From: kevin@dipl.rdd.lmsc.lockheed.com (Kevin Anderson)
Subject: Re: Hazzard of skating
Summary: xx
Keywords: xx
Reply-To: kevin@dipl.rdd.lmsc.lockheed.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 23:34:52 GMT

>>I'm in the process of breaking in a new pair of ice skating
>>boots and I have developed a calcium buildup on my left heel
>>which is about the diameter of a quarter and about 1/16 to 1/8
>>of an inch high.  I am assuming that it is a result of my new
>>(stuff deleted)
>>and that it went away on its own after a few weeks.  What's the
>>poop?


jkaplenk@lucpul.it.luc.edu (Joe Kaplenk) writes:

>Many times if you put a pad between your boot and the sore
>spot it will help decrease the pain and swelling.

and kimon@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopulos) writes:

>I found that if I placed a strip of mole-foam above the irritation on my heal,
>I could skate without much discomfort....

Is there a secrete (potatoe?) to getting the pads in your boot?  I tried putting
a foam pad in the heel, but the fit is so tight that when I put to boot
on the pad gets scrunched up a makes an even bigger iritation.

>Glad you asked!  About a year ago, just after I got a new pair of skates,
>my heels started to get irritated.  Actually, I think it all started because
>of a new pair of shoes I bought around the same time, but anyway...  Once
>they had been inflamed, skating was painful, and seemed to make the problem
>worse.

>I then realized that I had lumps like you are describing on both heels,
>though I still don't know if they were always there (never looked before).
>hey may have always been there since they are suspiciously the same size.

>Anyway, they persisted for a while, and only went away when I took a knife
>to an old pair of shoes (removed the heel in the place that irritated me) and
>used those shoes exclusively for about a week.  The problem went away, and
>they didn't bother me again...

I don't think my street shoes are causing the problem because I don't feel
anything when I wear them.  Although, if that is (part of) the problem, then
wearing sandals (or some heel-less shoe) might be an alternative.  

I'm pretty sure the lump is a result of the skating boots.  I think it might
be caused mostly from spining because that's when I feel it the most (and 
apparently is when most of the stress is on it).  I've gotten a couple of
suggestions that I should have the heel of the boot punched out.  That is
probably what I would end up doing if the problem doesn't go away, but it
would be a last resort since you can't un-punch them.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------	+
|    __n__                               				| 
|     `O'      Draw, ya' mangie dog  					| 
|     /|\                                				| 
|    | | |                               				| 
|    $/-\$                           Kevin Anderson			| 
|    /   \								|
|   _|   |_                          "Landing jumps is like landing an  |   
|                                     airplane, any one that you can 	|
|		                      walk away from is a good one"	| 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+