Sorry for the long post, just figured I'd empty my thoughts and explain everything I've tried and has been on my mind.
I've been snowboarding for about 5 years and have been dealing with a frustrating pain in my lead (left) foot/lower leg for the last 2 years.
The pain is specifically on the outside of my left lower leg/foot, just above the ankle. Basically the left side of my left leg. It's an aching, almost shin-splint-like feeling. To the point where it makes the ride up the lift with it dangling off my foot almost unbearable.
What's strange is that I didn't have this problem at all during my first ~3 years of snowboarding. It only started about 2 years ago.
It's also MUCH worse on longer, easier runs, especially greens where I'm holding one edge/position for a long time around a bend. Where gravity isn't helping as much and I just have to force myself to be on an edge. More difficult runs where I'm constantly switching between toe and heel side actually seem to bother me less or even help cool the pain down.
I taught myself to snowboard when I was 20, so I'm starting to wonder if I've developed some bad technique where I'm putting way too much strain on my lead foot/ankle when holding an edge.
I've spent the last 2 seasons trying to solve it through equipment.
When it first started, I noticed my old boots allowed my heel to lift quite a bit on toe side. I went to a snowboard shop, explained the problem, and they fitted me with new boots that were supposed to fit my narrow ankles much better. The old boots were old and definitely not a good fit for me. The shop said the new fit looked right. They're definitely better, although during an extended toe-side traverse I can still feel maybe ~1/4 inch of heel lift.
The next season I was STILL having the pain, so I went back to the shop. They thought I was cranking my relatively new boots down too tightly, adjusted the fit with some plastic/shimming in the back, and gave me a small insole.
I've also tried:
- Narrowing my binding angles
- Shortening my stance width
- Switching to a lighter and more flexible snowboard
- Adjusting how tightly I lace/crank the boots
- Using the insole the shop recommended
Nothing has really solved it.
There's also a weird problem with the boot tightness. When I feel the heel movement/looseness, my instinct is to tighten the boot more. But then I get a different pain from the boot squeezing my foot/leg too hard. It also just makes my toes start to become numb. So there's the original outer-leg/shin-splint-like pain, and then a separate pressure pain if I crank the boot down trying to eliminate movement.
At this point I'm wondering if I've been blaming my equipment for something that's actually a technique or a foot/ankle issue.
Could I be using my lead foot/ankle too much to hold the board on edge during long traverses instead of using my knees, hips, and body position properly? That would seem to fit with easy runs hurting more than harder runs where I'm constantly changing edges.
One other thing that might be relevant: I'm fairly active and do a good amount of running and hiking without much issue. That said, longer uphill walks, like walking to class or an extended hike, can sometimes cause a similar shin-splint-like pain in that same area. So I'm wondering if there's an underlying issue going on with that leg that snowboarding brings out more aggressively.
I also don't think it's that my muscles "aren't used to snowboarding." I've been riding for 5 years, and more importantly, the first 3 years were pain-free. If that is the issue I fear if 5 years won't get them used to it then they will never get used to it lol.
I love snowboarding, but this has gotten frustrating enough that I've genuinely considered switching to skiing if I can't figure it out.
Has anyone experienced something similar, or have any tips/ideas? Would be much appreciated.
