unterhausen

I'm not positive that's what I have, but I got it by riding a 200k with my sock too tight on my 2nd toe. It's been two months and hasn't gone away. I talked to my chiropractor about it, and he suggested some things. From everything I've read it's not particularly easy to get rid of.

10 Wheels

pic one:
https://www.google.com/images?hl=en&s...w=1178&bih=603

unterhausen

mine isn't bad enough that you can tell something is wrong by looking at it. At least I don't think it is.

10 Wheels

You may just need longer shoes. I know I have went from 13's to 14's since I started riding.

CbadRider

In my younger days I wore high heels that had narrow toes going to a point. My toes were literally crunched together and bent. I finally got some sense and started wearing bigger shoes with a wider toe box and after a while my feet became almost normal again (I wore the cruel shoes for several years so they caused some permanent damage).

I can only recommend wider shoes and also buying them about a half size too big. This gives enough room for your toes to spread out when your feet swell.

seenloitering

I have no idea what would help, but it's a great band name.

unterhausen

Since I know what ride it happened on, I'm pretty sure it comes from being too lazy to take the shoe back off and sorting out the way the sock is fitting on my foot. My second toe is by far the longest, and so if there is any tension on the end of the sock the second toe takes almost all of the force. I am thinking about getting better socks and shoes that have moldable insoles though

GP 

I had 2 surgeries on my left middle toe to correct hammertoe.

unterhausen

that's what I'm afraid of, then again, your condition was probably worse than mine. Seems to me that if you can get the condition by putting your socks on wrong, that there should be a non-invasive procedure to fix it. Actually, since I posted this I've been exercising my toes and it seems like it is getting better.

RichardGlover

As you age, the tendons in your feet relax, the bones lose some of the arching curve, and your feet get longer.

Get your feet size checked. You may need bigger socks; you may need bigger shoes.

CbadRider

I also have Morton's Toe.

unterhausen

Cbad, thanks. I have never really looked at my feet before, and they look very strange to me. I could easily have done the same thing to them with cycling shoes that you did with high heels. When I was a teenager, you just couldn't get shoes that were very wide at all, and my feet are fairly wide. I guess I'm going to see a podiatrist for an expert opinion.

unterhausen

I have Morton's neuroma. The condition already existed, but I got the nerve inflamed which just exacerbates the pain. The podiatrist wanted to inject anti-inflammatory drugs into the area, but I have been told not to use steroids, so that is out. But the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pills he gave me in combination with soaking it in hot water have pretty much quieted the nerve in one day.

FML123

I’ve had hammer toes on all toes except big toes, but don’t really ride more than 2-3 hours. I was using Sidi Defenders and they were mostly fine, but i’d get a cramp every once in a while. Now using Shimano XC3, which are pretty comfortable, but I still get some rubbing on the tops of my toes. I ordered a pair of Lake MX 168 Enduros that I’m picking up tomorrow. Will let y’all know how they feel after a week or so. The guy at the shop also had me try some Pearl Izumi X-Alp something-or-other. Those actually look pretty good and also affordable.

unterhausen

Wow, this is an old thread. I think the thing that mostly fixes my problems is metatarsal pads and wider shoes. I have orthotics from an orthopod, so it's not a cheap solution. I found it somewhat difficult to properly place metatarsal pads myself.

79pmooney

I just purchased the Lake 238 shoes and rode Cycle Oregon with them. A super-wide toebox. My toes never felt cramped. (And nice shoes! Light, stiff, super soft leather, a double BOA system that worked very well and were super comfortable when I didn't crank the knob too much. (Those knobs have power!) Expensive but best foot comfort on a bike I've ever had and better than I thought possible.

I've always kept my toenails super short to prevent them from getting curled back by my cycling shoe toeboxes. Don't need to for these shoes.

zandoval 

If its your second toe these may help immensely. I have used them for years and attribute them to avoiding surgical correction...


https://www.amazon.com

unterhausen

My wife has those, although I don't think that she still uses them. A metatarsal pad has a similar function, possibly less effectively. I'll have to think about it. I have generalized pain in the area related to Morton's sometimes after 3 days straight of riding. It tends to go away though. Morton's neuroma/hammer toe generally affects the second toe the most. After all these years of treatment, my second toe is straight and the ones that are curled up are 3-6


Just kidding, 3, 4, and 5

BikeLite

Stop! Hammer Time!

unterhausen

I wish it was that easy. I'm always surprised to watch that video and see male dancers wearing bike shorts

greatbasin

As a newcomer/outsider to cycling culture and apparel, I found cycling shoes to trend toward narrow toes. I found the same thing with motorcycling boots. I think the idea is to avoid big duck feet sticking out and maybe even dragging in the turns. Some of my footwear won't even fit in the clips on my bike -- Crocs and Birkenstocks certainly won't. Clips also allow the rider to push against the front of the shoe. One of the advantages the clips or clipless give is a powerstroke over a greater arc of the pedal motion because we can push the pedals forward. That pressure can fold the toes.

It's big, generous toe boxes that will let the toes spread out that will relieve hammertoe. If you get a callus on the tip of the toe, you might need to remove it with a pumice stone and lotion containing urea (can take a week or more of twice daily application).

If I cycle in my Sperry canvas sneakers, I find my feet slide forward in the shoe and the toes get smashed. If I use my Giro SPD cycling shoes, the shoes grip the cunieforms and metatarsals better and the whole foot doesn't just go sliding toward the toe box -- so a well-fitted and designed cycling shoe can work.

Wearing cycling shoes a full size larger can give some additional room, but pay attention whether the toes are getting crunched up when pedaling. You might need to change how you lace it (or cinch it with the boa or whatever). Off the bike, wear shoes with generous toe boxes. I mentioned some already, but also Vivobarefoot comes to mind. Some might think that flip-flops or slides would be good but without a heel strap they force you to curl your toes just to keep the shoes on with every step - worst possible type of shoe. Going barefoot is totally legit though.

njkayaker

Why aren’t you talking to a podiatrist?

I doubt it was the sock (unless they are Kevlar).

unterhausen

I did go see a podiatrist, 11 years ago. The thing with the sock was that it irritated a condition that was already there. I agree, the sock wasn't the basic problem.
I'm not sure how this thread got bumped, I'm closing it?