Varus wedge placement experiments

[surfski]

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If I don't learn something new everyday, I am dead. I have a ravenous taste for knowledge and if I can't apply that knowledge in the learning process in a constructive way, all is for not.

Snap beautifully put

 

[otto]

Exactly Dovski,

A surgeon for feet is a surgeon for feet. They really understand gait and are fully capable of doing surgical repair and building and modifying underfoot or total devices for walking and running.

A bootfitter is at best capable of matching your foot to a boot where the shape, flex, and positioning are somewhat close to your physicality.

The magic bullet is an individual that can do all of the above, plus figure out the specific parameters of the joints in your feet that relate to the way you compensate in your ski technique.

This is the person that it is worth driving or flying anywhere in the world to find. And because of the specific areas of the ski boot that a Podiatrist or a Pedorthist, and in most cases a bootfitter unequivocally do not understand, you will not find him in a mini mall close to your home. You will find them closer than further to skiing, and they will be working with either high end athletes including high level ski racers, National Demo team members, level 3 instructors, examiners, etc. they will be able to assess the ankle joint for optimum fore aft balance, and identify the mechanics of your forefoot for optimum lateral efficiency. This unicorn might be a coach or ski teacher on top of their boot tuning skills. Most importantly this individual will ask questions and listen to your answers. If you feel like the person in front of you is not listening, don’t wait around for confirmation. Lazy hypnotists are a dime a dozen in the world of boot fitting. Attempting to talk you into what they are doing versus collaborating with you to resolve the base root of your dilemma with real solutions based on physics and what the body is showing you instead of voodoo rituals.

 

[WildBillD]

@otto
"and they will be working with either high end athletes including high level ski racers, National Demo team members, level 3 instructors, examiners, etc. "

They may very well be but I would argue that these ski professionals are already gifted with exceptional balance abilities otherwise they would not already be at the top of the skiing food chain. I would argue that is harder for skiers like @dovski and I, to be adjusted, because we most likely have more severe and complex foot impediments. while the gifted athlete is seeking slight refinement of all ready superb alignment system. And what sounds better on boot fitter resume - I worked on elite skier X's alignment, vs I helped align Joe Blow skier with his fused ankle problem?
Otherwise, I agree and I don't really disagree -perhaps just a finer point footnote. very well articulated and perhaps one of the reasons I would chose to experiment.

 

[Nobody]

If I don't learn something new everyday, I am dead. I have a ravenous taste for knowledge and if I can't apply that knowledge in the learning process in a constructive way, all is for not.

Not a bootfitter, hence I haven't much to contribute here but this sentence is brilliant. It also reflects exactly how I feel too.

 

[otto]

WildBillD,

Its worth pointing out that the ice skate has similarities to the ski boot. They both are considered fixed foot devices because the base or bottom of the skate or ski boot are solid and the foot does not have heel strike and toe off like any other type of gait oriented footwear. And just to hit the point home, cycling shoes are also fixed sole shoes, no gait movement.

Okay, so those are the similarities. The differences are whats important to understand for solving your puzzle. Skates do not come up high enough and are not substantial enough for the ankle joint to be as problematic. Balance in the fore/aft plane with a skate, hockey or figure, is fully dependent on the gyroscope that exists in our central nervous system and brain. With skating if an athlete has an ankle joint that the available range of motion is either low or non existent, or loose and flexy like a broken gaming joy stick fore/aft balance will be compromised and there is a high possibility that there is not a mechanical solution within the confines of skate design to have that skater perform at the same level as an athlete that has ankle range of motion in the sweet spot of human normality. A similar phenomena exists with sprinters in track in terms of joint flexibility, more related to arch flexibility and forefoot mechanics, however sometimes those arch and forefoot issues are the result of what is happening with the subtalarjoint and the heel bone, allowing the foot to be unlocked to the mid foot and forefoot. The fastest running humans tend to be supinated toe walkers that have a stiffer less absorbent arch and they essentially do not have a slow and loopy heel strike to toe off for propulsion off the fixed side of the foot. This is where, if identified a well understood and crafted footbed could change a sprinters action to cut time between heel strike and toe off for propulsion forward. The commonality between the three sports skiing, skating, and track, is that in developing athletes, elimination from the sport takes place around the time that athletes start to realize they are off the back and the sport is not fun when you are not having some level of success. The other commonality is that if in each sport you had coaches and technicians that understood what to do to "correct" the funky joint issues with the ankle, mid foot, forefoot action, there would be no reason for an athlete to washout in those sports. The funniest part of the equation is that skiing for all intents and purposes was invented in Europe, and all the equipment ideas come out of Europe. In that context because a country like Austria can attract the best athletes in their country to the "national" sport of skiing, you will find that the best Austrian skiers do not end up at the top of the food chain with a limited range of motion ankle joint or an excessive range of motion ankle joint. They have no incentive to try and solve the conundrum of foot oddities for ski racing success, They just move their focus onto the kid that jumps in any stock ski boot and rips. There is little to no tolerance for the hoops that we North Americans go through to get the playing field for athletes that do not have the most perfect structure in their feet and ankles. How many of you have heard the rumor, myth and innuendo from the World Cup that none of the best European ski racers even use custom footbeds. I digress...

One other difference between ski boots and skates is that the balance point of the skate is centered under the foot where the blade sits, and with ski boots you are balancing and applying forces to the ski from the outside edges of your ski boots. FWIW, and part of why for you there are fore/aft balance issues that need to be addressed with your set-up. There are ground force issues that are effecting your ability to balance laterally. (ie your forefoot mechanics and what you do to the footbed to find homeostasis ) And after those are addressed the final checkpoint is looking up the joint chain to the stacking of your knees and hips and shoulders.

 

[LiquidFeet]

@otto, you are a wealth of information on bootfitting. Thanks for taking the time to write so much.

 

[WildBillD]

@otto
I second what liquid feet said.

 

[WildBillD]

Otto

I do recognize that having a medical professional grounded in aspects of boot fitting knowledge is better equipped to address skiing -related ankle/foot issues than one who is skilled in ice skating ankle/foot specifics. Never the less, At the time, I did deem the information I received from him as valuable.

I would only point out that the skating move in skiing is a necessary part of ski instruction -it is required task for a level II and III PSIA certification. I can not recall in recent memory, a time in skiing when I did not skate somewhere or some time during the day. So his discussion of under foot balance surface areas were relevant and familiar to me, but now I wonder about effect of the differences that you pointed out.

I think now I am convinced to focus only on ski specific relevance, rather than similarities to another sport which could lead me down a blind alley.

P.S I enjoy your posts, and it is the kind of feedback I hoped I would get from my initial post. Thank you for taking the time for thoughtful and well-articulated reply.