Foot Pain From Ice Hockey Skates

Foot pain from wearing hockey skates is no phantom condition, and if you've ever experienced it, you know firsthand that the pain can be excruciating. For some, the discomfort makes it impossible to wear hockey skates.

Symptons

• Severe foot pain is common in hockey.

  According to chiropractor Jason Weeks, the pain can feel like a cramp or worse. "As a former hockey player, I can tell you firsthand this type of pain felt like somebody was literally stabbing my foot, from the balls to the heel," he says.

Conditions

• Plantar fasciitis is inflamed tissue.

  Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the large band of tissue that runs from your heel to your toes and is a common problem among hockey players.

Causes

• Thin blades put strain on feet.

  The pain is directly related to the foot having to support itself over such a thin blade, usually only a 2-mm surface.

Occurrences

• Pain often reoccurs.

  Foot pain typically stops when you quit skating, but comes right back when you try to put skates back on and skate again.

Cures

• A cold foot bath can help.

  Weeks says there is no quick fix. "You can ease your way back into skates, painfully, and keep skating though it," says Weeks. "After, you can stick your foot in a bucket of ice and water, which not many people like or can stand to do, either."

Hard Choices

• New or different skates can help.

  Last-ditch efforts include trying different types of skates. If this doesn't help and your foot isn't strengthening and adapting over time to the specific type of weight transfer involved in skating, it might be time to take up another sport.