Orthotic Skate Supports
Foot orthotics, or simply “orthotics,” are specialized foot inserts worn in footwear that provide support to the foot and re-distribute ground forces as they impact the body. They greatly assist in aligning the foot inside the skate, which can reduce or eliminate painful areas and increase boot comfort. Correct foot placement promotes proper knee and hip alignment as well. With the knees and hips positioned over the skating foot, the skater’s balance, edge quality, and even power can be improved. Potential injuries due to imbalanced body mechanics may also be minimized or avoided.
Who Would Benefit?
Regardless of foot shape or foot dynamics, skate supports can benefit just about any figure skater or hockey player. If you look at a skate, figure or hockey, you will find that the bottom of the boot is devoid of any shape or support for the foot and is completely flat. Well, the foot isn't shaped like that and needs to have support coming up from the bottom of the boot - exactly where all the forces are coming from!
Skaters with no or low arches, or those who over pronate tend to roll inwardly in their boots and could experience pressure or pain, especially at the navicular bone, inside ankle bone protrusion, and the pinky toe. Balancing on their blades can be difficult and as a result, both speed and power are compromised. The knees tend to turn inward, forcing the hip muscles to rotate in as well, which causes the lower body to be out of alignment. Knee and hip problems could also arise over time due to this imbalance. Skaters with this foot structure could benefit from orthotics with a tolerable arch support and additional wedging under the inside of their heels for extra control.
Those with high, inflexible arches tend roll outward in their skates. Lack of contact between their own arch and the arch of the boot is a common complaint. Boot discomfort can occur on the outside of the foot and skaters often request to have their blade to moved outward on their boot to feel better balanced. Orthotics that offer an increased arch support to fill the space between the boot and the foot, along with a heel cup that limits outward rotation of the heel may work well for someone with this foot type.
Skaters who have a flexible medium arch height and have a well-balanced body alignment could still possibly benefit from orthotics. Although this foot type doesn’t need any major mechanical imbalance correction, orthotics may offer additional support for the arch of the foot and comfort within the boot.
Muscle Specific Exercises
It is important to point out that although foot orthotics can be of great benefit to many skaters for all the reasons mentioned, hip stabilization, core strengthening, and stretching exercises must be paired with the use of foot orthotics to completely maximize the skater’s balance and strength. Orthotics alone will not correct any hip or core deficiencies and athletes should be assessed by a sports professional and be recommended muscle specific exercises to strengthen and stabilize lower body alignment.
Left: Skate leg is internally rotated placing the knee too far inside the body while the hip is pushed out to compensate for balance.
Right: Same skater wearing orthotics and a good, supportive, well-fitting skate. Her knee is now aligned and her hips are in the correct position.
Types of Orthotics
One of the forms in which foot orthotics are offered is as a pre-fabricated appliance that has a pre-determined arch contour which is normally not adjustable. These orthotics are made in shoe or skate sizes and are simply trimmed to fit into either the skate or shoe as needed. Those individuals who aren’t severely pronated or supinating, yet need arch support for stabilization, are prime candidates for a pre-fabricated foot orthosis.
For beginner athletes, we use a soft training orthotic in their skates to help stabilize them in the new boots. They are very inexpensive and fit very well into the skate. Skaters, especially the younger ones, find that training orthotics are comfortable and reduce the unwanted pain and discomfort of breaking in new skates.
For those a bit more advanced, we use a variety of prefabricated affordable orthotics that fit well into their skates. A bit more customization may be required to ensure a great fit.
Our special customized sports orthotics are essential for those who do not fit into the pre-fabricated orthotics, who over pronate or supinate, and are a higher level competitive figure skater. We use the highest quality anti-microbial top cover with a special energy returning material that helps skaters feel their edges and offers propulsion while jumping. We also add a shock absorbing layer which reduces the shock attenuation upon landing impact. Skaters who have been wearing these specialized skate orthotics find that in addition to correcting their body alignment, they feel more balanced and comfortable.
