Question: pain in shin - first hour of skiing

[helsbels]

Hi all,
I'm a relative beginner (picking it up from childhood some 20 years later) and I'm experiencing really sharp pain from the front of my ankle up my shin. It happens for the first hour of skiing, and I have to rest quite alot and take my boots off, then it seems to get a bit better. Its making me dread the mornings when I really want to get out there!
Any ideas on what this is, and how I could avoid this in the future?
Thanks

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Most often caused by imprecise fit at heel pocket/ankle/boot cuff. Ski shop boot fitter would be able to quickly assess. When you flex your ankle in a ski boot, if the fit isn't close enough, your ankle will move, and subsequently your lower leg, independent of the boot. Bang, ow. It's supposed to all work together, when the "stars are aligned." Get it checked out asap, for your own comfort. Hoping that your boots aren't too large, but kind of sounding like it. Good luck.

 

[Suzanneski]

X2- my boots have a heel lift adjustment- ramping up the heel made a big difference for me and stoppped this pain.

 

[helsbels]

Thanks to you both, I thought they were pretty tight, but perhaps I need a little tighter. I have rather large calf muscles in relation to the size of my feet, so I'll go in and explain. I'm glad its not just me and that there is something I can do. I'm ensuring I'm stretching well too to make sure its not an ache from muscle use in the morning.
I live in the UK and I'm skiing in France so I'll get my French dictionary out now to explain that!
Thanks again, much appreciated.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Calf may not necessarily need to be tighter. Problem could well be right at the heel/ankle. That's where your problem seems to be originating.