My weird toes

So it seems that I have some jacked-up toes (I've included some lovely pics). My 4th and 5th toes (on both feet) have a prominent inward bend to them. I believe this to be one of the major factors resulting in chronic toe discomfort...especially during running. I'm not really sure how to characterize the discomfort. It generally starts with a tingling sensation, which then turns into a stabbing pain/cramp feeling. At its worst, it literally feels like my toe is broken. Needless to say, this has really had an effect on my running...right down to the shoe-buying process. I cannot seem to find any shoe that will allow me to run pain-free for more than 15 minutes. It's been very frustrating.

I did a Google search on "claw toe" and "mallet toe", and I'm not sure if either one of these conditions would apply to me. The toes definitely have a downward curve to them, but they also curve in towards the 3rd toe...so I'm not sure what to make of all this. My podiatrist never mentioned anything unusual about my toes, even though I did point it out to him and told him that it is a source of discomfort. He ruled out neuromas, but had me try custom orthotics with a built-in metatarsal pad...they did not help. Infact, they made the problem worse, so I opted to quit wearing them.

Are there any feet experts out there (KnottedYet??) that can identify what is going on with my crazy toes??? And what (IF anything), I can do about it? Thanks a million!!!

Linda

Here are the pics of my feet (please pardon the BAD nail polish job!)....http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1761/feettop.jpghttp://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8099/feetfront.jpg

Hammer toes.

Mine are like that too, but with me it's genetic.

Veronica

Hammer toes, huh? I did look into that, but found that it was usually more common in the 2nd toe,so I thought that perhaps that wasn't it.

So...what are some of the ways you deal with this? Which of your toes are affected? Do you get any pain or tingling, particularly when running?

The only time I've seen a podiatrist was 20 years ago when I had a bunion removed and she called them hammer toes.

Mine affects my 3 little toes on both feet. They have always been like that and they don't hurt. Sorry, I can't help you there. :(

Veronica

Hammer toes. On my left foot my third toe curves towards the 4th toe so my 4th toe tucks under the crooked toe. My mom said my Great Grandma had the same toes so apparently I have genetically funky toes.

Are you getting your shoes from a running shop? The one I went to was very good at identifying issues, they completely alleviated pains I was having.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

Hammer toes. On my left foot my third toe curves towards the 4th toe so my 4th toe tucks under the crooked toe. My mom said my Great Grandma had the same toes so apparently I have genetically funky toes.

Are you getting your shoes from a running shop? The one I went to was very good at identifying issues, they completely alleviated pains I was having.

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Oh yes, absolutely! Infact, I can only buy shoes from a specialty running store because I wear a size 10.5 and sporting good stores (Sport's Authority, ****'s, etc.) don't carry half sizes beyond size 10. At the current moment, I'm alternating between a pair of Nike Structure Triax 13's and a pair of Nike Free Run+. I only wear the Nike Free Run on short (1-2 mile) runs. But I still feel the toe discomfort regardless of which shoe I wear. Prior to what I'm wearing now, I was wearing Mizuno Wave Inspire 6, Adidas Supernova Sequence 3, and Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10...toe pain with all of those. It must have something to do with the way those toes are curving inward and downward, and having pressure put on them. It sucks...because I've tried SO many different shoes and end up returning most of them! I swear, running shoe stores must cringe, when they see me walking in.

Just out of curiosity, what shoes did your running store put you in?

Linda

I'm wearing Saucony ProGrid Stabil CS running shoes.

Veronica

I was in the Wave Inspire also and they put a lot of pressure on my small toe joint (incipient tailor's bunions). I quit wearing Adidas several pairs ago because they're just too narrow up front.

Believe it or not, I'm in Nikes now.

Zoom Structure Triax 13, 10-1/2 Wide. I've never seen a shoe with such a square toe box, and yet the heels are narrow enough that they don't slip with my duck feet.

Try 'em out.

Ahhh, the joys of Irish feet (aka Greek feet, Morton's feet, etc.)

