View Full Version : Purple Toenails
I made the switch recently from boots to trail runners. I settled with old style Hardrocks that I found on sale at REI. I wore them day to day for a couple of months without any trail mileage. My sons and I hiked last weekend in the Davy Crocket National Forest near us here in east Texas. We only done about 22 miles in 2 days. My pack was close to 30 lbs because I carried all of our water for the trip acct park rangers discourage drinking the stream water even filtered/boiled. Something about mercury content.
My problem was sore big toes,(Toenails) which have since turned purple but do not hurt anymore. I have never had this happen with boots, even carrying heavier loads. Has anyone had this problem switching from boots to trail runners? The Hardrocks fit great, plenty of toe room. No other problems such as blisters or anything. I didn't know if this might have happened to anyone else. Maybe its a footbed problem or something. I like the lighter shoes and would like to stick with them. We are going to do a section hike on the AT in June and don't want this to be a problem. If need be I could always go back to the boots I guess. Thanks for any suggestions.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-19-2008, 20:42
Your feet swell when you backpack which is why many recommend getting your shoes a size larger than normal for hiking. I have blackened toenails in both trail runners and boots because they were too small when my feet swelled.
The shoes have plenty of toe room though. Actually thay have more that the boots had.They seem tighter around the heels, but the toes have plenty of room. And I have never had a problem with my feet swelling that much.
could be your feet were getting banged around a bit more than they were used to due to the rigidity of the boots you used to wear. also trail runners do have a breaking in period, though people don't think they do b/c they look so much like sneakers. i'd give it a couple more shots, then if you still have problems return em for another pair. there's so many choices out there.
if that fails, is there a chance maybe you got too big of a size and your feet are sliding around in em?
Wise Old Owl
03-19-2008, 21:44
In some cases the nails fall out.. No toe box! as I agree with previous posts. When buy boots or runners you have to go up one size to accomidate thicker socks - the shock absorber of today.
I am prone to them and have had them with boots, trail runners and even sandals, although I experience less with sandals. It hurts at first then the pain goes away and if the black goes all the way to the rear of the nail, you will lose it. The big toes take a year to fully return and the smaller toes 6 months. The good news is that once it gets black it want hurt again. I just expect it and live with it and I always lose 3 nails on every long hike, always the same three, too. Its weird. I doubt you will ever know the cause, other than having a possible propensity for the affliction.
Blissful
03-19-2008, 21:53
Losing nails is part of the adventure. Though once I switched to trail runners I had no more problem. I went a full size larger though. Do a test and see if your toes jam to end as you kick down - ie to simulate hiking downhill. Something must have injured them - they wouldn't turn black on their own. But 22 miles in two days is a lot of hiking on tender feet not used to the rigors of a trail.
I figure thai I will lose the left toenail. It looks loke it was smacked with a sledge hammer. Doesn't hurt though, just looks bad. I really like the fit of the Hardrocks and the difference in weight over the boots. I really thought I would be more prone to a turned ankle or at least sore ankles , but have had neither. My feet are not sliding inside the shoe and I have been wearing Smartwool Adrenalines for about a year now. Maybe its just one of those things that happen. Maybe if they come off I wont have the same problem in June.
hbower - how is the heel cup and arch support on you footbeds / insoles? A good footbed may help prevent you issues with black toes by keeping the foot from sliding around in the shoe to some extent.
Appalachian Tater
03-20-2008, 10:21
Don't throw the nail away when it comes off. Soak it in peroxide overnight and then give it to a kid. They love stuff like that.
Eeeew! Gross!
You are right.
22 miles in 2 days isn't that much in the Davy Crockett Forest, where it's pretty much all flat. I'd say your feet had to be sliding in your shoes and banging the toebox. That's what causes black (purple) toenails. Your toes get bruised underneath the nail. I've had it with boots, but not with trail runners. Check out the fit, maybe get some insoles. But forget giving that toenail to some kid!
I am gonna try another brand or two of shoes. I hate to spend the money though. I had went up a 1/2 size larger than what I normally wear when I bought the Hardrocks. I'm gonna go up 1 size larger this time and try that. I don't wear thick socks with any of my shoes, I just wore thin nylons up until I started wearing the Smartwools and they are not thick. My foot wasn't sliding in the Montrails that I could tell either. But I think they were a little tight in hindsight.
