pavedwave longboarding

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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Gawd

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 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: 1120 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