Arthritis in my foot!!

[MelRene]

Hello!!

I was diagnosed last year with arthritis in my big toe (man I wish it had been a stress fracture!). It generally doesn’t bother me a great deal, but I started wearing orthotics in my regular shoes and it helps a lot.

After skiing this past Saturday (at Copper :D), my foot has been very sore. I wouldn’t have thought that skiing would bother my foot because I’m not really using that joint?

Has anyone else had a problem with arthritis in their foot? And if so, have you tried anything to help? I see there are ski boot orthotics but I don’t want to spend the money if they are worthless. Or do I just need to try and get new boots?

 

[Little Lightning]

How old are your boots? How well do they fit? If they're older or poor fitting I would start there. I love the boot fitters at Outdoor Divas at Lionhead in Vail. If you're interested I'll pm you a name.

 

[Christy]

Do you have custom footbeds in your boots? I think most of us use those, and that could help. I do have a little arthritis in my feet and the soles of my feet get sore in general, so I use Superfeet in all my shoes and I have orthotics as well (not sure these help anymore than Superfeet). But, my feet don't get particularly sore in my boots.

 

[MelRene]

How old are your boots? How well do they fit? If they're older or poor fitting I would start there. I love the boot fitters at Outdoor Divas at Lionhead in Vail. If you're interested I'll pm you a name.

They are about three years old but barely used. I lived in Michigan up until this fall. We didn’t have a ton of snow there or mountains so.... just glorified hills.

 

[MelRene]

Do you have custom footbeds in your boots? I think most of us use those, and that could help. I do have a little arthritis in my feet and the soles of my feet get sore in general, so I use Superfeet in all my shoes and I have orthotics as well (not sure these help anymore than Superfeet). But, my feet don't get particularly sore in my boots.

I’m still a bit of a rookie. How do I acquire custom footbeds?

 

[Little Lightning]

Did you have a good boot fitter fit your boots. When I lived in Ohio I had an extremely difficult time getting a good boot fitting. You could go to someplace like REI or Christy Sports and get Superfeet Insoles. I think they make them for ski boots. A custom made insole is done at a ski shop. I do not use orthotics in my boots. Even thin ones affect the fit of my boots.

 

[MelRene]

Did you have a good boot fitter fit your boots. When I lived in Ohio I had an extremely difficult time getting a good boot fitting. You could go to someplace like REI or Christy Sports and get Superfeet Insoles. I think they make them for ski boots. A custom made insole is done at a ski shop. I do not use orthotics in my boots. Even thin ones affect the fit of my boots.

Probably not. It was a small shop and I don't recall anything special happening. I need to get to a boot fitter ASAP.

 

[MelRene]

Did you have a good boot fitter fit your boots. When I lived in Ohio I had an extremely difficult time getting a good boot fitting. You could go to someplace like REI or Christy Sports and get Superfeet Insoles. I think they make them for ski boots. A custom made insole is done at a ski shop. I do not use orthotics in my boots. Even thin ones affect the fit of my boots.

Oh! And I'll take the PM. I don't know when I will be able to get to Vail next, probably next month or February, but I need to get to someone.

 

[Christy]

A bootfitter can make insoles for you. They are good for most everyone, arthritis or not. You could try Superfeet first, if you didn't want to spend much.

 

[marzNC]

Probably not. It was a small shop and I don't recall anything special happening. I need to get to a boot fitter ASAP.

There are assorted moldable footbeds. While there are models that cost around $200, there are also versions that are around $50. My adult niece got some for $40 from a boot fitter in Lake Placid that immediately made a difference. She doesn't ski often. I'd found lightly used good boots that were a far better fit than any rental boot. The footbeds were needed to support her high arches. The look on her face when she realized the difference was . . . as they say . . . priceless.

 

[Little Lightning]

Oh! And I'll take the PM. I don't know when I will be able to get to Vail next, probably next month or February, but I need to get to someone.

PM sent

 

[pinto]

Hello!!

I was diagnosed last year with arthritis in my big toe (man I wish it had been a stress fracture!). It generally doesn’t bother me a great deal, but I started wearing orthotics in my regular shoes and it helps a lot.

