# Outer foot pain and canting. Suggestions please!



## lonerider

la212 said:


> Apologies if this is the 1,000th thread about uncomfortable boots. I tried searching for topics that already covered this, but couldn't find any. If there are previous discussions that talk about outer sole pain, please just direct me to them!
> 
> That said, I just rode three days straight in Ride Sash Boa’s that I got last year (and only had worn once previously). They’re great boots, in general my foot is much more comfortable overall than in any other boot I’ve worn. I ride a K2 Lunatique 149 with Burton Lexa bindings and am 5'2". I’m an intermediate rider, sticking to trails, no parks.
> 
> After the first day of riding, I noticed the outside of the front of my foot (toebox area) was killing me. Once I rested for 20 min or so, the pain subsided, but as soon as I took another ride, the pain returned. I do have trim-to-fit arch supports that replaced the crappy footbeds that usually come with new boots. Since I’m flat-footed, I always go for something that offers additional arch support, and in any other sport (running, cycling, tennis, etc.) I’ve never experienced pain on the outside of my foot – only snowboarding. Anyway, I stopped in a mountain ski shop nearby and asked a boot fitter about the pain. He suggested that because of the stance (about 15 degrees on front foot, about -9 on back), my body’s weight naturally fell to the outside of my feet. In other words, my feet tend to roll outwards, putting a lot of pressure on that area, especially from carving. His advice was to look for some kind of cant or wedge of foam to glue on to the outer edge of the binding so that my foot would essentially have a more pronounced inward slant, thus alleviating the tendency to roll outwards.
> 
> Does this make sense? I think it kinda does, but I can’t find any such padding. I mean, I could try just fashioning my own (he even suggested duct tape and cardboard to build up that outer area of the binding), but before I go all crazy – does anyone have any insight or has anyone experienced this? I don’t believe it’s a binding problem as the toe strap is a toe-cap kind, so I am not putting unnecessary amounts of pressure on the top of my foot. But maybe it’s a stance issue? Maybe I should try adjusting the angles of my bindings to be less ducky, or maybe move the stance a bit narrower?
> 
> Anyway, any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks, guys.


I found I had a similar problem (I also have flat feet) when I was trying to widen my stance a bit.

I had pain going from the outside of my ankle along outside edge of my foot towards that bony protrusion near my pinkie toe. After a lot of research and talking to people I discovered that is because my peroneus muscle was too tight. It is a funky muscle that runs from the side of your ankle along the outer ridge of your foot near your toes Here is an image showing that muscle.

Anyways... I found that massaging/ART/EPAT on this muscle along with stretching really helps. Stretching it is a little funky since only everts the foot (i.e. lifting the outer edge up). I found that the best way to stretch is to stand with your feet medium width apart, with your* toes turned inward* (heels outward... yes this is a little awkward), then bend forward at the hips and put your hands on the ground. Now try to "push" into the outer edges of you left foot by shift my hips/hands to the right a little... you should feel a stretch in the area of tightness... bounce (yes I know bouncing is typically not a good thing to do) into the foot say a dozen times and then switch to the right foot.

Let me know if that makes sense. Check youtube for more stretches/strengthening exercises, but I found the one I just described above is the most effective. You should also stretch/strengthen your calf muscles (I find alternating sets of calf/peroneus stretches work a lot)

Ok, so that's all and good... but that REAL issue I found was hip adductor/abductor inflexibility which makes it difficult for me to properly widen my feet apart (forcing my lower leg/ankles to try to turn outward). So massaging stretching your inner/outer thighs is important too (the peroneus is only a symptom). So you should stretch those muscles as well.






It was only after I did this over the summer than NOW I can widen my stance a good inch wider AND canting seems to help more (before, because the outside of my ankles/hips were so messed up, canting caused other secondary issues).


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## Gazzy118

la212 said:


> Apologies if this is the 1,000th thread about uncomfortable boots. I tried searching for topics that already covered this, but couldn't find any. If there are previous discussions that talk about outer sole pain, please just direct me to them!
> 
> That said, I just rode three days straight in Ride Sash Boa’s that I got last year (and only had worn once previously). They’re great boots, in general my foot is much more comfortable overall than in any other boot I’ve worn. I ride a K2 Lunatique 149 with Burton Lexa bindings and am 5'2". I’m an intermediate rider, sticking to trails, no parks.
> 
> After the first day of riding, I noticed the outside of the front of my foot (toebox area) was killing me. Once I rested for 20 min or so, the pain subsided, but as soon as I took another ride, the pain returned. I do have trim-to-fit arch supports that replaced the crappy footbeds that usually come with new boots. Since I’m flat-footed, I always go for something that offers additional arch support, and in any other sport (running, cycling, tennis, etc.) I’ve never experienced pain on the outside of my foot – only snowboarding. Anyway, I stopped in a mountain ski shop nearby and asked a boot fitter about the pain. He suggested that because of the stance (about 15 degrees on front foot, about -9 on back), my body’s weight naturally fell to the outside of my feet. In other words, my feet tend to roll outwards, putting a lot of pressure on that area, especially from carving. His advice was to look for some kind of cant or wedge of foam to glue on to the outer edge of the binding so that my foot would essentially have a more pronounced inward slant, thus alleviating the tendency to roll outwards.
> 
> Does this make sense? I think it kinda does, but I can’t find any such padding. I mean, I could try just fashioning my own (he even suggested duct tape and cardboard to build up that outer area of the binding), but before I go all crazy – does anyone have any insight or has anyone experienced this? I don’t believe it’s a binding problem as the toe strap is a toe-cap kind, so I am not putting unnecessary amounts of pressure on the top of my foot. But maybe it’s a stance issue? Maybe I should try adjusting the angles of my bindings to be less ducky, or maybe move the stance a bit narrower?
> 
> Anyway, any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks, guys.


Hey!!! Only now reading this in 2023 and having the exact same problem!! Your post is the only one I've found that helps me! What did you end up doing to solve this? I've tried heaps of different things but it still hurts so bad!!


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