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Sparks33183
10-23-2007, 05:30 PM
I am a second step apprentice, and beginning to climb more and more, can someone please tell me how to stop the aginizing pain in my arches.....OUCH!!!:cool:

chaz33
10-23-2007, 06:42 PM
well if you don't have a good set of climbing boots that will help and i mean good boots like hall or westco and not walmart or kmart :D . and if you are flat footed special order them from westco thats what i had to do kinda of pricey but wroth the money . i hope this will help and it is probably something you already know . im sure there will be other good lineman giving you better ideas. good luck and be safe

also try and go back one hole on your strap you may have it too tight

IronLine
10-26-2007, 04:56 PM
When I went through school we had a BIG fella with the same problem you've got. He had really high arches and his feet would kill him every day he climbed. He got what they call "pussy plates", which are pretty much just metal plates that hook onto the base of your gaffs and distributes the pressure put on them to the rest of your feet, it totally protects the arch. But if your arch isn't that high, it could just be a case of pussyitis :D . I had it when I first started climbing, your feet get used to it after time, they eventually numb up on ya when you're climbing. Good luck bud

Pootnaigle
10-26-2007, 06:43 PM
Back in the day several of the heavier guys wore arch supports inside thier boots. Most said it offered releif. Be careful buying boots with wooden arch supports made innem. These are usually way cheaper and a hole lot less durable. The Pussy plates described above will also work. Other than that My suggestion is to specialize in underground LOL

Sparks33183
10-29-2007, 08:12 PM
Thanks guys for all the good advice, but i can def say this, i wont get "pussy plates" as you guys call them, im going to try and lossen my boot strap and try buying better boots...mine arent kmart or walmart, but they suck, !!!!!Keep posting ill be reading....

Orgnizdlbr
10-29-2007, 08:16 PM
Thanks guys for all the good advice, but i can def say this, i wont get "pussy plates" as you guys call them, im going to try and lossen my boot strap and try buying better boots...mine arent kmart or walmart, but they suck, !!!!!Keep posting ill be reading....

Sparks, I use Wesco's they aint cheap, look uo West Coast shoe company on the net.......best boots Ive used and Ive been through many pairshttp://ww3.powerlineman.com/lforum/images/icons/icon12.gif

Better yet heres the link...........

http://www.westcoastshoe.com/wesco/

Edge
10-30-2007, 07:00 PM
here something for ya bud take it or leave it as you will...

As the other men have stated... by a good pair of boots... I like hall's
if you can't come up with the cash (200-300$ usually for a real pair of lineman's boots) check with your company usually you can payroll deduct it makes it easier sometimes and if you a union app. check with you LU they might be able to help you out too... but before you order ANYTHING goto a shoe shop and get your feet sized you may have gone though high school wearing a size 10 nike but need to be in a 10EE or D boot.... and those goofy letters make a HUGE difference in your comfort in a well crafted hand made lineman's boot...

after you get you boots take them to a shoemaker or shoe repairman (may be hard to find they seem to be an even more of a dying breed than linehands now a day's) and get them to add a 2nd steel shank to each boot usually ehhh 10- 15$ a boot Hoffman's I think will do it but that gets costly with shipping and all an you also have the down time waiting on the mail

also I broke a bone in the arch of my foot some time ago and had a hell of a time getting right in my hooks again... so I checked with my local shoe shop and found a pair of insoles (Spenco I think is the name can't recall off hand) tahe look like you average oder eaters Dr. Scholl's kinda deal but they have a plastic arch support that runs from you heel to the middle of your foot... I tried them and I'm sold on them... boot's are in the breeze and pain free...I think they ran me around 30$ or so...

sounds a little pricey but I can stand on a hook ladder or in my hooks alday and feel like I been wearing slippers alday when I get home...

hope it helps and keep at it...

Edge

Hookin' ain't easy... but damn it's fun

PK270
10-30-2007, 09:19 PM
You want to stop the pain?? Get down and work underground, just kiddin. I think we all asked when we started. Good advise has been given already, make sure you have everything adjusted right. Belt, hooks and boots need to fit properly.

Edge, I kinda doubt you feel like you were in slippers but you have stirred my curiosity. I'm in Wescos, in hooks or ladders all the time. I can get a second plate put in the boot?? Does this make the boot difficult to walk in? Is the second plate longer or just stiffens them up more?

