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HELP!! Will my feet ever NOT be cold, or numb


Bobby Buggs

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I have been struggling for like the past 5 years to stop my toes from being cold and numb. Im thinking it started when I changed footbeds but Im not totally sure if that could be the cause. One thing I hate is when I take my boot off the forefoot is numb and after like 3 minutes I start getting that electric shock feeling when I touch the floor until its back to normal. I have been through many Thermo fit liners and now have liquid foam, changed shells from SB to AF. Seems as if AF has a bigger toe box

Any thoughts on if footbeds could help before I spend MORE $$ trying to stop my feet from hating me and ending my days early.

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Is it an option to go to a ski boot? Because it's going to be a whole bunch easier to try on a zillion ski boots, until you find one that really works for your feet. it might be worth the tradeoff to swap a SB specific boot for a ski boot, if you can't make the SB boots work for you.

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I would say yes absolutely, open your wallet and get good footbeds. They should help with circulation, but even if they don't for some reason, the benefit to your riding will still be worth the expense. I wouldn't ride without them, and I have no foot/leg issues.

Edited by Jack Michaud
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Do your feet go numb when wearing the boots in the house? Even while moving around? If so, that's a circulation issue.

Do your feet only go numb when they're cold? That's probably a cold feet issue. I LOVE my boot warmers! Combine them with the boot gloves on the -30C (-22F) and colder days and I'm limited by my heels getting cold first, which usually lines up pretty well with my fingers or face/neck getting cold enough to go inside for a break.

Boot warmers are not very popular on these forums, but I don't really care as they've made my days much more comfortable and have almost no negatives!

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...Whatever you do don't ask about boot heaters, you'll get laughed off the forum.
...Boot warmers are not very popular on these forums, but I don't really care as they've made my days much more comfortable and have almost no negatives!

People laughing at boot warmers have never been outside at the temperature which the Fahrenheit and Celcius scales are equal.

Dave

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I had the same issue of frozen/numb toes for the last few years and chocked it up to age and maybe poor circulation and I was cringing at the price of trying some boot heaters. Last year, someone in the LCI (Thanks, Biggs!) tossed me a $1.00 solution. Stick-on Toe Warmers from WalMart! Couldn't work, right? Stuck one on the top of each sock and rode all that day in warm comfort! It was amazing how much more control I had with warm feet! I'm usually done after 4-5 hours, but they're still warm! Never leave home without them, now! If you haven't tried them, its worth the investment...

James

Edited by Dusty Bottle
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Stick-on Toe Warmers from WalMart!

Good point! I used those to determine that boot warmers were going to solve my issue. Stick them on top of your toes. Don't buy the hand warmers thinking they're good enough - they'll come apart from the forces in your boots! What a freaking mess!

If they solve the issue but are annoying, look at electrics.

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I did a real test of boot gloves when one evening, I got distracted, and only put on one boot glove. Temps were -10ish F, and it was only about 15 minutes before I noticed one foot was colder, looked down down, and saw why. After an hour, the difference was remarkable.

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If you have compression on the top of your foot, you will often get cold feet. This can be reduced by

- moulded liners

- if necessary dremeling out material from the top of the boot which is pressing on the top of your foot - both the AF and SB if you grind off the area above the bone on the top of your foot may stop a semi compression problem if this is the cause of cold feet

- footbeds (they stop your foot collapsing if you have any sort of an arch, and then you can run less buckle tension)

- reducing buckle tension; the buckles over the top of your foot should not need to be particularly tight if the boot fits well

- decent thin socks (ironically often thinner socks help keep your feet warmer than thick compressive socks)

- having warm boots to start with (if your boots are anything under 25 degrees C/75 degrees F before putting them on and have not been in a warm environment for at least 60 minutes before you pull them on, you are going to struggle to heat them up with foot temperature)

But for some people it's bad circulation, in which case boot gloves, warmers, etc can all help.

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Please to choose from the following menu option:

(Some features not available on all networks)

-Impingement of blood flow over the top of the foot, often caused by inadequate instep clearance (wrong shell for the foot), prominent veins, and/or extra-protruberant instep. Also overbuckling/collapse of the shell.

See also, high pressure foam injection without proper superior aspect clearancing, and/or excessive foam fill.

-Lack of capillary refill in the forefoot, often related to inadequate instep clearance, excessive ramp angle, funky binding configuration,funky riding style, over-buckling instep buckles. In short, too much pressure is borne upon the forefoot. Can also be related to oversized shell and 'grabbing' toes. (Though the latter is usually accompanied by foot fatigue/cramping).

-Inadequate forefoot plantar clearance. Often an issue with improperly molded/incomplete footbed contouring. The ball of the foot will expand when weighted. If the footbed has any significant 'ridge' ahead of the metatarsals, this will restrict expansion, leading to circulation and/or nerve issues. In the case of nerve impingement, this will often manifest over sequential days, with the toes gradually going numb, even when not in the boots. Usually begins with the great toe and moves laterally if not addressed.

Most often associated with non weight bearing, and semi weight bearing casting methods.

-Impinged nerves between the metatarsals. Boot shell is too narrow in the forefoot, and/or, footbed is not 'flat' from one side to the other, such that the metatarsals are compressed. Foot may go numb, but primary discomfort arrives when the 'squeeze' is relieved. Often described as 'shocking' or the sensation of a nail being driven vertically through the foot.

Could also be related to excess HP foam fill.

-All of the above.

-Some of the above.

-A player to be named later.

Cold/numb + 'electric shock' suggests more than one contributing factor.

Generally speaking, a properly configured boot with accurate foot support will provide the user with a warmer foot.

Some exceptions do apply.

Given your litany of physical ailments over the years, you may eventually need to treat the symptom with neoprene and batteries.

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