Nasty toe blisters

Last November I developed some nasty blisters between my toes from wearing climbing shoes that were too tight during an Indian Creek trip. The little buggers just seem to not go away no matter what I do. Mainly I've tried soaking them in warm salt water, using neosporine or putting padding between my toes, but no luck. They seem to have become infected in the past, but I think I've got that under control, but they just don't seem to become completely healed. Just ended up with some dead, white skin between my toes, yeah gross. I've also been wearing some really loose shoes on later creek trips, which has certainly helped. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and could recommend some treatments, other than the doctor favorite of "stop climbing", which would be worse than painful toes.

Sure they're blisters? (Never seen them last for a year, etc.)

Perhaps other/additional foot-related infections - athlete's foot, etc. - Sometime climbing shoes, when not allowed to dry thoroughly will provide a constant breeding ground for bacteria, foot fungus, etc.

The combination of tight shoes, tow-rubbing - skin abrasions, blisters, allow easy access for infections.

Be sure to kill-off anything in your shoes, as well as keeping your feet clean and dry.

Also, don't go barefoot. Small and tiny breaks in the skin will allow climbing shoe/athlete's foot bacteria easy access to enter and re-infect, etc.

Try a plantain poultice or comfrey salve. Both of these greatly stimulate cell replication and can heal wounds quickly, and plantain especially is antimicobial. Another very very old trick it to pack non-healing sores with raw honey. It may sound gross, but honey is bacteriostatic, meaning it is 100% sterile, and it creates a matrix for skin to heal into. Pack some on there, and don't wash it off, just add more as it wears off. This is something that is done by diabetics who have sores on their feet that don't heal, it might work for what you have going on. Although, if they really have not healed in this long a time, there is probably some sort of infection going on, likely fungal.

Matt,

What EVS said.

Also, if it is a fungal infection, eat more carrots (a raw carrot with each meal). The beta carotene in carrots is a precursor to Vit A, which is critical for skin health and resistance to bacterial and fungal infections. Zinc is a cofactor with Vit A...take a course of zinc lozenges for a couple of weeks (but not too long since too much zinc for too long could get other minerals out of balance).

Hi Matt - I know exactly what you are talking about. I get them between my pinky toe and the ring toe, usually in my right foot (which is a tiny bit bigger than my left, and thus is typically a little more crammed into a shoe than the left foot).

I don't think it has anything to do with foot hygiene -- though I can see how they might get infected if they were to break open (for whatever reason) and you weren't able to keep them clean.

My theory: I wouldn't call them blisters, but rather calluses, or even corns ( bunionbusters.com/footcare/…; "Corns can often grow between the toes...").

Here's how I think they form on my feet. My right pinky toe gets squished to the left into the ring toe, I think quite naturally (that is, I think most people have pinky toes that are shorter than their ring toes and that bend a little inward; I'd say it's about the middle of my pinky toe that is tight up against the base of the ring toe). No problem so far; in loose fitting shoes it's no worry at all. But now cram that into a climbing shoe, and do foot jams all day long (pinky toe down), which really cranks those toes together. Add a hanging belay or two, and things get worse. I think the middle bone of my pinky toe presses so hard against the base of my ring toe that it cuts off blood flow to the skin stuck between them, and the skin slowly dies, forming a tough callus that can get worse over time. I would imagine there are some abrasion issues as well as the toes rub up against each other. It can even happen over a pitch or two of sustained foot jamming. Last time it happened to me that quickly: Indian Creek. Ruined my weekend (because it happened the first day, on the first couple pitches).

Usually it doesn't happen that fast for me. But if I climb a lot (hand crack climbing in particular, where I'm putting a ton of stress on my foot jams -- I've got weak arms and climb on my legs as a rule), over time the callus/corn builds and gets to the point where it's painful.

My remedy has always been to just cut the callus out of there. I typically do it after a shower when the skin is softer, and cut away with a small nail clipper. Sometimes I use one of my wife's tweezers that has almost a blade at its end (two blades, actually -- so it's not a needle-nosed tweezers, but one that is capable of pinching away skin along its 3/16-inch blades with a good, hard squeeze). Probably wouldn't hurt to disinfect whatever tools you use for this self-surgery. If you are cutting away the tough, dead white skin, it won't hurt anymore than cutting away a thick callus on the bottom of your foot (such as beneath your big toe, where most of the pressure is placed on small face holds). The hard part comes when you get inside the tough layers and make the decision to hack away at the more tender skin. I'll let you decide how far you want to go (and whether you think it would be better to have a podiatrist do the job), but I've gone pretty deep in the past when I've got a bad callus/corn that causes a lot of pain. (Not so deep that blood is squirting out of my foot, but deeper than I care to go). It'll hurt, for sure, to cut away the tender skin, but a week later it feels way better than before. Post surgery I wad up some kleenex to separate the toes for a few hours. If I really hacked deep, and the wound is tender, I might put some kleenex in between the toes for the entire day following the callus removal (with some neosporine in there if you like; I'm usually not to fussy about that sort of thing as I don't believe I've even gotten an infection, and like most climbers, I'm cut up most of the year somewhere on my body). Once past that stage, a careful tape job is sometimes helpful. Skinny tape strips, and maybe just on one of the toes (tape on both and the tape sticks together, and causes unwanted abrasion). Finally, wear shoes with big toe boxes, or go with a sturdy sandal. I've moved up a half-size or full size in the casual foot wear I buy (compared to when I was younger) to help my feet between climbing days. Don't climb for a few days after the hack job; let the wound heal.

