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Cramping on 5th metatarsul area with Lange RS 130 only on powder days

post #1 of 9
6/14/12 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 

I've run into an odd cramping issue this year (still skiing at Crystal Mountain through this June!).  I got some new Lange RS 130s this season which have worked pretty well. Have a 2-year old custom footbed and new Intuition liners in them. The problem I've been running into is with my Rossi S7's, and only on powder days. No problem when I ski with my Volkl Mantras on crud or older snow. For some reason, I seem to be digging my left foot toes into the footbed, no idea why.  This was so bad after one power day in May, that I got a mass of cramped muscle under the 5th metatarsual area.  I literally had a hard lump for a couple of days under my 6th toe area. No problem with my right foot.  Looking for some ideas on what is causing this.  Is it a canting issue with the Rossi's, or maybe I need a new footbed? FYI-expert skier, 52 years old, ski off-piste consistently. Thanks.

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post #2 of 9
6/15/12 at 9:41pm

do you get the same thing with the S7 on non-powder days?  what about non powder days on the S7's?  

 

what about skiing the mantras on power days?

are you leaning back more with the softer snow (or the more center mounted S7's making you lean back more)? 

 

is the left foot smaller?  so the toes are grabbing/clawing more?   use a bit thicker sock on that foot, or a shim under to footbed?

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post #3 of 9
6/16/12 at 2:10am

As Dave has mentioned, there may be a lot going on here. First Q is what do you mean by cramping? I know this sounds fundamental but cramping is most always a sign of muscle fatigue. That is generally caused by lack of support from the boot/footbed combo that is causing you to "self stabilize" in the noted situation. It's not the fault of the skis.....forget that. It is most probably the fault of the boot/footbed combination that is not working for you. As a remote possibility it might just be that you tend to resort to the 'backseat' when in deep snow. If so........this is neither a ski nor (most likely) a boot problem.

 

SJ

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post #4 of 9
6/17/12 at 8:11am
Thread Starter 

SJ and Dave, after thinking about your questions, I'm afraid this relates to getting in the backseat on deep powder days. Our thick, deep snow can be  intimidating and I have run into problems getting a centered stance with my S7s on those days. Hmm, sounds like time for a ski lesson refresher.   

 

That being said, I do still find this odd that only left foot is cramping (it's the exterior area south of the sixth toe, just undersole area, weird).  So I will look into the footbed too.

 

No problem with this combination skiing steep corn snow bumps yesterday at Crystal Mountain with the S7 and Lange setup. 

 

Thanks for your late-season help on this!

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post #5 of 9
6/17/12 at 4:58pm

Where are the S7's mounted?   if you are not skiing backward, maybe get them mounted 1-3cm back of center.  I moved the bindings on a demo pair ALL the way back, and still found it a bit too forward.

 

IS the left foot smaller?   so it will move around more in teh boot?   how is the shell fit?   What ever foot is smaller, try a thicker sock on that foot to make the fit balanced.

 

A lesson will help too.

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post #6 of 9
6/20/12 at 9:02pm

As Dave said binding position absolutely affects your stance on the skis.  Experiment with it.  The S7 is quite far forward.  You could also play around with binding delta and flatten the binding out a little bit.

 

Lou

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post #7 of 9
6/24/12 at 1:22pm

Since this is a one foot only issue, perhaps as someone suggested earlier, it is a volume issue.  If there is too much volume in the forefoot of the boot you may tend to grip with your toes so fill the void or to get resistance from the top of the forefoot against the boot to help keep or get you forward.  We dorsiflex the ankle to help pull us forward.  If there is a gap or play in the fore foot of the boot this can cause this issue.  You may want to try a thicker sock as suggested but I would suggest getting some foam padding and make yourself a pad to place between the liner and shell over your forefoot area to take up excess volume so the foot and toes can remain more relaxed and get the resistance needed to make quick balancing adjustments.

 

There could also be an alignment issue on the sagittal plane which is causing a challenge in your fore/aft balance?  but since, as you stated, it is only one side I suspect a volume difference?

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post #8 of 9
6/25/12 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 

Bud, I think you are correct on the volume issue.  I am going to try adding some foam to my left boot per your suggestion first.

 

If that doesn't work, then I'll try the moving the binding back. However, I think you are on the right track. Thanks.  Now all I need is a power day to confirm this! But since it rained at Crystal Mountain last weekend, I don't think that will happen until November.

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post #9 of 9
7/8/12 at 7:39am
Thread Starter 

Just a quick update, I added some padding to the top of my Intuition liner.  I definately noticed a difference skiing on July 1st. Thanks!

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