Excruciating Arch Pain - New Skates

[Pedagogue]

For the last 3 years I've been skating with Graf Supra 605's, just loved them. I have very, very flat feet. No arch support whatsoever. I had superfeet insoles and life was good. A very comfortable skate. Well, I got new skates, Graf 705's. I had them baked and all. I figured that the 605's and 705's are the same fit so I simply put in the superfeet that I had in my 605's and went to play. I've skated in my new 705's three times and the pain in my arch is excruciating. While on the bench I feel my feet throbbing with pain. After the session I take off my skates and the pain is really bad. People with flat feet know how difficult it can be to find a comfortable skate. Well besides trying to get rid of the skates on Craig's List or Kijiji here are my options.
- ditch the Superfeet and use the Sidas insole that came with the skate
- try lacing the skates up differently (loose in the middle)
- endure the pain for a few more skates to see if it gets better
I have had similar problems before breaking in my skates but never this bad. Any suggestions???

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[Crosbyfan]

Take a close look at the soles of the 605s if you still have them.

If they are different they may be supporting the superfeet and thus pressure your arch and soles in a different way.

I like superfeet, but thought they were more appropriate for medium to high arches as most skates have fairly flat soles so everyone can wear them (though not comfortably)

 

[Bruwinz37]

How old are your Superfeet? I have worked with this company and eventually they lose their life. Have you changed them recently? Also, are you using the color yellow?

Do you remove the soles and then add the superfeet or add the superfeet over the soles?

 

[Hockey Crazy]

I have yellow superfeet and had the exact same problem. I have very flat arches and the superfeet got rid of my pain completely. I would never get skates without them again.

 

[Jarick]

Are you sure they are wide enough? I had excruciating pain in my G35's at first, even though they fit great. Was intense pain behind the ball of the foot at the front of the arch. I had my shop punch out the boot at the forefoot on both sides and it went away. Haven't had one iota of foot pain ever since. If the boot isn't wide enough, the arch can't flatten out, and you get terrible cramps in the foot.

 

[Pedagogue]

How old are your Superfeet? I have worked with this company and eventually they lose their life. Have you changed them recently? Also, are you using the color yellow?

Do you remove the soles and then add the superfeet or add the superfeet over the soles?

Yes, I removed the soles before adding superfeet. I am using superfeet yellow.

Are you sure they are wide enough? I had excruciating pain in my G35's at first, even though they fit great. Was intense pain behind the ball of the foot at the front of the arch. I had my shop punch out the boot at the forefoot on both sides and it went away. Haven't had one iota of foot pain ever since. If the boot isn't wide enough, the arch can't flatten out, and you get terrible cramps in the foot.

I never thought about the skate not being wide enough as when I am wearing them there is no pain on either side. However, you could be on to something. Might have to do this if changing to Sidas footbed doesn't work.

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm going to pick up hockey today and will use the Sidas inersole versus superfeet and see what's up.

 

[budster]

Another flat footer here. I had arch pain with the yellows and shin splints with the stock footbeds. Paid about $150 for custom insoles and they have been worth every penny.

 

[Wilch]

Question, with insoles/orthotics, does it still take a while to break into the skate?

I have both superfeet and custom orthotics, but I only put the superfeet in because I can't fit both in there (my insole has a plastic bit under that won't fit to the orthotics). I've done about 3-4 hours of skating, and my arch pains varied. The first two times it didn't hurt at all, but the last time I went (today) was pretty bad - only the right foot though... Could it be because I've been working on my right foot hockey stop continuously?

Also, should I try to fit the custom orthotics in my skates and remove the superfeet insoles? I got the orthotics made -after- I baked my skates... Or should I keep the superfeet and see if it gets better after a few more sessions?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[budster]

Question, with insoles/orthotics, does it still take a while to break into the skate?

Yes probably 10+ hours of skating.

should I try to fit the custom orthotics in my skates and remove the superfeet insoles?

Yes you should trim the orthos to fit your skates. Afterall, You paid to have CUSTOM footbeds, I don't even know why you would use generic ones after that. Unless maybe you are using them in your ski boots or shoes and don't want to trim them for that reason?

I got the orthotics made -after- I baked my skates... Or should I keep the superfeet and see if it gets better after a few more sessions?

You will probably want to bake your skates again now that you have the custom orthos, as your foot will sit differently in the skate than it did before. Don't bake the skates with the orthos in there, or you might ruin them. Bake the skates, THEN put the orthos in. Then lace them up. Most skates can be baked more than once, but you probably shouldn't go more than 3x. Good luck.

 

[Wilch]

Yes probably 10+ hours of skating.



Yes you should trim the orthos to fit your skates. Afterall, You paid to have CUSTOM footbeds, I don't even know why you would use generic ones after that. Unless maybe you are using them in your ski boots or shoes and don't want to trim them for that reason?



You will probably want to bake your skates again now that you have the custom orthos, as your foot will sit differently in the skate than it did before. Don't bake the skates with the orthos in there, or you might ruin them. Bake the skates, THEN put the orthos in. Then lace them up. Most skates can be baked more than once, but you probably shouldn't go more than 3x. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. The reason why I don't want to stick my orthotics in the skates is because I'm currently in China - and will be there for another 3 to 4 months. They don't offer any skate baking services here, so I thought I should just stick with the insoles I got. I heard about people baking their skates at home, but I honestly don't want to take that risk because getting my skates alone was already a big pain in the ass since they don't sell skates here.

Would you recommend baking it again after 3-4 months though? I should be back in Vancouver by then.

 

[budster]

Would you recommend baking it again after 3-4 months though? I should be back in Vancouver by then.

All baking does is accelerate the break-in process. If you skate regularly, they should be broken in (the old fashioned way) by the time you're home.

 

[Jarick]

I'm by no means a skate expert but I've never had skates "break in". Either my feet adjust or I need the skates to be punched/stretched/baked. They are made of hard composite materials nowadays designed NOT to move. If they are stretching and moving in the first few hours of skating, they won't have any support after a few months.

 

[Wilch]

All baking does is accelerate the break-in process. If you skate regularly, they should be broken in (the old fashioned way) by the time you're home.

So would you suggest sticking my orthotics in my skates, even though it's baked to fit only my generic insoles?

 

[budster]

So would you suggest sticking my orthotics in my skates, even though it's baked to fit only my generic insoles?

If it were me I'd put the orthodics in, but it's totally your call. If your ankle sits in a different spot it might rub or cause pain. I'd at least try it out, though. You can always change back to the generic if it's not working out.

 

[Wilch]

If it were me I'd put the orthodics in, but it's totally your call. If your ankle sits in a different spot it might rub or cause pain. I'd at least try it out, though. You can always change back to the generic if it's not working out.

Okay, thanks for the advice!