And Sparks, it gets better. BUT, I have been doing this for 20 years, was in my hooks for 5hrs today, didn't hurt a bit. Yesterday was a different story, hurt like hell for 30 min or so. When you get more experience you will focus more on the task at hand and forget the hurt. Good luck

BigClive
10-31-2007, 02:06 PM
Talking about the in-shoe arch supports. A friend who has persistent back trouble saw a specialist who basically stated that arch supports were vital to prevent back problems. He got a pair and his back problems reduced greatly.

Edge
10-31-2007, 06:20 PM
here's some links for ya might explain some of the stuff better

http://www.hoffmanboots.com/Custom.aspx?id=4

this is basically doubling up the 3 rib steel shank that is standard in a lineman boot

http://www.archandheel.com/orarsupspend.html

this is the quickest link I could find for those insoles... and let me tell you THESE are the ticket... after breaking the bone in the arch of my foot I tried changing hooks pussy plates every thing... found these and have been pain free ever since... lemme tell you they are the BEST!!!

and as the above poster said they take away some back pain too (even though I've never had back pain climbing like I do in a bucket)

and they come in a 3/4 and full length so you can swap them out for winter time when ya need to put on your pantyhose and some good wool socks!!! lol

anyways all kidding asides check 'em out if ya feel like it... they've done wonders for me...

Edge

don't want to be the fastest, smartest, or best lineman there ever was.... just the oldest!!!

Sparks33183
11-03-2007, 09:07 AM
Hey guys, thanks for all the input...Nothing is worse then being in pain when your trying to work.....Working on a pole is hard enough until i get use to it, the pain in my arch needs to go, one less thing to have killing me...Im going to check all the links you guys left and try to get a pair of wesco boots...I have a pair of carhartt insulated boots 10.5 fit nice and snugg so thats the size ill most likely get.....Thanks again, feel free to keep posting, always looking for more advice!!!!!!!:eek:

markwho
11-03-2007, 04:34 PM
Sparks, I bought a pair of boots from Halls, they seem to be ok, spent around 200.00. I don't climb a lot or spend a lot of time in them thouigh so it is hard to judge. My son bought a pair of custom wescos and had used them for about a month so far and likes them. They are 16 inch with some options and ran around 600.00. The custom fit was good, they send you a template to trace your feet on and show you where to measure in different areas of your foot and leg. seemed to work good. If you check thier site they have some factory 2nds available.
Mark

Sparks33183
11-04-2007, 11:41 AM
Thanks mark and everyone i think im going to go with wesco everyone seems to bring them up, ill check on all the others also...the bottom line comes down to $$$$...Ill check them out...thanks all....:D

Sparks33183
11-04-2007, 12:02 PM
So ive been searching wesco and hoffman for climbing boots, and i have some questions .....Whats the best way to size your feet, how do i measure for the best fit, and what would it be called for the most support i could have put in my boot steel wise, other then buying inserts....And what kind of lining should i get...They ask u so many options i just dont wanna spend several hundered and get a boot that isnt what i want or isnt what i needed...thanks all...
joe

RWD
11-04-2007, 02:57 PM
Try going to thier websites and see if they have sizing instructions.

I remember buying my first set of "whites" ... I drew my foot and made a few measurements and they sent me the best set of boots I ever bought.



RWD

"little beaver"
11-04-2007, 10:00 PM
I've never had any trouble with my feet/arches. When I started climbing in 1968 I had a pair of GI Boots that I got from the National Guard. I got clips put on the side and I always wore two pairs of socks. I used those 'till they were wore out.
I then started using 8" Knapps made at that time either in Boston or Maine, I can't remember. Many of the Utilities in the NE used Knapps. They were a light boot like the GI Boot. As I said, my feet never bothered me.
As most of you know, I'm a dual citizen and can work both sides of the border. I worked for a Company out of Montreal called FA Tucker and of course they were lots of Francopnones who all used the 'French' hooks that went down the outside of your legs. (Manufactured by Cadieux in Montreal) One big tough guy by the name of Roland Larivee bet the Foreman, Ozzie McKay, that he could climb all day in his sock feet. He won the bet!
(Ozzie was from Springhill, NS and many of his relatives were in the Springhill Mine disaster in 1958. Tragically, Ozzie himself was killed about 1969.)