My Little Piggies Need Help

[wordstew]

20 miles of incline and flat hiking my feet feel pretty good. I am finding that decline hiking is killing my toes. They almost always get bruised numb tender at the tips and the joint my hike ending with feet in a bucket of ice. I've read a lot about shoe fit, lacing, insoles, applied most of the useful info and have a foot regimen that has prevented and blisters, sores or bruising other than my toes so I am open for suggestions.

Anybody finding a particular brand of trail footwear to help with this particular issue.

What's working for you folks, anyone use toe/foot caps like the dancers, I've them in silicone and wool.

Also, are you folks going a half a size to a size larger with your footwear as I have seen recommended, it's seems counter intuitive to proper fit.

[devoidapop]

I have the same problem. This year I switched to merrell trail gloves because of the wide toe box. I also sized up by a half. so far, so good.

[MuddyWaters]

20 miles of incline and flat hiking my feet feel pretty good. I am finding that decline hiking is killing my toes. They almost always get bruised numb tender at the tips and the joint my hike ending with feet in a bucket of ice. I've read a lot about shoe fit, lacing, insoles, applied most of the useful info and have a foot regimen that has prevented and blisters, sores or bruising other than my toes so I am open for suggestions.

Anybody finding a particular brand of trail footwear to help with this particular issue.

What's working for you folks, anyone use toe/foot caps like the dancers, I've them in silicone and wool.

Also, are you folks going a half a size to a size larger with your footwear as I have seen recommended, it's seems counter intuitive to proper fit.

Your shoes are too small or laced really bad.
One of the reasons you size up is so your toes don't hit the ends of the shoes.......

Also after a few 20-mile days your feet will swell a little bit. After a few weeks of it your feet will even be permanently changed and longer.

[Bronk]

Have all of your toes amputated at the first knuckle. You'll still have pretty good balance but you eliminate toe nail separation and tenderness in the tips. And you can usually go about 1/2 size smaller in your footwear.

[moldy]

Put your shoes on. Using your right thumb see if it will fit between the tip of your big toe and the end of your shoe. The width of your thumb is the distance you need so that your big toe does not jamb into the front of your shoe on those downhill trails. If it comes to rest in the shoe and rubs it will cause the problems you are experiencing. Your shoes are probably too small.

[Wyoming]

What was said above about your shoes being too small most likely.

But you can have the right size shoe and not have it tied tight enough to keep your feet from sliding forward in the shoe and hitting the end. When you try shoes on for fit find something you can kick and see if a good kick runs your toes into the end of the shoe. It you cannot tie them tight enough for this not to happen you need a different shoe. Between downhills and the inevitable kicking of evil rocks sticking up out of the ground you really have to make sure your toes do not hit the end of the shoe. btw achieving this is much harder with trail runners vice actual hiking shoes due to how the shoes are designed and laced.

Be picky about your fit. When you find a shoe and size which fits have the salesman bring you 3 pair of them at the same size and try every shoe on. Pick the right and left shoes which fits best. They cannot make every shoe 'exactly' the same so this allows you to custom fit a bit without causing issues for the seller.

[LittleRock]

One word: Vibrams.

[TX Aggie]

The info about shoe size is on the right track, but one quick question (and it may seem odd, but):

Do your toes splay out straight, or do they curl under a bit? If they’re curling under, larger shoes won’t fix the problem (you’ll still eventually need larger shoes, but it won’t fix the curling issue.)

If your toes are good, then I agree with the others about shoes size. Another thing that might help are Injinji socks. A lot of people think to increase their shoe size, only to not realize their socks, if undersized, are sill squeezing their toes together and not allowing them to splay.

Hope you find a remedy.

[devoidapop]

The info about shoe size is on the right track, but one quick question (and it may seem odd, but):

Do your toes splay out straight, or do they curl under a bit? If they’re curling under, larger shoes won’t fix the problem (you’ll still eventually need larger shoes, but it won’t fix the curling issue.)

If your toes are good, then I agree with the others about shoes size. Another thing that might help are Injinji socks. A lot of people think to increase their shoe size, only to not realize their socks, if undersized, are sill squeezing their toes together and not allowing them to splay.

Hope you find a remedy.

Yes! Give those piggies some room. Injinji also help with foot odor, since you have fabric between the toes to wick away sweat.

[Wyoming]

Yes! Give those piggies some room. Injinji also help with foot odor, since you have fabric between the toes to wick away sweat.

LOL There is just another example of how different people are.
I do the opposite in that I wear really 'tight' socks and do not let the toes fly all over the place. I usually buy socks for size 9 feet and mine are 11's. And in the hot months I often wear womens super thin socks so tight I can barely get them on.

I have never gotten blisters on my toes nor lost toenails.

What one has to do is experiment with different kinds and weights of socks and different kinds of shoes until they find out what works for them I think.

[TX Aggie]

LOL There is just another example of how different people are.
I do the opposite in that I wear really 'tight' socks and do not let the toes fly all over the place. I usually buy socks for size 9 feet and mine are 11's. And in the hot months I often wear womens super thin socks so tight I can barely get them on.

I have never gotten blisters on my toes nor lost toenails.

What one has to do is experiment with different kinds and weights of socks and different kinds of shoes until they find out what works for them I think.

Different strokes for different folks.

At the risk of making stereotypes: I’m guessing you aren’t a barefoot/minimalist enthusiast?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[devoidapop]

Different strokes for different folks

Definitely applicable to footwear. When I wore boots I would have to stop periodically to loosen them for swelling. My brother has to periodically tighten his laces to avoid blisters.

[reppans]

You might have a similar problem as I - narrow/low volume feet, or maybe just unusually long toes. With standard width sizing these days, I'm constantly battling between a foot bed that's long enough to accommodate my toes, and my foot swimming around inside a too wide a boot. Some times doubling up (or using thicker), insoles work to take up the excess volume, but other times it starts lifting my heel out of the heel pocket.

Maybe try a narrow width boot, or a woman's boot assuming the colors aren't too splashy.

[Wyoming]

Different strokes for different folks.
At the risk of making stereotypes: I’m guessing you aren’t a barefoot/minimalist enthusiast?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess I am so old I don't know what stereotype you are speaking of

Only crazy people walk around barefoot - though some years ago 2 sisters did the AT barefoot and I met a guy hiking it barefoot in Mass once. So no barefoot for me.

The current shoe is a Hoka and the previous 3 pairs were Altra's (Lone Peak and Olympus). Base weight runs from 11-12 lbs in 3-season weather like we have out west. It would be less on the AT of course. Is that minimalist?

[TX Aggie]

I guess I am so old I don't know what stereotype you are speaking of

Only crazy people walk around barefoot - though some years ago 2 sisters did the AT barefoot and I met a guy hiking it barefoot in Mass once. So no barefoot for me.

The current shoe is a Hoka and the previous 3 pairs were Altra's (Lone Peak and Olympus). Base weight runs from 11-12 lbs in 3-season weather like we have out west. It would be less on the AT of course. Is that minimalist?

Lol, I was going to say old, but you never know on this group. I’ve noticed a distinct difference between generations before me vs after me when it comes to footwear. Older than me (I’m 46) seem to have grown up wearing tighter shoes and boots, where the younger generation seems to be more comfortable in looser footwear.

I’m not sure what the reasoning is. I know in the running community it has a lot to do with the more minimalist movement like with Five Fingers, Altra, New Balance Minimus, or just Trail runners in general.

I do find it interesting that you like tight socks, but wear Altras.

The Hoka I definitely don’t consider minimalist.

Happy hiking!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk