View Full Version : Help with preventing bruised toes
Crazy_Al
08-17-2011, 20:46
Help with preventing bruised toes ??? What is the solution ???
I hike the AT for around 3 days at a time, 2 or 4 times a year.
My toes almost always give me pain, bruising, and sometimes blood underneath the nail after hiking.
The toes pain prevents me from hiking longer distances.
I have lost toenails due to this problem.
I wear prescription orthotics with arch support and Metatarsal bump.
1) My orthotic has a slick surface so I think the slick surface is probably part of the problem.
I will switch to my orthotic that has a less slick surface, that might help.
2) I Changed to wearing longer shoes, size 11, Montrail AT Plus GTX hiking shoes, while my regular street shoes are size 10.
3) People have told me to get expert advice about hiking shoes, but there are no experts on hiking shoes in my medium size city.
??? What is the solution ???
kolokolo
08-17-2011, 21:13
I have had this problem in the past, but was able to largely prevent it by keeping my toenails cut as short as possible. If your toenails are long at all, they get jammed against the front of your shoe on every step going downhill, and this causes the bleeding and eventual loss of toenails.
30 Large
08-17-2011, 21:50
I have had this problem in the past, but was able to largely prevent it by keeping my toenails cut as short as possible. If your toenails are long at all, they get jammed against the front of your shoe on every step going downhill, and this causes the bleeding and eventual loss of toenails.
I agree with this. I had a similar issue with toenails in the past and this has helped a lot.
Blissful
08-17-2011, 22:02
Sounds like your shoe is too small or toe box too narrow. But I also had this issue with a large shoe and my insoles were wrong or worn out. Might also look into other kinds of trailrunners (even Brooks or New Balance). I don't like Montrail personally and even my hubby had issues with them. Get fitted by a proper footwear specialist (which may not be your normal outdoor shop either but a professional running shop)
rjhouser
08-17-2011, 22:05
If you don't use trecking poles you might want to consider that for extra support when going downhill.
If your shoes are oversized, you should have problems with your toes hitting the front and bruising and falling off. I'd try sizing up even larger if 1 size isn't enough. When you backpack you want a larger shoe box, not just a longer shoe as your foot swells/grows more then it does for normal exercise.
I mean't to type "Shouldn't" in the first sentence.
1) Get boots that fit. Go at least a 1/2 size larger then you would expect or you get measured for as you feet will get longer and wider when hiking.
2) If you are wearing boots, look for boots that have laces will allow you to adjust the bottom laces tight and then as you round the corner up to your ankle, leave it looser. This will help keep the foot from sliding forward when going downhill. Tighten them on long downhills.
3) When walking down hill, attempt heel-toe walking when possible. Sometime this requires you to walk like a duck. Take smaller steps even if you zig-zag down the hill and avoid pounding your feet.
4) Skip the custom orthotics. The ones I had added too much heel lift and my foot was always sloping down. I was also having some knee problems (LT band). Switched to green Superfeet and my feet where happy. If needed you can stick on metatarsal that you can use with the Superfeet.
5) Using hiking poles
Perhaps consider a wider shoe as well as a longer shoe. Stores will sometimes carry a couple different widths of a shoe, and it might be worth trying a different width on to see what it feels like.
Well, if we really want to analyze this, we need to look at the "last". The last is the shape of the foot pattern. Shoes of the same size and width are not the same shape even from the same manufacturer. New Balance does a nice job of letting you know what Last they use with each shoe and how each varies. Bottom line is that do not give up on finding the "perfect" boot. I have bought new boots each year for my section hikes. I have very wide feed combined with a very high arch. This limits the number of manufacturers that make a boot that will fit. I have a pair I like but will alway be looking for a better pair. I must have tried on 100 paris of boots over the years. Find a shoe store that will take them back even after you have warn them. I took a pair back last year after 2 weeks of practice hiking in thru mud. They took them back and gave me a better fitting pair without asking.
I have found that if I can wiggle my toes and they feel free to move about loosely, it seems to be about the right size when I'm hiking.
