Adjusting the instep on skates

[icepixie]

Has anyone with a really high instep come up with ingenious solutions to keep the laces from crushing the top of your foot?  I have ridiculously high arches and insteps, and while I've made some changes that work well, I still get pain across the top of my feet, especially on the left, if I skate for more than an hour at a time.  (Ironically, the left is my very slightly lower arch/instep, so I don't know what's going on there.)

I've had this problem in my old Riedells and my current Jacksons.  Adding several layers of cut-up foam insole under the arch helped a lot, so I had something to counter the force of the tongue crushing down on my foot.  (Made my arches much happier.)  Skipping the hole over the highest/boniest part of my instep when lacing helped even more.  (Picture of what I mean.)  It still hurts, though, particularly under the next lace cross up my foot toward my ankle.  I've tried leaving that loose, but then I feel too unstable to do much.

I've thought about adding a lace bite pad or bunga pad or something under there.  I tried putting another piece of cut-up foam insole under the tongue, but it didn't seem to do much and felt like it kept me from getting my skates tight enough for support.  That may have been because it was cheap drugstore foam insole material or because I had it too long, going up to just below the first hook.

Any advice?

[skategeek]

No expertise here whatsoever, but someone else on the boards once posted a link to a site showing a variety of different lacing patterns; I wonder if a different lacing pattern might change how pressure is distributed across the top of your foot?

Found the link:  http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm

[icepixie]

That site was actually where I got the idea to skip a hole.  (I do it on all my shoes with laces, too.)  I wonder if the straight bar lacing would help, and if it would be tight enough where I need it.

[AgnesNitt]

I used to have this problem, I switched insoles until I found something that worked. I also had a fitter put in an extra wide tongue and that seems to have solved a number of problems.

[rd350]

Dense foam doesn't work as well as something spongier and probably a bit thicker.  I used the same Harlick foam that is in the tongues (bought it from a local skate shop).

Also, you don't want to add pressure across the nerves so try using 2 strips (maybe an inch wide?) on either side on the tongue so you essentially create a channel down the middle relieving pressure.

[icepixie]

Oooh, I like the channel idea!  I think that would really help.  Now, to find some foam that would work, since we don't have a skate shop down here...  (Maybe just a sponge cut to size?)  I wonder if it might make it so the tongue doesn't all the way meet the sides of the boot, as it's barely meeting right now, but at this point I don't much care.

I might also break down and try different insoles, but a kitchen sponge would be cheaper.

[skategeek]

Sounds like you're way ahead of me!  This site has some other lacing alternatives, including one specifically for high arches:  http://thecolorrun.com/blog/running-shoe-lacing-techniques/

[rd350]

I don't think a kitchen sponge would be great but you could certainly try it.  You can try a surgical supply house and see what things they may have (that won't irritate you).  Think "less dense".  Maybe you can call the a skate company and ask if you can buy some foam and have it sent?  Mine is from Harlick (as are my skates) but I got it from a skate shop.

Hmm, the tongues barely reach the sides?  Not the case with mine and I don't think you want that.  Because the ones I use are not very dense, they compress quite a bit, while still keeping some spring.  I tried the foam one before that, even thicker ones and the density just didn't work well.

[AgnesNitt]

Oooh, I like the channel idea!  I think that would really help.  Now, to find some foam that would work, since we don't have a skate shop down here...  (Maybe just a sponge cut to size?)  I wonder if it might make it so the tongue doesn't all the way meet the sides of the boot, as it's barely meeting right now, but at this point I don't much care.

You may need a wider boot tongue.

[icepixie]

Verdict on the channels made of kitchen sponge: Success!  Well, on the left foot.  My left foot felt great for the entire session this afternoon.  They really took the pressure off the top of that foot  I could tell I hadn't placed them quite right on the right foot, but I was in a hurry to get on the ice and left it that way, and they didn't work as well.  I think if I put them in the right place tomorrow, they should be as good as the left.  If not, the problem is probably that the tongue is not wide enough on that skate to accommodate my foot and the sponges, since that instep is just a bit higher.

I'm going to try skating a few more times with the sponges, then I'm going to take rd350's advice and try to get some skate foam to use permanently.

For anyone lurking who wants to try this at home, all I did was get a regular cellulose kitchen sponge and cut it into strips about 3.5 inches long, 3/4 of an inch wide, and 1/3 of an inch high, and place them under the tongue on either side of my foot, leaving a channel in the middle.  This allows the tongue to still (barely) meet the rest of the skate when I tie them.  I placed them so they ran from the uppermost lace hole to the third from the bottom.

[rd350]

Great news!!  Happy it worked for you!!  Good luck with the right tomorrow.

[Query]

How wonderful you found something that works!

However, kitchen sponges do not have anti-septic materials in them, so you may start growing things in them, if you skate enough.

Someone just suggested to me that Outdoor Carpet padding (what people use under their outdoor deck carpet) must have anti-fungal properties - but it's a closed cell foam and is therefore less squishy than a kitchen sponge. I haven't tried it.

[icepixie]

Eh, I got a two-pack of sponges, and one sponge makes about fourteen strips, so I can just switch 'em out after a few days until I get around to getting actual skate foam. 

Adjusting the strips on the right foot worked well yesterday, albeit not quite as well as on the left foot.  But it's enough to give me only nuisance pain at the 45-minute mark and beyond, so I'll take it.  Happy to finally have a solution!