Painful Arches in Jackson Classiques

[Orianna2000]

Last night, I wore my new Jackson Classiques on the ice for the first time. Overall, they were great. There was just one problem: I have very flat feet, and apparently these skates have built-in arch supports. When I feel around inside the boot, I can only feel the slightest rise, surely nothing that I would even notice with my feet. But when I'm wearing the skates, it feels like a pebble is lodged just under my arch. This may be due to my neuromas--tiny cysts on the nerves. I think the arch supports are pressing right against them.

It was okay for the first five minutes or so, but then the pain got intense and I had to sit down. After that, I was able to skate for about ten minutes at a time, then rest for five minutes. The pain actually got worse when I sat down, sort of a rebound pain, I guess, but then it would fade to bearable levels.

I'm confident the arches will break down with time. (Will they?) But what am I supposed to do in the meanwhile? Do I need to replace the insoles? I would try swapping out the insoles from my Riedells, but even though they're the same size, they're bigger. I would have to cut them to fit, and that would leave me with a pair of unusable Riedells.

Any ideas?

[Sk8Dreams]

Try a pair of inexpensive drugstore insoles.  Also, pull out the insoles from your Jacksons & Riedells and compare them.  You may be able to see that the Jacksons need to be flattened in a particular area, which you could then attempt.

[Orianna2000]

Ah. I removed the insoles, and when I stood on them, they were fine. So I felt around inside the boot--and voila! There is a bump along the arch, right where the side meets the bottom. Replacing the insoles would do no good, since that bump would still be there. I'll have to see if I can break it down by pressing on it and trying to flatten it. Maybe I can find some small weights to place in the skates when I'm not wearing them, to flatten them.

I think the problem lies with how wide my feet are. Not just the balls of my feet, but the rest of my feet, as well. If my foot was narrower where the arch support is, it wouldn't be much of a problem. But because my foot is so wide and so flat, it overlaps the "bump" and is painful.

Dang, this "bump" had better wear down with time. I really can't afford yet another pair of skates, especially after all the trouble I went through to get these.   

[AgnesNitt]

I had this problem with my Jackson Finesse. It went away after a few skates. I got used to it.

[Orianna2000]

I spent some time rubbing the arch supports, trying to break them down. It helped a little. I had my skating class tonight and I managed to stay on the ice the whole time. It just about killed me, but I did it. I had to take frequent breaks, and I couldn't work on any one-footed moves because putting my whole body weight on one arch was too painful. But it took longer before the pain kicked in, so I think I'm on the right track. I just need to keep trying to break the arches down. Might take several weeks, but I'll hang in there.