Roller skating is an awesome and fun activity that bonds parents and kids, and makes them happy and stress-free. Roller skating also betters the physical fitness of the skater by improving muscular coordination and stamina. This is just one out of the many health benefits of roller skating.
As a beginner, you may find skating groovy, but notice some discomfort along the way. You think it’s because it’s your first time, and then, you try skating again, only to find out that you still experience the same discomfort. Your likely question would be, “why do my feet hurt when I roller skate?”.
Just like other sports or activities, roller skating can make your feet painful. There are different reasons why your feet hurt when you roller skate and we shall discuss some of the reasons why your feet hurt when you roller skate.
Different Causes of Foot Pain
It’s not surprising to suffer feet pain when you have a brand new skate around the corner. A lot of things can cause you foot pain, from the size of the skate to the shape of your feet, type of roller skate you purchased to your posture. It could be that your muscles are not developed enough to skate or that you have a preexisting health condition. It could also be that you are impatient with the skate and that you need to give it some time to break in.
Wrong Skate Sizing
This is probably the most common reason why your feet hurt you. If you feel pain all the time, the first thing that you should check is the boots. Are they too narrow, a size shorter or larger or is the sole is causing an issue?
If you buy a skate that’s below your regular size, then you should expect some discomfort from wearing the skate. Likewise, if you buy a skate that’s a little bigger than your foot, you won’t experience any discomfort, but you surely won’t enjoy skating with it.
When it comes to skating, wearing the right size is very crucial thing, if not the most important thing. Your skates shouldn’t be too small or too big for your feet. Your toes should barely touch the front of the skate, and the skate should be wide enough to contain your feet. A tight skate will impede or cut blood flow to your toes. This is bad.
Not only that, a tight skate will cause blisters, and in worse cases, hammer toe.
Tight Laces
Improperly laced skates can cause you foot pain. If the skates are laced too tightly, it will result in some sort of pressure, which will irritate the top of your foot. This is called lace bite.
Muscles Are Not Accustomed to the New Activity
Skating requires a whole lot from you and doing some warm-ups is very essential, especially if you are skating for the first time. Your joints, muscles, will all be worked out during skating and if they are not properly stretched before engaging in the activity, you may end up with knee injuries as well as muscle cramps. The Achilles tendon, for example, could be very much affected.
Your ankles and feet will deeply hurt as a result of your muscles not used to the skate or boot. You will notice some vibrations and strain along your ligaments called plantar fascia that support the arch of your foot. This arises because these ligaments feel some extra load on them.
Medical Conditions
If you are suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, chances are that skating won’t go down well with you. Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage and the joints, resulting in pain and stiffness. Due to this pain and stiffness around the joints ad cartilage, you may have weak ankles and bones – meaning that you will have less support and balance while skating. The pressure will be on the sole of your feet resulting in tiredness.
Also, if you have flat feet, it could strain the muscles and the ligaments. This is because the arches are flattened out as opposed to a little curve. When skating, this can cause your feet pain. Most people who are born with flat feet have had their ways around in skating without problems, so it’s not necessarily a problem.
Overuse
Skating can only be fun if you do it according to your pace. Sometimes, overuse of the muscles and ankle (achilles tendon) can result in weak muscles and bones. This ultimately mean that you will have leg pains.
As a beginner, your joints and muscles might not be fully developed to skate, just as we briefly explained in this post. So going the extra mile to skate will be putting your entire body at one risk to the other. Skating strenuously will be adding more pains to your body.
Common Injuries That Can Be Sustained During Skating
One cannot be too careful while skating, and as a result, injuries are bound to occur to the skater.
So what are those common injuries one can sustain during the activity?
Achilles Tendonitis
While skating, your body is supported by your ankles and the muscles. Overusing them, especially if you skate more than the required time your body can handle will result in something we call achilles tendonitis, whereby there’s a tear in the achilles tendon.
Osteoarthritis
Yes, skating too much can lead to osteoarthritis, and this would mean that you will need some time for your bones to strengthen again before skating.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis causes sharp pain in the arch sole of the foot as a result of irritation and inflammation of the tissue. This is a common injury experienced by new skaters who haven’t done an activity that’s as intense as skating.
Bursitis
This is an issue that is commonly associated with the heel. It comes as a result of pressure on the heel over an long period of time. Bursitis occur due to skating strenuously without doing some pre-exercises.
Back Pains
This has to do with your posture. Have you ever wondered why your back hurt while you skate? It’s because you didn’t maintain the right posture. It’s quite common for new skaters to experience this.
Another reason why you may experience some back pains is that your muscles are not developed strong enough to support your skating. Don’t worry, we shall provide solutions to this before the end of this post.
How to Solve These Problems
Since we now know the various causes of these pains and discomfort, let’s dive into their solutions.
Wear the Right Fit
First thing first, you should avoid wearing any boot that is too small or too big, too narrow or too wide. We explained earlier that a tight skate will impede the flow of blood to your feet. Not to talk of the discomfort that you will experience while you are skating.
Wearing tight skates will cause blisters and other injuries to your toes. Some parents often imbibe the habit of buying a pair of skates that’s a little bigger than the foot of their kid, so that he/she can grow into it. While this is a good way of saving a few bucks in the future, it’s not totally a sound idea and wouldn’t recommend. Bunions, sweaty feet, and other injuries can occur as a result of wearing an oversized boot.
Skates should fit perfectly. If you purchased the right size and you find out that there’s a tiny space left, you can wear a pair of thick socks. This will cover the little space inside, but you will end up with sweaty feet.
Be Patient
Many people expect to kickstart their skating activity with their new boots. The truth is skating for the first time is not a cool experience. That’s because your skates, no matter how perfectly fit they are will take time getting used to your feet when you skate with it for a few times. Once it has assumed the shape of your feet or broken in, this won’t be a problem and you will not experience this kind of trouble. This is why you need to be patient with your new boots.
Do Some Warm-Ups
This is probably a crucial pre-activity before skating. Like we said, skating takes up almost all your muscles and bones, and it’s only necessary that you prepare yourself for what lies ahead of you, especially if it’s your first time skating. What do you do? Engage in some warm-ups. Exercise the muscles and bones. Do some push-ups and develop your muscles and bones. Skating for the first time won’t be difficult if you do this.
Don’t Skate Strenuously
Take it easier; there’s no need going some hundred miles just because your friend put you up to the test; Skate at your own pace; Everyone is different, and you shouldn’t others affect your performance. If you aren’t cut out for it, it’s better that you don’t skate at all, rather than skating and getting yourself all worked up and stressed out.
Consult a Specialist/ Podiatrist
You may have an underlying health condition that may or may not agree with your new skating activity. To be sure, you should consult a specialist to recommend the type of boot to wear, how long you should skate, and on what surface that you should be skating on.
The specialist can also take a look at the shape of your foot and recommend some inserts that will align the foot correctly, so that it fits impeccably into the boot.
Don’t Lace Too Tightly
Lacing your boots too tightly will put pressure on the front of your feet. Loosen the lace a little and see if you feel better.
Conclusion
Skating requires you getting used to the skates. It’s possible for your feet to feel hurt after a few times skating if you are just starting out. However, it shouldn’t be afterwards, but if you find yourself in any kind of discomfort, find the problem and apply the necessary solution.
