Why do I get cramps in my right foot when skating?

Question

I bought a new pair of RF4s in decemeber. I skate about 5 - 6 hours a week, and I'm sure I have broken them in by now. They never caused me any pain when they were new and still dont, However i am getting a sort of cramp/ache in my right foot when skating. Why is this and how do i stop it from happening? Please help!!

Answer 1

Make sure that you're stretching your feet and legs a lot before skating. I got new skates in December also and I skate 30-40 hours a week and my feet cramp too unless I stretch really well before skating and take breaks to stretch them.

Answer 2

if its in the arch area, you probably have the arch too high in that skate. you can go to the skate shop and have insoles put in to make it the right arch. i get the same thing sometimes. just stretch by pressing the ball of your foot to a wall and pulling ur body toward it, it helps with ankle and arch.

also try the insole thing. thats what fixed mine. i occasionally still get that but it goes away not to long after, so i hope thats works!

Answer 3

I had that problem with my old skates. It was due to two things:

- The skate wasn't quite wide enough, and

- The arch of the boot was too high.

I had the boot punched out, and that helped somewhat. But what really fixed it was having the metal shank that forms the arch at the side of the boot lowered a bit. That made a huge difference.

So go to your skate pro - the skate fitter who sold you your boots, or the best figure skate fitter in your area. Tell them what's wrong, and ask them what, if anything, can be done to help.

Answer 4

Do you wear orthotics in your everyday shoes?  If so, you might need them in your skates.

I used to get excruciatingly painful cramps in the arches of my feet while skating.  It was so bad I had to take my boots off and rub my feet to get the cramping to go away.  I now have orthotics in my skates which help with my edge problems, but I still do get cramping once in a while.

If that's not it, maybe that one boot is too big or too small in a particular area, since you're only experiencing pain in one foot.  I would check with your coach or your local skate shop to see if they can offer any more useful advice.

Good luck and I hope the cramping goes away for you soon.  For me, it's just a way of life.  If I want to skate, I have to accept the fact that my feet will probably cramp during the session.