# Having issue finding boots that fit and don't cause pain



## Subarudunk (Jan 24, 2013)

As the title states.. I am having trouble finding a boot that I can ride in comfortably for the day without getting heel lift, foot numbness or pain. I am at the point where I do not want to ride as much because of the pain that comes with wearing boots all day.
I am certain I am purchasing the right size because I verified my measurements with Wired Sport on here. 
My current boot is the Nike DK. The boots are the comfiest I have found, but I am still having issues. 
The first issue was heel lift which I addressed by adding Jbars and changing my lacing methods. I also added Remind Medic insoles. 
Adding the Jbars and Remind Medic Insoles took volume out of the boot and now the boots fit a little too tight. 
My toes are against the front of the boot with no wiggle room. 
My question is if there is anything that can be done regarding the fit of this boot. Are there any low volume insole options available?
What is causing the burning in my arch along with the soreness in my forefoot while riding?

Any advice appreciated!


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## lab49232 (Sep 13, 2011)

Subarudunk said:


> As the title states.. I am having trouble finding a boot that I can ride in comfortably for the day without getting heel lift, foot numbness or pain. I am at the point where I do not want to ride as much because of the pain that comes with wearing boots all day.
> I am certain I am purchasing the right size because I verified my measurements with Wired Sport on here.
> My current boot is the Nike DK. The boots are the comfiest I have found, but I am still having issues.
> The first issue was heel lift which I addressed by adding Jbars and changing my lacing methods. I also added Remind Medic insoles.
> ...


Have you heat molded? And dyou know the Remind insoles are right for your feet? Just because an insole is highly rated or praised doesn't mean it matches your foot shape.


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## MrDavey2Shoes (Mar 5, 2018)

sounds like you’re making something too tight. Howntight do you crank your bindings?


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

I use ortholite, but there are different types. Problem is it all has to fit together. I pull the tongue on the inner boot up and to the lateral side, really tighten the inner harness and the top zone of the boot, but leave the lower zone snug without tightening, and that seems to work for me. How the inner boot, tongue and lacing is made, matters so much that it's hard to give a clear solution. I also have asym ankle straps that sit really high over the boot, with almost no pressure on the arch.


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

I guess you could use a small heel lift to help move your toes back a hair but then you'll just be chasing out a different issue that causes.


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## vodkaboarder (Feb 9, 2013)

Check out Tognar.....






Snowboard & Ski Boot Fitting Tools | Tognar


Be comfortable when you hit the slopes with our snowboard and ski boot fitting tools. You deserve the best support for your feet when you glide. Shop here!




www.tognar.com


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Heel lift issues and numbness sound like you have a bad fit. (Overtightening to compensate for heel lift, thus numbing). Size may be correct, nonetheless not every boot model fits a certain foot. 

You seem to have slim ankles? Have you tried Ride boots? I owned almost every brand and the Ride Cadence I had offered the best heel hold of all. Dunno if men's models are equally slim around ankle, but as SO had a Ride Insano which was too narrow for his rather sturdy ankles, I assume they are.

To relief pressure over your arch you can undo the lower eyelet of the liner so you can tighten the liner firmly without squeezing arch. I also leave the lacing of lower shell boot open and only tighten the ankle and bootleg part.


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

Subarudunk said:


> As the title states.. I am having trouble finding a boot that I can ride in comfortably for the day without getting heel lift, foot numbness or pain. I am at the point where I do not want to ride as much because of the pain that comes with wearing boots all day.
> I am certain I am purchasing the right size because I verified my measurements with Wired Sport on here.
> My current boot is the Nike DK. The boots are the comfiest I have found, but I am still having issues.
> The first issue was heel lift which I addressed by adding Jbars and changing my lacing methods. I also added Remind Medic insoles.
> ...


Hi Subaru,

Please link me to your original fit thread and please let me know the boot size that you went with.

STOKED!


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## Radialhead (Jan 3, 2018)

I got a bit of heal lift in my Northwaves until I discovered a little trick - I push down on the top of the liner tongue before tightening the liner. Such a simple thing but makes all the difference.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

neni said:


> You seem to have slim ankles? Have you tried Ride boots? I owned almost every brand and the Ride Cadence I had offered the best heel hold of all. Dunno if men's models are equally slim around ankle, but as SO had a Ride Insano which was too narrow for his rather sturdy ankles, I assume they are.