Somewhere on TE there is a looooong thread about this foot type.

It's not your foot's fault, it's that 90% of us have "Egyptian" feet, and shoes were designed for OUR feet, not yours.

So you get bunions, bunionettes (tailor's bunions), hammer toes, etc.

(BTW, I did talk to a biomechanist at a seminar once about Irish feet and the misery inflicted upon them by shoes. He agreed that I could become a millionaire if I were just to design running shoes for Irish feet. And he didn't know of any out on the market at the time.)

I have feet like yours ncrsbug.

I've been wearing custom orthotics past 15 years. It works for me.

I'm not totally convinced for me it's hereditary because my 5 siblings don't have feet like mine,..ie. with hammer toes, etc. None of my sisters wear narrow shoes and high arch stiletto heels. I know them.... :p

Honest, some of it is due to improperly fitted shoes earlier in life..for me. That's my opinion. i know my parents made a conscious effort to buy shoes for the younger ones that were wide enough for fit around the toe box.

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Originally Posted by nscrbug

Just out of curiosity, what shoes did your running store put you in?

Linda

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I wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. I was having knee, arch pain and achilles issues. No toes issues even though I do have odd toes. I have a slight hammer toe on each foot but it is very mild. The bigger problem I have is the crooked toes but running isn't a problem, cycling is though.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Ahhh, the joys of Irish feet (aka Greek feet, Morton's feet, etc.)
(BTW, I did talk to a biomechanist at a seminar once about Irish feet and the misery inflicted upon them by shoes. He agreed that I could become a millionaire if I were just to design running shoes for Irish feet. And he didn't know of any out on the market at the time.)

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Knott, you really should do this! And then after a few years, license it to a big shoe company.

nscrbug, my fourth toe on both feet look like yours. They have only caused pain if I wore shoes with too small a toe box, or at the end of last season I got some tightness/inflammation, which I took care of in the off-season with some exercises that Knott posted on another thread for fallen met arch, plus getting my fit checked (one of my cleats had slipped out of place!) and working on my pedal stroke/form. Oh, and I also started putting my custom orthotics in my cycling shoes, where I had previously been using Superfeet.

For running shoes I wear Brooks Ariel, in a D width. The toe box has plenty of vertical room for a higher volume foot, and then I just lace it appropriately to provide stability around my heel. The Ariel is a very stable shoe for pronators, and I started using them when I was doing PT for my hip/back. Probably for my next shoe I will look into other Brooks models that hopefully have a similar fit, as I want to see if I can do without this level of support.

I have found my experience with podiatrists to be hit-and-miss. I had one guy propose to fix my hammertoes by removing the middle bone in each toe. :eek: No thank you! I was outta there so fast . . .

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I was in the Wave Inspire also and they put a lot of pressure on my small toe joint (incipient tailor's bunions). I quit wearing Adidas several pairs ago because they're just too narrow up front.

Believe it or not, I'm in Nikes now.

Zoom Structure Triax 13, 10-1/2 Wide. I've never seen a shoe with such a square toe box, and yet the heels are narrow enough that they don't slip with my duck feet.

Try 'em out.

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Yup...that is what I'm currently wearing...but in a size 11. Of all the shoes I've tried recently, they give me the least amount of toe pain...but it is still there. I alternate between the Triax and the Nike Free Run+. Surprisingly, the Nike Free doesn't feel too bad considering that it's a very minimalist shoe...something I thought I would never be able to wear. But I still do get the toe pain/discomfort, even in both Nike shoes.

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Originally Posted by Veronica

I'm wearing Saucony ProGrid Stabil CS running shoes.

Veronica

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Ahhh...that's a motion control shoe, which are not for me. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

I wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. I was having knee, arch pain and achilles issues. No toes issues even though I do have odd toes. I have a slight hammer toe on each foot but it is very mild. The bigger problem I have is the crooked toes but running isn't a problem, cycling is though.

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Yup...I tried the Brooks Adrenaline 10, but sadly they don't work for me.