I wish there was a place close to me that could fit the right shoes to my feet. The REI that I go to has nice people in their shoe dept, but they just really don't seem to know much about their shoes. Not that I do either because I don't. I am an (somewhat)overpronator and need a motion control semi straight shoe. I told the REI guy that and all I got was a blank stare. He got the Hardrocks down and then said the magic word "sale" and that was what I got. I am loking at a pair of New Balance and Merrell that are advertised as motion control. Specifically the NB which has a large toebox. If all else fails I will just go back to the boots. Have never had a problem with them. No blisters or blackened nails, just the usual sore feet sometimes after a long day. The boots were Merrells that were on sale at REI a couple of years ago too.
I have it in my mind that NB motion control shoes are for severe overpronation issues. Stability shoes are for mild.
NB's website has alot of info on fit and shoe lasts. You have to root around some, but it will tell you alot about your feet. Good luck!
wilconow
03-21-2008, 20:07
Hardrocks are good for overpronators
http://www.ankleandfoot.net/sub.php?page=shoes_recommend1120&sel=%25&level2=shoes
I wear hardrocks and got the purple toenail too. didn't hurt.. just looked a little funny.
Accurate Shoe Fit by Last, Gait, Type
Shoe fit is a complicated affair and involves much more than just the length of ones feet, which are rarely the same size anyway, but involve and in-depth matching of the shoe's construction to the user's foot biomechanics. This site does the best I have seen for describing it as well as prescribing the type of shoe that we need, based upon our own feet and not from the spurious recommendation of someone else's feet that we have never even seen.
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/mensshoes/mensshoesothersports/?SearchHandle=QT1tZW5zIHNob2VzIG90aGVyIHNwb3J0c35C PW1lbnMgc2hvZXMgb3RoZXIgc3BvcnRzfkc9NjgzXjJ_ST1Tb3 J0VklQUHJpY2V_Sz00fkw9MX5NPTJ_Tj0yfg&Action=2&AnswerID=122
Click on, at upper left, the dog with the print beside it saying, "Let Shoe Dog Fetch You the Right Shoe"!
But you will have to know whether your arch is flat, high, normal. That is easy to determine, though. Just wet feet, step on dry kraft paper (opened supermarket bag) and compare the footprint to the designs on above link.
Now, run through the questions, answering each and viola, a better estimate of what you require-much better than me-or anyone else-telling you what to buy, based upon our own feet.
For me, my selection is stability+ and the choices for me are the three shown.
But I find Montrail footbeds much too hard, so I opt for Asics, which are considerably more cushiony. But that is for MY feet, likely not yours. Footwear involves considerable trial and error for some "finicky" feet that we all do not have, fortunately. I just wish that mine were in the "other" group that are not, those that can wear anything without problem!
We often make our shoe selection in a store, blindly making a decision based upon how the shoe feels while we are casually strolling about the store, and even worse, basing it upon how that particular shoe "looks" to us. Then, we take our selection out & put them on, strap on a heavy pack and walk quickly for miles and wonder how we could have gone so wrong when our feet ache, blister and toenails turn black. Applying one's "gait 'n weight" to shoe construction helps somewhat in the selection, which is better than nothing, which is just a "blind arsed guess"!
Thanks Highway, I am checking the site out now.
I changed shoes due to weather a week ago. I did a 5 mile hike uphill and downhill in two pair of socks and my steel toed boots. Now I have a big toe with a purple nail. It's not black and it doesn't hurt anymore. I just learned my lesson. Don't "oversock" because your feet are cold especially with steel toed boots. Don't listen to the Scoutmaster when it says "Just an hour and a half". Prepare for 3 hours.
The toe next to it had the same problem but I trimmed it when I got home and it bled a little pus. Now it looks fine.
Almost There
03-23-2008, 16:44
Two summers ago lost the nails from both second toes, never really hurt and it took a few months for them to both come off. Last summer I didn't have a problem with any toes...wore the same shoes both hikes-Salomon XA Pros.....it's just something that happens sometimes, don't think about it too much.