Ski inserts may vary in comfort and effectiveness
Published 8:28 pm Tuesday, December 9, 2008
“Can foot inserts really help my skiing?”
Yes, foot inserts can indeed help your skiing but they vary greatly in comfort and in their effectiveness (ability to actually enhance performance).
Because even poorly made inserts are helpful to some degree, most ski facilities today offer some form of arch supports.
Whether you’re preparing for a golf tournament, road race, or ski trip, the first step in having a good set of foot inserts made is to have a structural evaluation. This will determine if you have (among other things) a flattened foot or tight calf muscles. And incorporating corrections for these problems in your inserts will make your training easier, decrease your risks of injury and can improve your performance. And since everyone has structural abnormalities, almost everyone can benefit from this.
Skiing places a great deal of stress on your feet and legs. This begins with your foot being forcefully held in a rigid boot for long periods of time; usually in a less than an ideal position, both functionally and comfortably. Add the forces of weight bearing and gravity, combined with stressful turns and possible jumps, and it’s no wonder that you relish the thought of taking your boots off at the end of a days skiing!
For these reasons, (as I mentioned above) most ski shops make some sort of foot insert for the boots they sell. Although comfortable, they generally don’t hold your foot in its ideal position, nor will they enhance performance.
There are three basic reasons for their lack of effectiveness. First, just like making eye glasses, even the best corrective lenses are only as good as the examination, and there are many factors to consider when examining someone for a set of inserts. These include leg length differences (which greatly affect balance), flexibility, age, and an accurate assessment of one’s specific foot type.
Secondly, a mold of the foot must be made non-weight bearing (not standing), with the foot in its ideal functioning position, and not in the abnormal position it assumes when standing. And lastly, the device should be precisely made to hold that ideal, fully corrected position.
Unfortunately, most ski shops don’t offer what’s really needed, and that’s a structural evaluation by a real expert in this area. And that doesn’t mean someone who has been trained in taking an impression to sell you an insert, but a physician specializing in sports performance!
For example, if you’re a skier whose right foot pronates or rolls inward (flattens) more than your left foot, you will usually have more difficulty making left turns. This is because your more flattened right foot is not as rigid a lever to push off from. In addition, you will ski slower and with more difficulty because you will basically be “snow plowing” with your right foot.
Differences such as this usually indicate that one leg is longer than the other, which will also significantly affect your balance and can cause symptoms in your weight bearing joints (feet, ankles, knees, hips and back). And unless this leg length difference is evaluated and treated when your inserts are made, optimal performance can never be achieved.
So do it right. With a pair of precisely made corrective ski inserts, you will have a lot more fun and comfort on your trip. And because optimally correcting your structural problems can help you at almost any age, you may even beat your grandkids down the slopes!
—A former reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon and past Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Pack practices at MCG Medical Associates, Lake Oconee Village in Greensboro. He specializes in biomechanical structural analysis and works with patients who have arthritis and wish to decrease joint symptoms and remain active. Dr. Pack also treats athletes at all levels. In the 2004 Olympics he had a silver and gold medalist and helps the UGA Golf Team (2005 NCAA National Champions). For further information please see his web site at www.drloupack.com or contact him directly at 706-454-0040.