solutions.

[MCsAngel2]

There is actually another reason that might be why I can't get on one foot. It's possible that my fine balance was impaired when I had a stroke seven years ago (I was 40). It was a mild/moderate stroke, and the main after effect I was left with was a speech impairment (that resolved within a few months). The testing I had in the hospital didn't show any muscle damage, and I was cleared to drive right away, but a later visit to a neurologist said there was a very minor change to my gait. I also noticed a very minor change to my reflexes. Not sure if that's gone back to normal since.

My balance on one foot (at home) isn't great. I've already got a balance board and I'm nowhere near being able to get on one foot on it. For now I prefer to believe that this is something I can work on (in addition to building up core muscles).

[Loops]

You have had more than your fair share of obstacles in returning to skating!  I do hope you stick with it.

That's crazy that you had a stroke at 40- so glad for you that your body has healed.  Here, I have a friend who had I forget what exactly, but a pretty bad illness when she was a baby (akin to polio if it wasn't that).  She's fine, except that it ravaged her knees- at 40ish she has the knees of a 70-80 year old.  She skated to support her constant physical therapy, and her Dr was very happy to allow her to do so- according to her he was constantly commenting on the world of good skating was doing for her leg strength.

So, even though you're not in her situation, if you do have some residual damage, maybe you'll have an experience like she did and skating will do great things for you!

Good luck!!!

[dlbritton]

I had an ache in my left foot when I skated and went to a sports medicine doctor I see. He used an ultrasound machine and was able to show me a stress fracture on my foot. He told me to stay off skates for several weeks and to get insoles with metatarsal supports for my street shoes. I took in my Riedell foot beds and he installed the metatarsal supports where he felt I needed them. He also put me on high dose (50,000 unit) D2 capsules for 2 months. My foot issue cleared up and has not returned.

[Query]

I'm glad you didn't give up after having the stroke. The fact that you are playing with a balance board, and are trying to skate, shows that you are working at not letting it end the fun in your life.

Life can be so unfair! Some people seem to do athletic (and other things) so naturally. They have the right bodies and minds for it, they started early and kept at it, they had the family support and funding, and so on.

But sometimes I think it is good to do things, like athletics, that are hard for me, even though I know it is extremely unlikely for me to become a world class athlete, or even as good as some of the little kids I see.

I suppose it is quite possible that you too will not become a world class ice skater.

But, like others said, the exercise and fine motor control training it gives you may still be worth while, despite age and disabilities. And it can still be fun.

Even the mental exercise of figuring out how to make skates work for you can be fun, if you don't let it frustrate you too much. Once you do figure it out, it is something you can share with other people.

Also, if you injure yourself doing low level figure skating in the middle of a supervised ice rink, the damage it does to you, and the consequences, will hopefully be less severe than the injuries you might receive doing many other sports, like extreme alpine skiing, rock climbing, high class whitewater boating, skydiving, or racing cars.

So, I hope you keep it up, and enjoy doing what you can.

P.S. I probably should not have mentioned balance exercises while your foot is still injured. Maybe that should wait! Ask a doctor or PT.

[MCsAngel2]

Yeah, not doing the balance board for now, but continuing on with other exercises (except those that have me on one foot).

I was pretty lucky that, if I was going to have a stroke, I was as young as I was. The younger you are, the faster and more complete your recovery. I appear 100% to others, I only have one single cognitive processing issue that's never completely gone back to normal. No outward physical impairments (except maybe this one foot glide thing?)

"less severe than the injuries you might receive doing many other sports, like extreme alpine skiing, rock climbing, high class whitewater boating, skydiving, or racing cars. "

Yeah....those things are definitely not my speed.....lol

I'm just stubborn. I always heard that adult skaters who skated when they were young then came back to it had an advantage when picking up the old skills. I'm determined to make that true for me!