Ride boots work very well for my skinny man-ankles. I use Ride Insano for stiff days, and the Ride Fuse most of the time. As a bonus, Ride Fuse have a very small footprint to reduce boot out.


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## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

Subarudunk said:


> I am certain I am purchasing the right size because I verified my measurements with Wired Sport on here.
> [---]
> My toes are against the front of the boot with no wiggle room.


There's still room for errors, even with that.

Common mistake: people focus on the toes and forget the heels - that's how they end up thinking a too large boot is too small.

Is it a searing, burning pain behind your third and fourth toe? If so, it's the same kind of pain that I suffer from in my leading foot. I have noticed that riding with positive angles relieves the pain a bit. So does not overtightening you liner harness, the lower zone of your shell, and your binding ankle strap.


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## Subarudunk (Jan 24, 2013)

Thank you for the advice everyone! Some good points to consider. 
I think I want to start with a lower volume insole. The FP insoles I currently have along with the jbars are reducing the volume in the boot a bit too much.


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## Subarudunk (Jan 24, 2013)

Wiredsport said:


> Hi Subaru,
> 
> Please link me to your original fit thread and please let me know the boot size that you went with.
> 
> STOKED!


Hi Wiredsport,

Here is the original thread .








Nike DK Sizing


So I want to try out the Nike Danny Kass Boot. I know I should try it on in stores but no stores around me have it in small sizes. I measured my foot and my mondo size is 24.8-24.9 with socks on. My question is should I get this boot in a 7.5 or an 8. I have read that this is a more padded...




www.snowboardingforum.com


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

Subarudunk said:


> Hi Wiredsport,
> 
> Here is the original thread .
> 
> ...


Hi,

I see in that thread that your initial measurements were 24.8-24.9 cm, could you measure that again? That is Mondopoint 250 or size 7 US in snowboard boots. Did you stick with the size 7.5 Nikes? I see that we had an inconsistency between that measurement and the insert images. Could you post up images of your barefoot measurements being taken? Length and width please. 

STOKED!


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Subarudunk said:


> I am certain I am purchasing the right size because I verified my measurements with Wired Sport on here.


That's where you're wrong. If it was the right size, it would not be giving you trouble (but don't think ONLY of the size number... think fit). Likely, the boot is too big.



Subarudunk said:


> The first issue was heel lift which I addressed by adding Jbars and changing my lacing methods. I also added Remind Medic insoles.
> Adding the Jbars and Remind Medic Insoles took volume out of the boot and now the boots fit a little too tight.
> My toes are against the front of the boot with no wiggle room.
> My question is if there is anything that can be done regarding the fit of this boot. Are there any low volume insole options available?


Yes, Superfeet blue, or carbon. They provide good arch support and are very very thin. Take up almost no volume. Bring the boots with your snowboard socks to a store and check out different insoles.



Subarudunk said:


> What is causing the burning in my arch along with the soreness in my forefoot while riding?


Heel lift and issues with the arch support. Maybe also a posture problem when you do toeside turns (bending at the waist, butt out, pressure with the ball of your feet instead of coming from your body being centered over the edge).


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## Loftness (Feb 19, 2014)

Here's what has worked for me:
-BOA systems in general. At the bottom of every run I unlock each one (pop up), flex a little, and pop them back into place. I ride up that way, and then at the top I quickly spin each one tight again. It takes no time at all and it always works to alleviate the pressure for my runs. My circulation sucks, and this alone is really all I need to do. And I couldn't do that with laces and other systems as easily.

-K2 boots have the best heel hold I've ever experienced. Last year I threw down money for the Burton step ons (Photon I think?) and the heel hold on those is awesome as well. No Jbars needed for me.

Good luck!


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## MrDavey2Shoes (Mar 5, 2018)

@Loftness it sounds like your boots are too big if you’ve got to unpop the boa after every run...


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

MrDavey2Shoes said:


> @Loftness it sounds like your boots are too big if you’ve got to unpop the boa after every run...


Yeah, if you've got to tighten them that much they're probably too big. Ideally boots shouldn't restrict circulation. Boa is nice for those on the fly tightenings.


