pavedwave distance skateboarding

enoryt · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 3

I'm experiencing severe aches in my arches for some reason. I'm relatively new to pumping, and today was the first day I pumped for more than a mile. I put in about 5 miles today, but during my session, every 5 minutes or so, I had to jump off my board because my arches were burning/hurting so bad . I have incredibly flat feet, and used to wear insoles. It kind of sucks, but I'm hoping these pains will go away, with time, or maybe its my technique?? Does anyone else here have extremely flat feet? Let me know, I want to know if there are others like me Sad

jat. · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:27 am Post subject:

I experienced something similar and was advised to take a break from skating. After two days I couldn't stay away from my board any more, so I got some paracetol gel. Worked liked a charm and after about a week the pain was gone.
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pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1248 Location: seattle wa usa

And Jat that week was probably the one where you built up the muscles and technique to get past the foot pains.

Relaxation plays a part. I went through foot pains long ago where it was even impossible to walk for 5-10 mins, could only rest and wait it out. But what really convinced me was not long ago when I started learning to pump switch in earnest -- like starting all over again, and those familiar foot pains came back as well. The pain will go away, and your intuition is right -- it's a lot about getting your technique (and foot muscles) built to where you're comfortable and focused on the road ahead and the body's just doing the work "on its own."

angelo_pb · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:47 pm Post subject: flat feet and foot pain

When i rediscovered longboarding, it was on a really flexy vanguard and wearing vans. I also am "flat-footed." Orthos and podiatrist call it "excessively pronating", which sounds like something you would get caught doing in a closet.

I would get a burning pain on the bottom of my feet so that i would have to stop and let it just cool down. It really sucked. I am not sure if the flat footedness has anything to do with it or if it is something with the plantar fascia band.

The culprits for me were flexy boards and the Vans themselves. As a nearly lifelong Vans wearer, I fought this intially. But the pain got me to see a guy to fit me with orthotic inserts. Basically, the classic vans don't have any meaningful support. The insole is miserable and the actual sole is thin.

I got the little inserts which are neither rigid nor soft. I needed more than cushion. I needed actual arach SUPPORT. This turned out to help other things too such as premature shoe wear and even posture and gait.

I also got shoes that were stiff where they needed to be and flexible where they needed to be(ecco). The bottom of the sole is not flat like Vans, but is shaped more like the bottom of a human foot. Grip is not a problem. It just looks like a cross trainer style shoe.

My Pulse-Syndrome does not flex as much as other LDP boards. There is some threshold of flexiness for me where it starts to hurt. All I know is i don't get that anymore. I am not sure what exaclty caused it or which remedy above was most effective. But I am pain free now.
My guess is: 1. too much flex in a board 2. lack of meaningful arch support(a shoe that conforms to your foot, not "flattens it").

I think building your muscles up can help if it is muscle-induced pain. But if you are experienceing what I did, then it won't be alleviated by doing more riding. In fact, it will hurt more.

But i would caution that what caused me pain and what stopped it may not be what is causing yours.

kayakr · Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 35

My foot pain problem is a turf toe like condition in my left (front) big toe.

Causative problems for me included:
- jamming/cramming the toe when bailing (initial injury)
- pushing with my left foot (major aggravator)
- leaning hard / weighting on a non-turny longboard trying to make it turn
- excessive (20+ miles for me) LDP with too few breaks.

I've down the following to recover / manage:
- turf toe inserts in some shoes
- stretching / strength PT exercises
- switching to looser trucks and shorter wheelbases (slalom, carveboard, tierney)
- moving my feet around a lot with LDP, periodic walking breaks
- parking the bouncy vanguard for now. Bouncing is like 2-3X the momentary loading, and you tend to land on the toe to bend the board.

Keep in mind I'm middle aged and recovery is starting to take much longer for me for issues like this.

LDP is normally fine but I need to watch the overdo factor and avoid pushing.

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1248 Location: seattle wa usa

enoryt · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 3

wow thanks for the quick reply guys, I can really feel the love in here Razz

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1248 Location: seattle wa usa

This discussion came up again on the Fish, thought I'd post the link and add some details that have come from discoveries in my "year of moderation" last year. I had to pull out of a couple ultraskates due to foot / achilles issues, and I found that knowing when to do that is just as important as pushing yourself to the limits.

Here's what I posted and I really believe it.

"...of course feel free to get real medical advice from a real podiatrist, but don't forget your body is an intuitive machine and does make adjustments over time.

a few people have a long history with serious foot abnormality requiring prescribed arch support, but I would at least just try flat soles like basic canvas Vans and gradually increase the distances you pump, rather than toying around with randomly shaped arches that might have little to do with your foot's structure.

i used to get cramps and foot pain with increasing distance. it's muscle training basically.

...

When pumping for any significant distance what happens is your feet get "locked" into position, and the cramps are often associated with tensing up muscles that usually never get tensed up in one position, especially for several minutes at a time.

Moving your feet up and down on the board / changing stance, even just small stance changes, makes a huge difference.

...

I have found a little bit of foot cramping at the beginning of long distance pump sessions is perfectly normal.

if its persistent or severe pain with no improvement over time? then I would see the doc. i don't "have it in" for the medical establishment, but I do think orthotics get overprescribed, that we experiment a lot with props and gadgets before trying out natural approaches and modifications to technique, like walking around on the board, changing stance while pumping, etc. I would say 95% of the time this particular issue is tied to muscle tension and gradually training for it. not having bad feet. ...."

Meeting Barefoot Ted a couple years ago only verified and confirmed this all for me. I'm no barefoot runner, or barefoot skater on everyday commutes (because I still like some rubber padding when I footbrake!!) But I do believe it's wise to be skeptical before jumping into orthotics for something like this.

LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 484 Location: Seattle, WA

One thing i noticed starting out is i would try to "grip" the deck with my toes, curling them downward. Over time, this would lead to severe pains in the arch of my foot. I had to consciously uncurl my toes and even stretch them upwards to solve this problem.
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reverend · Joined: 12 Feb 2010 Posts: 21 Location: Phoenix

I wanted to add one caution and one piece of advice. I've had the stress/tension burning in the arch during exercise where I had to sit for a while, but I've also had plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is more typically felt when you get up from sitting for awhile or right when you wake up the first few steps are excrutiatingly painful on your arch and/or heel.

I've found for both cases, a good stretch is helpful. Sit down and cross your right leg over your left knee so your right calf is perpendicular to you. With your right hand, grab the toes or ball of your right foot and pull the toes back stretching the arch, heel, and achilles tendon. Hold it for a good 30 sec. Repeat with left side.

I do this twice per side when I go to bed, first wake up, and during the day once or twice. It has really helped my foot comfort.

For a better explanation and pics, look up some running websites. These problems are common to new runners or runners who overtrain or increase distance too fast.

Hope it helps, and I hope everyone's feet feel great!