Quick update here: last week we finally got my daughter's boots looked at by the bootfitter, and he found that there was insufficient vertical space in the forefoot area, which combined with the previous thicker footbed was compressing the metatarsals and inflaming the nerves there. He ground about 1/8" (perhaps less) off the front of each bootboard, which gave her significantly more wiggle room there and eased a lot of pressure. He also recommended these footbeds:
http://www.aline.com/ which are a significant upgrade in support over her previous ones. The contour under the arch and up into the forefoot area is really unique. They are firm, solid, and very supportive. Very well made...I am impressed.
First ski day with the new changes was Saturday, and she noticed a huge improvement. We skied for almost 4 hours non-stop, and with almost no lift lines, we got a lot of runs in. The pain was about 10% of what it was, and the remnants may be just residual nerve inflammation that hopefully will subside with healing time (not sure if nerve tissue heals slower than other, but this may take time). There is no more swelling under the metatarsals, which is a really good sign.
And she said the new footbeds gave her WAY more stability and control, esp. at high speeds -- a major improvement, according to her. Grinding the front of the bootboards also increased the ramp angle in the boots, but she actually liked the change, saying it made her feel more balanced. There is still a bit of heel/ankle movement which will need to be taken up with some J-Pads (increasing the boot ramp meant we had to take out some heel widgets that were snugging up this area, but were also adding some heel lift -- so these had to be removed to avoid too much ramp). We will deal with that tomorrow back at the shop.
Bottom line, this problem seems solved. Thanks to everyone for their advice. Much appreciated.
Home
Login
Register