swollen feet and pain

[1210]

I'm typing this from my phone so sorry for spelling errors. I also hope I post this in the right place..

especially lately, I've notice my feet hurting quite a bit during and after skating. about 30 minutes into skating, my feet start to ache pretty bad and I usually push through and after awhile it just because slightly numbing. but lately I've also noticed that when I take my skates off after practice, my feet are espeially swollen and throbbing.

is this normal? how can I prevent foot pain while skating? thanks!

[davincisop]

Your skates may be the wrong size. Your feet shouldn't be hurting that soon into skating. I'd suggest getting refitted. My feet are super wide and when I'd skate in my old skates they'd get numb and go white, hasn't happened in my new skates yet though.

[emilayy]

where are they hurting? if it's all over, then they might be too small. but if it's just on the arches, then you might try investing in some orthotics. if your ankle bones are hurting, try getting that area of your boot popped out at a skate shop. you also might try lacing your boots either tighter or looser and seeing if that makes a difference.

hope something i said helped!

[sarahspins]

Not normal, and I would suspect it's a boot issue - either the wrong size (too long, too short, too narrow, or too wide - lots of possibilities there), or you are lacking the necessary support in the footbed for your feet.  Even with boots the correct size, I can't skate without extra arch support in my boots or my feet will cramp up like crazy... so bad I can't be on the ice for more than about 5 minutes.  With my arches properly supported I am fine though.  I don't have orthotics in mine, just arch cookies (and post wedges under my heels, but that's for alignment, not pain)... but the important thing is that they provide the support that my feet need.

Numbness and swelling is definitely not normal though... it is your body trying to tell you something is wrong.

You really need to get fitted properly, and I know you have posted that there is nowhere local to have this done, but TRUST ME, it's not worth the potential damage you can do to your feet by pushing through it with boots that do not fit right.  I ended up having surgery to fix an ankle problem created by one pair of boots I had (they were much too narrow) - and before it got really bad, I had just assumed it was normal, had the ankles and toebox punched out, and pushed through it, and that was a huge mistake.  If we'd just spent the money on another pair of new boots or demanded that the fitter replace them with the size I really needed, we would have ultimately saved thousands on surgery plus additional pain and time off the ice. 

[Sk8tmum]

Just to check - do your feet normally react easily to cold? I have circulation problems, and in cold weather, I get similar symptoms to yours if I don't wear uber-insulated footwear etc etc etc.