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## Paxford (Jan 7, 2019)

Once I had a properly sized boot I found it takes some finessing to get it on and set up correctly. There is little margin for error and if you don't pay attention to how you are setting things up you can cause yourself pain. My routine-

1. Put boots on
2. kick the heel
3. Very lightly tighten liner and boa's
4. Walk from car to lift, preferably uphill, pushing in that heel.
5. If you feel your heel isn't seating then sit down, loosen boas and liner, grab the front of your boot and pull towards you. Enjoy the toe relief.
5. Lightly tighten, strap up and ride the lift
6. By the time you reach the top the boot is warmed up now, kick the heels
8. average tighten the liner and boa's
9. Go ride
10. If you need more support tighten the bindings, not the boot. Don't induce pain with the bindings. If you're still pissed off due to heel lift don't just go and overtighten the boot, instead loosen and reset that heel, then tighten reasonably
11. Reset midday no matter what, adjusting not the just the BOA's but also the liner. Watch for liner tongue alignment.

This is how I stop heel lift. Your heel needs to be dug in early in the day, and moreso as the boot heats up and the liner gets softer over the course of a day. If this doesn't help I'd say you have a bad footshape match to Nike's. Oh, and get some good insoles. "Good" is relative to you, not reviews. I like SOLE insoles but YMMV. You can shave them down to fit your last, or if you buy a size larger than your boot you can adjust your arch location forward by trimming the nose off.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

MrDavey2Shoes said:


> @Loftness it sounds like your boots are too big if you’ve got to unpop the boa after every run...


Or too small lol


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## Loftness (Feb 19, 2014)

MrDavey2Shoes said:


> @Loftness it sounds like your boots are too big if you’ve got to unpop the boa after every run...


...that is a really confusing comment. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I have very poor circulation in general. My boots are definitely the correct size. I don’t crank them down (overcrank) so much that I need to pop the boa. I tighten them a normal amount...but if I don’t loosen them a little every other run or so I will be in pain. It just is what it is. I thought my solution to my sensitive feet might help the OP.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Loftness said:


> ...that is a really confusing comment. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I have very poor circulation in general. My boots are definitely the correct size. I don’t crank them down (overcrank) so much that I need to pop the boa. I tighten them a normal amount...but if I don’t loosen them a little every other run or so I will be in pain. It just is what it is. I thought my solution to my sensitive feet might help the OP.


That's a bummer. I wonder if most of your circulation passes by the surface of the top of your foot. I saw someone on an earlier thread that removed some liner above their foot veins to provide more circulation. That got me thinking about putting some moleskin on my main veins before heat molding. That should ease compression where the blood needs to flow. There's one spot where my veins come together right where the heel strap goes over. Just getting that spot more flow might do the trick. I've had cold toes for the first time since I sized down in boots. Coincidence?


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## Paxford (Jan 7, 2019)

FWIW my brother laces his shoe a very specific way to avoid pressure on the top of his foot. Otherwise he loses circulation and the foot goes numb.


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## Subarudunk (Jan 24, 2013)

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Lots of useful tips to try out!


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## Subarudunk (Jan 24, 2013)

Wiredsport said:


> Hi,
> 
> I see in that thread that your initial measurements were 24.8-24.9 cm, could you measure that again? That is Mondopoint 250 or size 7 US in snowboard boots. Did you stick with the size 7.5 Nikes? I see that we had an inconsistency between that measurement and the insert images. Could you post up images of your barefoot measurements being taken? Length and width please.
> 
> STOKED!


I took another measurement and it is right at 25.6 for length.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Loftness said:


> ...that is a really confusing comment. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I have very poor circulation in general. My boots are definitely the correct size. I don’t crank them down (overcrank) so much that I need to pop the boa. I tighten them a normal amount...but if I don’t loosen them a little every other run or so I will be in pain. It just is what it is. I thought my solution to my sensitive feet might help the OP.


A couple of things if you have poor circulation/cold feet... @neni also...
Use compression sleeves...Not compression socks

Mix up some cayenne powder/pepper in some oil...like coconut or olive oil. Then rub a few drops of the concoction on your bare feet before you put on your SB socks. Its a little thing I discovered this year and it works great and is cheap and easy...just wash your hands.


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

Subarudunk said:


> I took another measurement and it is right at 25.6 for length.


Hi,

This is going to be the key to getting your fit issues solved. We have too broad a range of measurements so far to get this right. Could you post up images of your barefoot measurements being taken? Length and width please.

STOKED!


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