Fixing Calf Muscle Issues with Intuition Liners?

[Tin_Fish]

Hey guys. last year I had some crazy calf bang that took me out for half the season. Pain was between the shin bone and the calf muscle (not on the actual bone) . Mainly on the lower outside of leg below the boot cuff. Really worried about that happening again this season. Anyone dealt with this/found any solutions?

I think it might have to do with my boot. I got really thin heal and lower calf so finding boots has been super tough. I'm thinking I might just try out some intuition liners and see if that helps. I'm running 130 boots and definitely don't want my boots to feel stiffer than they already do. Will getting the "stiff flex" intuition liners stiffen the overall feel or keep it the same? Would it be bad to use to medium flex liners in 130 boots?

 

[tomPietrowski]

The liner almost certainly wont fix this issue. I would instead head into a shop and have a decent boot fitter asses you in the shell and see what they recommend rather than spending money on liners which will probably change very little.

 

[Tin_Fish]

I already tried that. He added some foam in the back of the boot and added some to try and lock in my ankle a little better. Didn't really help though.

 

[tomPietrowski]

I already tried that. He added some foam in the back of the boot and added some to try and lock in my ankle a little better. Didn't really help though.

Honestly then you need to find a better boot fitter. Did he actually diagnose what was causing the problem?

 

[Tin_Fish]

Not really. Didn’t seem like he had dealt with people with pain in that specific area. Shin bang is obviously super common but not many people, even on the internet, seem to have this type of pain ( which is almost more like shin splints but out the outside of the leg rather than the inside) so it kinda makes me wonder if the next boot fitter will also not know and I’ll waste my money again.

 

[onenerdykid]

Not really. Didn’t seem like he had dealt with people with pain in that specific area. Shin bang is obviously super common but not many people, even on the internet, seem to have this type of pain ( which is almost more like shin splints but out the outside of the leg rather than the inside) so it kinda makes me wonder if the next boot fitter will also not know and I’ll waste my money again.

Google: Best ski boot fitter in (insert your area here). Or if there aren't any, google in the area where you will be skiing.

Fixing a skinny lower leg and heel is relatively easy, you just need to follow the basics of boot fitting: be in the correct last shape & volume for your foot/leg, must have a good aftermarket footbed (without this you will never fix your problem), and be in the correct flex for your size and forces you put into the boot.

Could it be that you are in too high volume of a boot for your needs?

Make sure you are in the correct boot and have a good footbed before throwing money into liners. If you're in the wrong shell to begin with, you will just be wasting more money and not solving your problem.

If you definitely are in the correct boot, then it sounds (first) footbed related and then (second) liner related.

 

[WGalinski]

Leg muscles take a long time to heal. I’m no PT, but you might want to consider taking a week or two off to let things reset and then try to reassess your boot issue when your leg is back to nearly 100% healthy. Compensating a boot liner for an injury will likely hinder your recovery .

**This post was edited on Dec 1st 2023 at 12:44:43pm

 

[Tin_Fish]

Google: Best ski boot fitter in (insert your area here). Or if there aren't any, google in the area where you will be skiing.

Fixing a skinny lower leg and heel is relatively easy, you just need to follow the basics of boot fitting: be in the correct last shape & volume for your foot/leg, must have a good aftermarket footbed (without this you will never fix your problem), and be in the correct flex for your size and forces you put into the boot.

Could it be that you are in too high volume of a boot for your needs?

Make sure you are in the correct boot and have a good footbed before throwing money into liners. If you're in the wrong shell to begin with, you will just be wasting more money and not solving your problem.

If you definitely are in the correct boot, then it sounds (first) footbed related and then (second) liner related.

Thanks man, thats good info for sure. And to answer your question I'm pretty sure 130 flex is what I need (I'm about 185lbs). The boot is one of the lowest volume boots that I could find and feels great through the toes and to the heal. Its the upper ankle/lower calf were its really tough to get it tight. Basically right around the third buckle from the bottom on a 4 buckle boot.

 

[Tin_Fish]

Leg muscles take a long time to heal. I’m no PT, but you might want to consider taking a week or two off to let things reset and then try to reassess your boot issue when your leg is back to nearly 100% healthy. Compensating a boot liner for an injury will likely hinder your recovery .

**This post was edited on Dec 1st 2023 at 12:44:43pm

It should all the way healed as I haven't skied since late May and feels great right now. Its more that I really don't want it to happen again cause it got messed up 2 of the last 4 seasons. So I know I need to change something.

 

[WGalinski]

It should all the way healed as I haven't skied since late May and feels great right now. Its more that I really don't want it to happen again cause it got messed up 2 of the last 4 seasons. So I know I need to change something.

I’d suggest you go to a ski shop that offers a huge variety of brands and ski boots and just try on as many as you can. It might take hours but in the end you’ll find something better than what you have. If money’s tight you can usually work out a payment plan with some places. I find boot fitting to be too niche and too expensive for what you get out of it. Most boots are made to use right out of the box as long as it fits right.

 

[onenerdykid]

Thanks man, thats good info for sure. And to answer your question I'm pretty sure 130 flex is what I need (I'm about 185lbs). The boot is one of the lowest volume boots that I could find and feels great through the toes and to the heal. Its the upper ankle/lower calf were its really tough to get it tight. Basically right around the third buckle from the bottom on a 4 buckle boot.

Are you using a supportive, aftermarket footbed?

Is there a lot of life left in your liners, or do they feel packed out? How many days of skiing do you have on them?