Hey Puckmugger--What's a good skate for players with Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome?Nov 15 '07 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Difficult fits might require custom skates. Graf is the best bet for a custom last.
Hey Puckmugger – I have seen your answers to hockey questions and was hoping you would have a suggestion for us . My daughter who is 14 and a high end player ( she made national camp and will be playing prep school this year). She will skate about at least 6 days a week during the season. She is around a size 6-1/2 or 7 women’s shoe that is a normal width and her feet have stopped growing. She’s an aggressive defensemen who weighs about 120 pounds and is 5'5" tall. Our problem is this; she has Tarsal Tunnel syndrome. To help you understand the condition check this website - http://www.footcaredirect.com/tarsal_tunnel.html. She is also prone to lace bite. She also is somewhat flat footed and over-pronates a bit. She has been in CCM Pro tacks her whole life and now it has been suggested to us that she try Grafs which seem very comfortable for her. What we need is a skate that will not break down with the amount of skating she does, but that is not so stiff that it pinches the nerve around her ankles. Any skate that is too tight around the ankle bone will be bad. As an example Bauer Nike one 90s are like a torture device for her because they are too stiff around the ankle area and put pressure there. Will Graf custom make a boot for her? That would be ideal. If not what is the best GRAF skate in your opinion for her foot, weight, level etc. We do have a great skate shop that will rebuild the skates for her( that we just found) which is what the doctor wants us to do for the pronation aspect. But they do not carry Grafs. We have been to quite a few stores and it is really hard to find a store that carries them. She has tried on a G35 in a 4 wide. They were too wide. But, that is all the store had. I can find different Grafs online but I don’t know what to order. I have to admit all the diferent skates Graf has makes it confusing to figure out the right skate for her. So ... sorry for the really long email but I am frustrated and not sure what to do that is right for my kid. who is a very determined hockey player and does not want this condition to end her career . soooooo any advice you have would be great! Thanks very much Marysue __________________________________________ MarySue, Thanks for the email. You've given me one of the toughest challenges that I've faced for a while. I have pretty bad carpal tunnel so I think I have some vague idea of what your daughter must be going through. It's got to be more frustrating than not being able to feel the stick though. It sounds like you are on the right track with Graf skates. They will do a custom boot for you which is typically ordered through your local Graf dealer. I believe it is about an extra $100 on top of the normal cost of the boot which isn't too bad for a custom (Figure skaters pay upwards of $800 for custom boots and then need to but the blades on top of that). The downside to Graf's custom skate program is that it takes quite a while sometimes. I've heard of people waiting 3 to 6 months on skates. Your Graf retailer might be able to better tell you what the current wait time is. The G35 is the narrowest skate that Graf makes. It might be a better fit in a regular or a narrow. Here is how their number system works. The digit of a skate model is the level of boot. 3 is novice/intermediate. 5 or 6 is intermediate/advanced. 7 is advanced/elite and G is elite/pro. Thus she should be in either the 7 or G series skates. Both lines will typically last even advanced skaters for 3 years or more. The second part of the skate model is how it fits. 35 is narrowest, 03 and 05 are similar moderate width and depth skates (the 05 is two millimeters wider all the way around). The 09 is the widest in their line, and fits thick and wide feet. The ideal skate for her might be Graf's 707. These skates were originally designed to help players with ankle injuries that had to wear a brace in their skates. They've been used since by players who prefer a little looser fit around the ankles. Most importantly, they have an independent upper and lower that allows flexibility at the ankles and minimizes pressure on the anklebones. The fit of the 707 is similar to the 703/705 skates. For the pronation issue, the easiest solution is a pair of custom insoles. Orthodics are ideal, but expensive. Superfeet's custom molded insoles have worked wonders for a lot of local players. I use them in my skates. Many ski shops, hiking stores and shoe stores carry Superfeet and can custom mold them while you wait. Check www.superfeet.com. I hope that helps you out! Scott __________________________________________ Hey Puckmugger - Thank you for the email . . . glad I was able to give you a challenge. I had a feeling that the 707s were the way we wanted to go. I am also wondering about the 703s? At this point the guy who custom fits and rebuilds the skates wants to put her in a Bauer XXV. He says they are soft enough for her weight and are good for a woman’s foot. (He does not carry Grafs ) so she has tried them on and they felt pretty good after 1/2 walking around on them. I think we may just get those and have him custom fit them for her. The shop is very well run and I know if she was feeling pain they would keep rebuilding them for her or even take them back. Then I think we may go ahead and order some Grafs assuming that they take about 6 months to custom order. I really feel that that will be her skate in the long run. Well if you run across any advice or anyone else who has the TTS let me know. She is having cortisone right now and hoping to avoid surgery. It has been a long road. Thanks again , MarySue __________________________________________ MarySue, The 703 might be a decent choice. However, the ankles on the 703 are certainly going to be much stiffer than those of the 707. Hopefully you can work directly with Graf on the custom skates as I think this is your best bet. They have some great techs who can help you out. The Vapor might be a good interim choice. Peter Forsberg was skating in them when he was having ankle issues which almost forced him to retire from the NHL. Best, Scott (Sadly, Peter continues to struggle with foot and ankle issues and has hinted that he will not be coming back to the NHL since this email). © 2007 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. You might also enjoy my book on hockey, Hockey for Weekend Warriors. Click here to read the reviews. A few of my reviews that you might find helpful: Graf 735 Skates with T-Blades Graf 707 Skates Graf G3 Skates Bauer Vapor XX Skates  |
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