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Boney Lump Back of Heel

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B.Aussie
Posts: 5851 - Karma: 4,522
I'm getting a huge lump on the back of my heel from my ski boot.
My boots are certainly not too big so it's not that.
It's like a bone spur but it's on the heel not the side of the foot.
Whenever I flex forward it kills and I can't ski properly for about 5 runs until it goes numb. It's gotten to the point that I almost cry when I put my boots on and I never cry and I can't walk for an hour after I take my boot off . I'm stuck in a small town where i can't get my heel punched yes i know that's what I need and I can't stop skiing as i'm on a national team camp.

However I was wondering has anyone got this? Is there anything you can do to help it apart from not skiing and blowing/ punching the boot out? Does icing actually help, as it seems to make it worse. * I search barred and couldn't find anything. Any help is appreciated.

Spark Notes: Big bony lump growing on heels.
What can I do to help it apart from boot modifications?
Any Natural remedies or exercises or anything?
Dec 28 2010 1:58PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
ouch!

if brooke is complaining like this, it must be bad, she's a badass

i hope it heals fast!
Dec 28 2010 2:00PM
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loganimlach
Posts: 5132 - Karma: 14,052
definitely a bone spur. i used to get them from my hockey skates. sad part is, aside from boot punching there's not a whole lot you can do for it. icing hurts like a bitch, but is proactive. the best thing that i did for mine was to get aspercream (or if you're trying to go hippy, any birch bark based balm) and coat that bitch prior to shredding.

good luck.
Dec 28 2010 2:46PM
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CousinEddie
Posts: 633 - Karma: 215
did you land flat off any jump lately? happened to my friend, he went to the doctor and they said it was a contusion...he had the same bump
Dec 28 2010 5:06PM
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mackinnon
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 156
sounds like a heel spur- i've got them as well. the only thing short of punching your heel out (which may just make the spur worse because its will give more room for the bone to rub), is allowing it to heal and wearing backless shoes.

maybe try a different pair of boots if you can? bone spurs are caused by improperly fitting boots...its definitely a hard problem to solve if you want to keep skiing. it'll probably come down to just popping advil and sucking it up :(
Dec 28 2010 5:35PM
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Rosbif
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 930
Man, that sounds like one hardcore bone spur. If you are skiing, how is there no shop that could do some boot work? Is there any way you could find a dremel and grind it yourself? Be careful, the more you let it build up, the worse it will be forever. Good luck, I know how much those fuckers hurt.
Dec 28 2010 5:37PM
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cool.
Posts: 3457 - Karma: 1,724
besides the things you listed there's not much that will help you. surgery will put you out 6 months and besides shaving your boot out where you bone spur is there isn't anything that i know of that will help.

sorry Brooke and good luck!!
Dec 28 2010 5:58PM
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*snooki*
Posts: 30 - Karma: 2
how about stay in the kitchen or come pawty yo ass off lik me.
Dec 28 2010 6:02PM
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ookiedookie
Posts: 126 - Karma: 20
A buddy of mine had the same thing from his hockey skates. He had it removed surgically, not sure if there would be an end-all solution to it other than that.
Dec 28 2010 6:05PM
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popNfresh44
Posts: 3757 - Karma: 44
I have them on the backs of my heels, but they don't really hurt at all. You should see a doctor and ask them what they think, surgery might be the best option in your case. I heard that it is pretty painful and it takes a long time to recover though. I had my boots ground and punched out to accomodate for the movement of the spurs, try to get that done.
Dec 28 2010 6:27PM
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mackinnon
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 156
word, plus after being fully healed there is always the possibility of them coming back
Dec 28 2010 6:35PM
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Aerozol
Posts: 1124 - Karma: 488

I have this on the side of my feet, kind of like a 6th toe knuckle on the outside (maybe 40% as nasty as it sounds). sucks.
But it's all toughened up now, and it doesn't hurt...
My flatmate says surgery or nothing. Fuck surgery though right. It's not getting bigger so meh

