Ski boots hurt my calves, but I think it's bruising, not muscle strain. How do I fix this?

I own a pair of Salomon Performa 6.0%26#039;s ski boots that are a few years old. After a day of skiing, my calves the next morning will be sore. Talking to a masseuse that worked on me, she didn%26#039;t think it was muscle strain or tightness, but rather caused by compression of the boot cuff. I have the height-adjustable cuff set to the lowest setting. Loosening the cuff doesn%26#039;t seem like a good solution as I would lose control of my ski edges.





Am I thinking about this backwards? Is it the edge of the cuff that%26#039;s causing the pain? Should I be raising the cuff height? Or is it still not low enough? Should I insert a heel lift (and lose some control of my skis) to get my calf further out of the boot?





Additional info: I%26#039;m a blue/groomed-black skier. I have custom Surefoot footbeds (that I love!) in the boots.





Thanks in anticipation!

Ski boots hurt my calves, but I think it%26#039;s bruising, not muscle strain. How do I fix this?
I%26#039;m afraid the short answer is that your boots don%26#039;t fit and you need a new pair. Are you female? Women%26#039;s calves are bigger lower down than men%26#039;s. If this is your problem you can get boots designed with this in mind. If you don%26#039;t want to do that, wear thin socks. Improving your ski technique will help - concentrate on feeling your shin against the front of the boot (not huge pressure, just that it%26#039;s touching the front).





To get rid of the bruising, use Arnica cream.
Reply:What it sounds like to me is that they are to loose and you are getting the banging effect! Try raising the cuff and keeping them snug! Also you can get the area around the Achilles shimmed up by a pro boot fitter and that will keep you from having to much play in there. And never and I mean never put on extra socks thinking it will help! You will end up in misery! I ski bare foot in the boots! There is a hint for ya! Your boots will stink but your feet will be warmer because adding layers between the boot and your skin will cut off the circulation to your feet and blood is what warms your body so let it flow and 1 last add on throw a little cayenne pepper in there because it will open up the blood vessels thus increasing blood flow!
Reply:try loosing your boots...
Reply:Try to tie it tight around the foot and not around the calf part, and wear extra pair of socks, I had same problem and it worked great for me, Good Luck and thank you for your time.





Fares Alsagri
Reply:Modern ski boots will %26#039;bite%26#039; your calves if you lean back into the boot. Unfortunately this will only ease when you get forward. Concentrating on flexing on the front of your boots will ease your suffering. I%26#039;d leave the boots as they are. Your footbeds have been made with your boots as they are, so changing it will affect how they feel.
Reply:stop skiing and start snowboarding
Reply:One thing to consider is making sure the only thing in your boot is your socks. It%26#039;s a small thing, but could be your problem.
Reply:First, get your boots fitted by a professional boot fitter. They will either fix them so you will be happy or tell you that you need different boots. The problem you are experiencing is probably caused by one or more of the following things:





1. You are leaning back to much. This causes your calfs to want to rotate around the top of the cuff, thus giving you a pressure point. This also causes your toes to jam into the toe box of the boot (depending on how they fit, of course, if they%26#039;re fitted properly, ie. snug all around your foot, then you should notice your toes being crammed), so if your toes also hurt while you%26#039;re skiing, you need to correct your stance (lean forward more!).





2. You mentioned that you have adjustable cuffs, put them on the highest setting. This will make it more difficult for your calfs to want to rotate around the top of the cuff.





Hope this helps, happy turns!



selling