How do I keep the arches of my feet from cramping when I'm ice skating?

Question

I'm learning to ice skate, and I get muscle cramps in the arches of my feet after just a few minutes. I've switched from figure skates to hockey skates, put in arch support inserts and gel insoles, tightened the laces and loosened the laces. Nothing has helped. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

It's very likely that your skates don't fit. They aren't wide enough. I had the same problem. I did the following, which helped:

-Went to a professional skate fitter, at a pro shop in a rink, talked to them about the problem, and had them punch the skate out (widen it where it was too tight) Your toes and foot should lie flat in the boot.
-The skate pro also had to lower the arch on the inside of the skate. It was too high.
-Removed the insoles from the skate. I never put these back in
-And I skate with very thin socks on - no thicker than tights.
-When you lace your skates, lace them firmly, but not at all tightly, across your instep. If you have a coach, talk to her about it.

If you do all that, and still have problems, then there are a couple of additional things you can do:

-Get custom inserts (speak to the skate pro about this)
-Get new skates that really fit.

Where did you get your existing figure skates? Did you have a real, professional fitting before you purchased them? This can make a big difference. Not all brands/models of skates fit all skaters. For example, I always had problems with my Reidells because my feet are wide. But as soon as I tried on my Harlicks I knew we were a match.

Answer 2

Your arch support inserts might be too high now. I had the problem too in my beginner skate before I got competative boots that were made for my feet. The people I ordered my boots from also said that my old boots were too narrow through the middle of my foot which was causing problems for me. If you skate a lot, you might want to look into have your feet traced and measured so that you can order some boots that fit you better. If you only skate for fun, keep trying to find a skate that meets your needs.

Answer 3

Hi! The reason her foot is cramping is because skating requires alot of muscle! Her foot is sore because she's working so hard to build muscle. If she keeps working at it, the pain will eventually ease. Also, when she took a break, the muscle weakened. That's why when she started again it began to hurt again. I know this because im a figure skater and when i started i had the same problem! Good luck!

Answer 4

You're skates probably don't fit. Have you ever heard of orthotics? http://www.orthoticsdirect.com/site/524897/page/225184 THey support your arch really well in the skate. But they are custom made, and very expensive. SO if you can't get them, you might want to try a different kind of skate that has a different arch in it.

Answer 5

You're not going to like this, but your skates don't fit. Do you have wide feet? Try taking out the inserts. Don't laugh, but try without socks. Some pro hockey players don't wear socks. If all else fails take them to a shoe repair shop and have them custom fitted. Good luck.

Answer 6

Take out the supports and loosen your skates. Your feet and ankles aren't used to the strain. As you sk8 more, like after only 15 to 20 hours of sk8ing you will be an intermediate, your ankles and feet will get stronger and your problem cramps will evapor8!
Good luck!

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Answer 7

That happens to me too. You could try streching them out on the boards. Or just keep skating. It's uncomfortable, but a lot of the time it goes away. Also, if you skate very fast, don't stop suddenly. Skate aroung the rink once slowly.

Answer 8

get a diffren size in skates it might help

Answer 9

wear thicker socks?

Answer 10

It can be lack of potasium, eat alot of bananas!!!!.