After skiing this past Saturday (at Copper :D), my foot has been very sore. I wouldn’t have thought that skiing would bother my foot because I’m not really using that joint?

Has anyone else had a problem with arthritis in their foot? And if so, have you tried anything to help? I see there are ski boot orthotics but I don’t want to spend the money if they are worthless. Or do I just need to try and get new boots?

Yeah, I have this (have had two surgeries for it), and inside a ski boot was the only place my foot didn't hurt. But taking off the boot hurts (worse than putting it on). Does your foot hurt during skiing, or after boot removal?

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Count me "in" this group; I have a particularly bad time getting boots to fit. There may be places closer to you, but my best success in Colorado was with the "Boot Doctor" himself at Telluride.
And I've tried ~many~ places around the country!

 

[MelRene]

Yeah, I have this (have had two surgeries for it), and inside a ski boot was the only place my foot didn't hurt. But taking off the boot hurts (worse than putting it on). Does your foot hurt during skiing, or after boot removal?

After I take off my boots and I start walking around again, usually the next day is the worst.

 

[MelRene]

Count me "in" this group; I have a particularly bad time getting boots to fit. There may be places closer to you, but my best success in Colorado was with the "Boot Doctor" himself at Telluride.
And I've tried ~many~ places around the country!

Where I’m at Telluride is closer but Vail will probably be more convenient. :/

 

[MelRene]

A bootfitter can make insoles for you. They are good for most everyone, arthritis or not. You could try Superfeet first, if you didn't want to spend much.

Boot fitter it is! I was messing around with my boots last night, checking the size and lo and behold...there was already a pink pair of super feet in there. My husband and I had a laugh, he thinks I bought them last year. Clearly they aren’t helping with my pain after sking, lol.

 

[Gloria]

Some of the newer boots and especially the freestyle oriented boots have a hard rubber as opposed to hard plastic bed that sits underneath the liner. When orthotics and bootfitting didn’t help my foot any, I finally replaced the hard rubber one with a hard plastic one and it made all the difference. I was lucky that I had an old pair of boots that had one that fit right in my new ones but I they make thin insert that offers some additional support that can go over this piece as well.

 

[MelRene]

I wanted to write up a teeny update. I was in a boot that was too large! When I bought the first boots, when I first started skiing, I didn’t realize that boots were supposed to fit as tight as they should. I probably felt the tip of my toe hit the end before getting into a bent knee stance and thought NOPE.

Regardless. I actually ended up seeing a boot fitter in Grand Junction Colorado. My first boots were a 55 flex and the new ones 80. They were adjustable down to a 64(ish) flex. He got them heated up and on me to mold them. I have some ideas in mind from him should I still continue to have issues with the forefoot pain. I just have to come right back — 100% fit guaranree. I’ve been walking around my house to break them in. I am now in a Lange RX 80, which also has a slimmer last as well. He automatically noticed I have a narrow foot. My Salomons were 104mm wide and the Langes are 100mm. And the stiffer boot feels awesome. I have moved into intermediate skills and this feels more appropriate.

 

[VTsnowflower]

I feel your pain - literally! I have "hallux rigidus", which translates as "rigid [big] toe" on one foot. (I used to think it was a bunion.) The joint is almost immovable, which makes it difficult and painful to get into a boot. This season, when I was trying to improve my control of the skis, I realized that my old boots were too large and my feet wobbling. It's probably because I bought boots I could get my foot into them when I tried them on (many years ago.)

Last week I worked with an experienced boot fitter for the first time, and it was a revelation. I now have snug boots, that fit the size and volume of my feet, that match my ankle flexibility and skiing habits, and that were heat-adjusted to fit the odd shapes of various toe joints. I've only skied on them once, but not only was the skiing better, my feet hurt less afterwards, including less plantar fasciitis. Even my knees felt less strain. After a few more times on the mountain, I'll go back for tweaks. So - there is life without (or with less) pain with a better boot.

FYI, the boots I ended up with are Salomon X Max 100.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Yep, I feel ~your~ pain, too! I'm sooo glad you're able to find relief! EEK!
(What part of the state ~VTsnowflower? I head there the end of the month...)