Toe Injury from Ski Boots

[AJM]

Ouch I feel your pain, the season before last I actually thought I'd broken a toe but no it was because my footbeds were too old and had flattened out so my foot was running longer and hitting the end of the toe box, new custom footbeds fixed it this last season so yay !!! Good luck and I hope you can it sorted x

 

[NWSkiGirl]

Ouch I feel your pain, the season before last I actually thought I'd broken a toe but no it was because my footbeds were too old and had flattened out so my foot was running longer and hitting the end of the toe box, new custom footbeds fixed it this last season so yay !!! Good luck and I hope you can it sorted x

Glad you got your toe situation fixed! Thanks for sharing your experience. :-)

So far so good with the toe by icing it, although I'm going to lose the toenail. :-(

 

[newboots]

Ow!

A good bootfitter is worth a second mortgage. But does not cost that much!

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

It took ~ 9 months for toenail to regrow when I was about half my current age...

 

[NWSkiGirl]

It turns out my boots were already punched out as much as they could be, so they took me up a size. Fingers crossed I can ski without pain this weekend! :-) Thanks for the advice, ladies.

 

[liquidfeet]

Best of luck, NWSkiGirl. You are not alone.

 

[Lilia]

For me, a few of these were a solution to protect my toes

 

[newboots]

@Lilia - good to see you. What are those called?

@diymom

 

[diymom]

DH used those when he was on a big walking kick after getting a new fitbit last year. He was having problems with blisters from his toes rubbing against each other.

 

[NWSkiGirl]

For me, a few of these were a solution to protect my toes
I

Nice! I tried those once, but they wouldn't stay on. I also tried them for running. :-)

 

[liquidfeet]

If anybody here decides to use tape on their toes, try kinesiology tape. It stays put pretty well, stretches, and breathes!!! Since it breathes, the skin does not get irritated beneath it. Kinesiology tape does not take up any room, so your toes don't get pushed apart like with those toe caps.

I use it on a toe that wants to lift upwards. Surgery for this problem has a 75% failure rate. So I tape it in place and it stays there. I sure hope the kinesiology tape manufacturers don't ever go out of business. I've stockpiled rolls of tape for that reason.

 

[Lilia]

@Lilia - good to see you. What are those called?

@diymom

I believe I have searched them on ebay as 'silicone toe cap' or similar.

Happy New Year!

 

[Lilia]

Nice! I tried those once, but they wouldn't stay on. I also tried them for running. :-)

Very surprised to read that they would not stay on... They sit pretty firmly. I could not see a chance for them to slip off.
I bought different sizes, larger and smaller. Also used them for my inline skating, same problem hurting the toes.

 

[newbieM]

I am just picking this thread up since I just finished 2 days is skiing - my first of the season. These are boots I just bought half way through last season so im still breaking them in. I had a boot fitter make sure they were the right ones. They are a whole size smaller than what I was wearing before.

But my poor toes. Omg. Day 1 toe two and three really hurt. Today those my big toe and the other two next to it hurt like crazy. My toes felt like they were freezing off by the end of the day. My toes touch the front which she said is right. I’m going to try to see if I can get into the boot fitter before the next time I ski to see if she can punch out the toe.

i have bunions plus super flexible ligaments in my toes so my feet are a hot mess. I feel like the end of last season and the beginning of this one I’m skiing worse than I did my first season learning. I am so disheartened.

 

[NWSkiGirl]

.

 

[NWSkiGirl]

I just realized this was my post…

I went from a very skinny ski to a wider ski but still used the same beginner boots, and my toes were constantly hitting my boots. I lost toenails and it was painful to ski. I got a more advanced pair of boots that could support my heavier skis.

Also I now make sure boots do not touch my toes when I turn. I think that’s key. It’s fine for your toes to hit your boots when you walk, but they should not touch the end of your boots when you are turning downhill. Tightening the top buckles on your ski boots can help a bit. And of course having the toe area punched out in your boots is helpful. That may not be the official correct answer, but that’s what works for me! If you don’t have toe problems, then I’m sure it’s fine that your toes touch your ski boots.

Also, equally important is keeping your toenails VERY short.

You can also ask at a ski school, or find an instructor on the hill to ask for the name of a good bootfitter. They are expensive though, unless they work for a retail store that you can buy boots from. Then it’s free! Sometimes it’s less expensive to buy a new pair of boots from a good bootfitter at a retail store than to keep trying with a bootfitter you’re paying each time with boots that will never fit right. The store may have a guarantee where you can keep switching out boots until you get it right. The key is getting a referral to a good bootfitter. Lots of them have little to no training.

I hope you get dialed in and you never have toe issues again!

 

[Pequenita]

My toes touch the front which she said is right.

Are your toes touching the front of the boot when you are standing upright, or when you are flexing the boot?

 

[newbieM]

Are your toes touching the front of the boot when you are standing upright, or when you are flexing the boot?

Standing upright for sure. I don’t think I feel it when I’m in the correct position skiing but I can’t get to that position when I’m just standing in my boots, so if I have to walk somewhere, I feel like my toes are getting crushed.

 

[DebbieSue]

but I can’t get to that position when I’m just standing in my boots,

Why not?
Are your heels firmly back in the heel pocket?
Are middle and top buckles buckled?
If answer is yes and you can’t get to stance where toes aren’t banging while standing flexing boots, something else is off. It’s a pain to walk around with boots buckled and maybe knees slightly bent (Gripwalk helps, I think) but additional toe trauma cannot be good. I’m not sure what that else might be….too small, too stiff, cuff issues, fwd lean issues? Would a punch solve those issues? Discuss every detail of your observations with the fitter.
I agree that short short toenails is critical!

 

[newbieM]

Why not?
Are your heels firmly back in the heel pocket?
Are middle and top buckles buckled?
If answer is yes and you can’t get to stance where toes aren’t banging while standing flexing boots, something else is off. It’s a pain to walk around with boots buckled and maybe knees slightly bent (Gripwalk helps, I think) but additional toe trauma cannot be good. I’m not sure what that else might be….too small, too stiff, cuff issues, fwd lean issues? Would a punch solve those issues? Discuss every detail of your observations with the fitter.
I agree that short short toenails is critical!

Thanks I’m going to try and see a bootfitter asap. I’m hobbling in pain today and want to cry when something brushes up against my toes.