Dec 29 2010 8:58AM
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nickmcnutt
Posts: 4396 - Karma: 2,965
I have these too, it's a heel spur. I just put a foam spacer in behind the liner, taped to the shell, down to my ankle and down on either side to create a sort of pocket if you will, no punching needed, just crank that ankle buckle and it might work for you too.
Dec 29 2010 11:53PM
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alexg1687
Posts: 1505 - Karma: 1,581
short of punching the boot out all i can think of is putting some foam either side of it to stop the heel pressing back into the boot. that'll take the pressure off the sore spot but its only temporary. you're on the australian team arent you? ask one of the coaches...they'll probably knows a lot more about boots than a lot of the guys on here
Dec 30 2010 7:54AM
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[JmonT]
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
Sounds like hockey heel for sure.  I don't know how it would work for skiing but for hockey our trainers would make a donut out of foam and tape it on before skating.   This might help if you can make a donut yourself but like I said this was the hockey solution and I have no idea how it would feel in a ski boot.
Dec 30 2010 10:12AM
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panojibber
Posts: 3382 - Karma: 216
I've had them for ages, and I'm pretty damn sure it was due to a shitty pair of boots that packed out like 2 sizes in a year. Couldn't keep my foot in one place in the boot. Got some new boots and they didn't irritate me any more, and didn't get any worse.
Dec 30 2010 10:25AM
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hanksy
Posts: 659 - Karma: 265
I have a super gnarly one that lasted all summer... absolutely the result of some terrible fitting boots. Get some boomerang shaped foam pieces and put them on the sides of your ankles to prevent any heel movement at all. Put the foam piece right about the heel spur and it should feel better
Dec 30 2010 10:33AM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,893
Good custom insoles or footbeds can cure this.  This usually happens when one part of your foot is taking more impact than the rest of your foot.  Bone spurs are caused by repeated impact in the same spot.  Custom footbeds spread the impact.  Yes, they usually cost between $150 and $200 but it is worth it.  Bone spurs will keep growing until you will have to have form fit bladders, or have them surgically removed.  This can mess up your feet permanently if just blow it off.  
Dec 30 2010 11:52AM
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Justo8484
Posts: 3905 - Karma: 204
out of curiosity, what kind of boots are you in, how aggressively do you ski, how much do you weigh, etc? i've seen this happen before because the boot was too soft, causing the skier to overflex the cuff and drive their heel into the back of the shell. the solution was to grind out the heel pocket to make it deeper to get through the season, but ultimately, a stiffer boot might be what you need.
Dec 30 2010 1:11PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,893
Brooke competes at elite level in Skiercross.  She skis in Atomics.  They are a racing boot.  She could be overflexing, but she has podiatrist made orthotics, which are really hard.  A bunch of people I knew got the 6th toe syndrome from a specific type of custom footbed.  They were made of a hard plastic material.  When they switched over to Superfeet, which were made of a cork material, the problem usually went away. Superfeet had a little more give to them.  I had them for years and never had a problem.
Dec 30 2010 1:24PM
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mackinnon
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 156
its the rubbing of the back of the heel inside the boot that causes a build up of calcium and connective tissue- impact is just a compounding factor that aggravates the issue.

the pain is not from the bone itself, but the surrounding tissue being irritated and inflamed. short of changing your entire boot set up there isn't really anything you can do to relieve them short-term other than popping painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication.
Dec 30 2010 1:59PM
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Justo8484
Posts: 3905 - Karma: 204
did not know this... i'd guess that the stiffer boot thing isn't really an option then, although it still could be part of the problem.
Dec 30 2010 2:02PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,893
An old girl friend of mine had this and so did my dad.  My dad's was on his heal, my girlfriend's was on the wide part of her foot right behind her pinky toe.  At the time there were two different boot techs in Vail that had different custom insoles.  One was the cork superfeet and I can't remember what the other ones were called, but they were made of hard plastic.  Many people that I knew who got the hard plastic kind got bone spurs.  When they switched over to the cork superfeet, which had more give, the problems went away. 

Whether it as impact or rubbing doesn't really matter.  The shop primarily sold Technica boots.  Everyone who got bone spurs had Technicas with these plastic custom insoles.  The bone spurs went away for everyone who switched their insoles to superfeet in their Technica boots.  The only change they made was to swap out the insole.  It would be worth a shot to get some custom insoles that have some cushion to them.  The fact that it solved the problem for about 10 instructors who basically lived in their ski boots should be reason to give it a try. 
Dec 30 2010 2:44PM
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mackinnon
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 156
dude, i have them myself on both heels. the only thing that stopped them from getting bigger was getting into a boot (or insole for some people) that didn't allow my heel to lift up or move at all. all i'm saying is there really isn't any end-all-be-all universal solution.
Jan 2 2011 6:23PM
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9112 - Karma: 65,330
Reading these and wondering if I'll ever be able to do nollies without pain ever again.
Apr 6 2020 2:07AM
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little1337
Posts: 8161 - Karma: 45,815
BigPurpleSkiSuitReading these and wondering if I'll ever be able to do nollies without pain ever again.


Wear backless ski boots
Apr 7 2020 8:21AM
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B.Aussie
Posts: 5851 - Karma: 4,522
little1337Wear backless ski boots


fuck now you fix my problem. Where were you 9 years ago?
Apr 7 2020 8:10PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7808 - Karma: 1,414
This happened on both of my heels. Yes I went to a bootfitter. I’ve been skiing more aggressively this season but I’m concerned about the rest of the season. Supposed to go to UT in three days for five days of skiing. Do I send it, fight through the pain, and hit up a doc when I’m back?

Mar 6 2022 11:59PM
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jakeordie
Posts: 654 - Karma: 3,242
FunnelSupposed to go to UT in three days for five days of skiing. Do I send it, fight through the pain, and hit up a doc when I’m back?

Yeah I'd hang back and see how this whole WW3 thing plays out, you might need them humps to dodge the draft.
Mar 7 2022 12:15AM
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