If you are looking for shoe box space, look at Keen and if you have wide feet, look at New Balance.
birdygal
10-15-2011, 22:02
I was having the same problem the first few days of my hike, I finally figured out to tighten my laces real tight before going down hill and my feet stopped sliding forward making my toes hit my shoe
rtramseyer
10-15-2011, 23:14
here's a trick my granddaughter showed me.
14139
You know how quickly gear weight can creep up. If I can master her technique I can leave behind my nail clippers (.5 oz. saved). She's a bit more flexible than I am (no problem w my right foot but my left feels awkward) but I've got way more teeth.
Shooting Star
10-16-2011, 00:29
I had similar toe bruising problems from a pair of boots that are long enough but
a bit too narrow in the toe box. I replaced them with Vasque Wasatches which
are roomier in the toe box and I don't have any problems now. This is the 2nd pair
of Wasatches I've owned and they seem to be roomier in the toe box than
some other brands/makes I tried on.
as people have mentioned above, you should consider larger shoes - I always recommend trail runner type shoes for the AT vs Boots (deep snow excepted) - but, that said, I rarely have all 10 toe-nails and usually have 2-3 black ones - if that isn't the case, I'm spending too much time on the couch on whiteblaze!
2) If you are wearing boots, look for boots that have laces will allow you to adjust the bottom laces tight and then as you round the corner up to your ankle, leave it looser. This will help keep the foot from sliding forward when going downhill. Tighten them on long downhills.
I'd work on tightening techniques for shoes too. I've been wearing larger and larger shoes, and really shouldn't have any problems with my nails bruising, but they do. I think it's because as my shoes have grown, I've been tying my laces more loosely. I'm going hiking today. Maybe I'll try adjusting the laces for long descents.
MissMagnolia
10-16-2011, 14:10
I'm reading a (Kindle) book called "Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes" by John Vonhof. He says not only to trim the toenails, but to make sure and file/smooth them so the rough edges don't snag on your socks and pull on the nailbeds repeatedly. He says that's one reason for black toenails. My last black toenail came from too loose shoes and sliding my toe into the toebox too many times on the downhills.
Feral Bill
10-16-2011, 15:09
Try on shoes/boots at an outfitter. They should have a steep ramp to test shoes for forward movement downhill. You might also look at your gait downhill. Are you moving sd as to jam you feet forward every step? Maybe a slower, more delicate gait will work better. Lastly, look at the weight you are carrying.
Best of luck,
Lots of good advice here. Here's my 3 cents:
1) Some shoes have stretchy laces--Merrell Chameleon for example. I have had three pairs of this shoe, and I've cut out and kept the laces. The laces are now in my Columbia boots. Using a stretchy lace allows you to pull is tight (as advised in other posts above) but also still have some give. Thus you can be as tight as appropriate and still have some give at the bend and not feel like they are overtight when not in motion.
2) I loved the Merrells, but don't use them anymore because they were too wide for me. Perhaps they wouldn't be too wide for you.
3) I'm a big fan of Salomon XA Pro 3D Mid. These seem to have a comparatively wide toe box--room to wiggle. They are light & Goretex. The tread isn't as good as true boots, but hey you can't have everything.
modiyooch
10-16-2011, 22:21
I had that problem today wearing low cut boots. It had to be the shoe because I have never had that problem with my high top boots.
I paid more attention to my toes while hiking yesterday, and I think the reason my nails hurt is because of how I put pressure on my toes while going downhill. It's like the flesh is driven up into the nail so hard that it bruises. It's a light bruise that doesn't even really show, but I can definitely feel it.
hikerboy57
10-17-2011, 14:08
in addition to having good room in the toebox,make sure to tighten the laces across the upper forefoot to keep your heel as close to the back of the boot on the downhills to prevent your toes from sliding into the front of the boot.you can cross the laces once across the forefoot, then finish tightening. This is better than tightening the laces closer to the toes which may end up giving you blisters.