Does anyone else get bruised shins???

[CarverJill]

2 weeks ago I finally got out on the slopes for the season. I was SO excited for my 4 days at Steamboat with my brand new but well fitted boots. After day 2 I couldn't ski without taking 3 advil twice a day. My skins were so bruised I could see red marks in the hot tub and running my finger over them was very painful.

My boots are Nordica Speedmachine 100w which have a flex rating of either 100 or 80 depending on which setting you choose. Initially I had them at 100 but dialed them back to 80. When I mentioned my shin bruising to a boot fitter at the mountain he has some minor suggestions but ultimately said it was probably something I just had to deal with due to damage I have done to my shins in the past. I don't think I have done anything out of the ordinary....just soccer and past boot issues.

Does anyone else struggle with this or have suggestions?

 

[snow addict]

I don't know if this is the same type of shin pain but my shins were getting sore in new boots. It wasn't a "typical" shin bang as it was much lower at the level of the ankle bone and wasn't as bad as to require pain killers, but it was painful to the touch. I was even considering using the special plaster for tibia protection while skiing, but I've taken boots to shop and after liners got re-moulded the problem seems to have gone away. I am not reallly sure what have made it go away, possibly just more skiing in the boots. I was told that this sort of things happen sometimes with new boots and during first ski days of the season. My bootfitter at least didn't look very surprised.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Pretty much every boot, no matter how well-fitted, will take time to break in. Ideally, you'd be able to ski a day, and then take a few days off and, if there are any severe issues, bring them back to the boot fitter. Repeat until the boots are working for you. Four days in a row in brand new boots - I'm not surprised they're hurting you!

Also, shins definitely "toughen up" throughout the ski season. When I'm getting boots fitted in the fall, just the fitting process makes my shins tender. After a few days on skis, it's not a problem anymore.

That being said - youch! Your pain sounds like beyond the call of duty stuff. If one boot fitter wasn't able to help you, I'd try another. That answer - "gee, sucks to be you" - is not good enough. Keep looking. If you're anywhere near Boulder, I'd drop by Larry's and see if they can help you.

Red marks sound like there may be a pressure point or seam issue rather than generalized pain.

It does sound like your shins are swollen, so I would ice them (10-15 minutes max) and try elevation as well (instead of sitting with your feet on the floor, try lying on a couch with a solid pillow under your knees).

 

[pinto]

I was struggling mightily with the liners in my new boots last season ... the tongue wouldn't stay in place, and would migrate over and reveal a seam, which would then dig into my shin/ankle area, it really hurt. Is there a specific spot that hurts, or is it just general? lower, higher, inside, outside? I had the stock liners padded and cut and this and that, still didn't help, so I went to an Intuition, and all is better.

And I played many years of soccer, even went without shinguards a few times (dumb in hindsight); I have bumpy shins, sorta, but nothing that would flare up in boots without a reason.

 

[shell nyc]

Another soccer player here, and yes my shins get sore and bruise. I'm noticing it less in my new boots than in the rentals I was using in years past, but it's still there. I guess I just figured it was one of those hazards of skiing.

 

[Robyn]

It may be as simple as buckling your boot a little tighter so it remains tighter against your shin and you aren't repeatedly separating from it then banging into it when you pressure forward.

 

[beckylh84]

I've had problems with shin bang before. I found replacing the stock power strap with a booster strap helped.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Snugg it up, different socks...?

It may be as simple as buckling your boot a little tighter so it remains tighter against your shin and you aren't repeatedly separating from it then banging into it when you pressure forward.

I would suggest the same solution that Robyn suggested. Even an 1/8 of inch of play in the cuff can lead to shin bang. Custom liners can help, as can different socks as some cause more friction than others. On stock liners that don't overlap like custom liners do, I always readjust the tongue way over to the inside so it cushions my bone rather than the meaty middle of my shin. Then I tighten like mad so it won't move back to the center where it tends to want to migrate to.

If the shin bang is only a very thin vertical section of your shin, I suggest taping foam length wise on both sides of where it hurts. This will disburse the pressure and keep your "hurt" part from having much contact with the tongue.

Best of luck!

 

[CarverJill]

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping it's partly the issue of boot break in. I don't think I have room between the tongue and my shin for anything to be banging but I'll pay close attention to that. I loose circulation and get cold feet very easily (hense the new boots this season) so tightening the straps super tight is not an option. There wasn't a specific pressure point or seam and the tongue didn't migrate over too badly but that is another good thing to watch for.

Becky - How is a booster strap different than the top strap of the boot?

 

[livstew]

ditto on the booster strap...

the boosters are heavy duty elastic so when you're upright it holds everything against your leg, but then allows a different amount of forward flex depending on which model you get...

additionally:

you boots could be too big... if your boots are too large for you, your shin will leverage one section of the tongue instead of the entire thing as it should... no amount of adjusting will help this...

make sure your tongue is in-line with your shin bone as well... a common mistake is to place the tongue dead center of the boot, but that doesn't always match up with the way your leg is made...

 

[beckylh84]

Becky - How is a booster strap different than the top strap of the boot?

The booster strap has these thick elastic straps on the front of it, like the part that has contact with the tongue of the boot. So when you're flexing forward, everything is flexing forward...like your shin isn't going to "bang" into the tongue, because the tongue is allowed to move forward because of the elastic instead of just velcro.

I prefer the booster strap to the regular power strap (I haven't had a chance to change straps on my new boots yet, so I'm missing it!!). Not only do my shins not get bruised up, but I have better transitions and I feel like I have better steering.

 

[volklgirl]

That much pain suggests bad boot fit or just early season shins.

As Robyn said, make sure your cuff buckles are snug all the way around. If that doesn't cure it, I have to give another +1 on the Booster Strap or The Eliminator shin pad.

 

[mustski]

I loose circulation and get cold feet very easily (hense the new boots this season) so tightening the straps super tight is not an option.

I also have circulation problems. It always takes me awhile to break in new boots. I loosen them to ride up the chair and tighten them down for the run. Then repeat. This works until they take on my leg/foot shape. At the beginning of each season, I have to repeat this until the "work in". I am currently on the 3rd season with my boot (30 days a year) and I still ride loose up the chair for the first few runs and then buckle down. After that, I can leave them buckled, where I need them, for the rest of the day. I must say, though, that I have never had shin bruising. Ouch!

 

[frenchgirl]

That much pain suggests bad boot fit or just early season shins.

As Robyn said, make sure your cuff buckles are snug all the way around. If that doesn't cure it, I have to give another +1 on the Booster Strap or The Eliminator shin pad.

I agree with this. Usually shin issues suggest too big a boot in the calves area. I have some of that problem as my calves are very skinny. It really helps to make sure that the calves buckles are very tight.

 

[litterbug]

"Tight" buckles? If they have to be made tight enough to limit circulation, there's something wrong with the fit, whether it's the liner or the shell size. Tight cuff buckles cause awful pain and cold for me--even more than the usual, which is also due to bad fit (which I'm going to get fixed).

 

[Covie]

I have two matching bruises on the shins of my skinny legs :( My boots are tight on my feet so I need to wear very thin synthetic socks, you know the sans shin padding models. I was actually using a leg warmer hoping that would help with some cushioning, but I still have room in there! I might have to try the Eliminator. I can hear my bf teasing me now!

https://masterfitenterprises.com/eliminator.html

 

[canadianbelle]

Shin bang sucks. Sorry to hear that. I find that using a tightening power strap to hold the tops in place helps heaps.

Just wondering, could it also be a liner issue? I'm a big fan of Intuition power wrap liners. Could help to cushion things a bit, perhaps?