Bruised toes/toenails - Health + Injury

The Egyptian Toe

14/09/2009 at 15:18

Read recently that I should buy running shoes half a size bigger than normal. I get bad bruising after half-marathons - will a bigger shoe sort this simply do you reckon?

fat buddha

14/09/2009 at 15:36

not necessarily. the larger size will help with foot expansion which happens the further you run and theoretically will reduce nail bruising but you can still get bruised toes if

a) you don't keep the nails short
b) run downhill a lot as the toes will bang against the front of the toe box
c) run in wet shoes allowing the foot to slide forward so you suffer as per b)

The Egyptian Toe

17/09/2009 at 10:32

Thanks FB but I think I can rule most of those out although the last mile was mostly downhill. Was going to mail order my next shoes but might have to go into the shop and try the half size bigger.

Devoted2Distance

17/09/2009 at 11:20

Depends. I ran in a 6 in my last Marathon and got a black toenail, though they didn't feel too small.. they were an Asics, now I'm running in a Mizuno 6 and there seems to be a lot more room round the toe - maybe it depends on brands?

Agree with FB on the wet shoes thing..

Dundee.Runner

17/09/2009 at 11:24

I run in a 9, but my normal shoes are an 8. I used to run in an 8, and have lost toenails in a marathon. Since I started using a larger shoe the problem has not repeated. I was told that your feet will expand in any long run, and you need the extra size to allow your feet to grow without restriction. It may be your feet expanding during the run that is causing the problems.

Nykie

18/09/2009 at 11:18

My runners are Brooks and they're half a size bigger than my usual shoes.

I did the FLM in April and if I go out in open-toes shoes, I still have to cover my nails with red polish (or some colour that isn't clear) to hide my brown toe, although it's two thirds grown out now. Phew...

Merlie

07/04/2012 at 05:00

sorry to raise an old thread but....

ive had the same running shoes for a while ... Mizuno wave insire 5's .

been really happy with them .... until my last long run .... flat 18 miler... got blister and bruising at the tip of the 2nd toe.

my guess is that with the few months of longer distance running my foot has grown - not too good as i have an event coming up in just a few weeks !

Barney Desmazery

09/04/2012 at 10:23

I have 4 black toenails and 13 days to go till the VLM, my shoes are half a size bigger than my feet were when I started training but I think my feet have spread from all the training. Is it too late to get new shoes fitted and should I bandage my toes for the big race? Also should I hold off from training now - I'm staying in wales for a week so hills/mountains are unavoidable.

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