Maybe go light with the skin cutting the first time or two, and see whether that relieves the pain. I only get them between the little toes and ring toes, and usually only on my right foot. If you have a bunch of them, a doctor visit may be a good idea.

Again, I don't believe your condition has anything to do with hygiene. I'm one of the last people standing on the planet who still wears thin socks in his climbing shoes (OK, maybe there's a few more dinosaurs out there like me), and my feet are kept clean. It could have something to do with bone structure -- you and I may be more apt to get calluses between our toes than other climbers. Might also have to do with previous trauma to the foot (I think I've broken at least one of my little toes with bad toe stubs; never gone to the doctor to confirm it). Hell, maybe I'm way off base and the foot doctors out there can set us both straight. But I think we suffer from calluses/corns.

Well, I definately have seen some foot crusties that can cause what you're saying, but, if a doctor's only recommendation was "stop climbing" I doubt it was something fungal/bacterial.

Don't think that clean feet are immune though; I caught the foot funk that made my feetm smell like cheese and I was showering everyday and even lysol directly on my feet didn't cure it.

Some things to try:
1. Wear flip flops as much as possible and set your feet in the sun(This is what eventuallly killed my cheese).

2. Wear wool socks. The lanolin will condition your skin.

3. If you're desperate, you can put vaseline on your toes, whcih will lubricate them and keep them from blistering.

4. Paint clear nailpolish over the blisters.

bernard is correct on this. i used to do a ton of crack climbing and i fought this problem for about 5 years. the area would get infected with athlete's foot, bacterial infections, fungal infections, etc, and it hurt like a MOFO when i would climb thin hands cracks or shallow flared cracks.

finally, i went to see the podiatrist twins (the weber sisters in boulder colorado), which i wished like hell i had done 5 years earlier. she IMMEDIATELY knew what it was, which was cool because i had been to a lot of other people who just thought i had athlete's feet.

i had always thought of the problem as being an infection sort of thing, but that is just kind of the icing on the cake. the problem is actually a mechanical problem, where you are grinding the insides of your toes together and it forms a corn. once that 'kernel' is there, it is pretty much alwasy going to be there and you will always have to maintain it.

here is how to maintain it and keep it under control. buy some sheets of moleskin, the thick stuff that is about 2mm thick and some athletic tape. before you go climbing, cut 2 rectangular pieces of moleskin, approximately 1/2" by 3/4". spread your toes apart and put one of the moleskin pieces on the inside of your pinky toe, and the other one on the inside of the ring toe, such that the soft sides of the mole skin are facing each other between your toes. then, wrap a piece of tape around the pinky, and one around the ring toe, very similar to how you would wrap a finger. finally, take a piece of tape and wrap it around both toes. the tape job keeps everything contained nicely.

what all of this does is creates a "shim" between your toes so that the area of the kernel isn't grinding together. i also put a drop of tea tree oil between these toes, every morning and every night before bed.

hopefully this info will help you. i have had great success with it, even during multiweek crack climbing trips. it is a bit of work, but you will get to where you can do it very quickly, and you will always have your 'foot kit' with you. good luck and let us know how things go.

Thanks for quick turn around with all the info! Bernard, I think you hit the nail on the head, that's exactly what's been happening. It seems like a callous has formed between my pinky and ring toes and just builds up and becomes really painful. I've definitely tried digging at them pretty heavily during the first few months, but yeah they just seemed to keep coming back. I've also tried the just let it be approach and didn't have much luck. Sounds like it's just something I'm going to have to continue to deal with, better make up a "toe kit" since Creek season is right around the corner! I'm just wondering how I've never had this problem in the past nine years of climbing and now the damn things just won't go away. Maybe just too many thin cracks last Nov broke the camel's back. So, is there anyway to completely get rid of the callous or do you just have to continue to maintain it?

that's totally how it was for me, 15 years of climbing with no problem, then BOOM. i think it really kicked into gear when i was seeking out those #2 friend cracks. they just crush your toes like there is no tomorrow. good luck matt and hope it gets squared away for you.

First: I'd recommend the stiffest shoe I've ever worn, the JB from acopa.

Second: if you don't want to shell out for the shoes. Get some Tincture of Benzoin ( zombierunner.com/store/cate…) and some spyroflex pads or any good blister pad and wrap you toes after you've covered them in the tincture. I like to put some Vaseline or glide over the pads to make them slide.

Third: Try SLOWLY sanding down those calluses over a few weeks. DON"T OVER DO IT> and then try rubbing Vit. E lotion on your feet at night to help new skin cells to grow.

With the dryness of winter coming on it's good to start these habits now cause these foot issues can kill a ski/ice season.

Take care,
aj

"So, is there anyway to completely get rid of the callous or do you just have to continue to maintain it?"

I'm not sure, though it sounds like Slim's visit to the doctor implies once the kernel is there, it's not going away.

For me, I find it causes a problem only once in a while (maybe once per year, usually following a long day in the shoes). Right now, I've got some tough skin between those two problem toes, but it's not painful enough to compel me to do anything about it. That day described in Indian Creek was years ago (10?), but it stands out in my memory, and wasn't the first or last time I've had to drag out the nail clippers.

I like Slim's idea of a toe shim -- I've tried a redneck version of it with carefully rolled kleenex and tape, and though it relieves some of the pressure on the callus, it tends to create problems elsewhere (as in it hurts a lot on the outside edge of the pinky toe or tweaks the ring toe, or the kleenex compresses over a pitch or two, and then I'm back to lots of pain). I suspect if you used the moleskin shims on a regular basis (even in normal shoes), wore very loose fitting shoes for anything non-climbing, and removed some of the callus anytime it gets annoying, you'd be better off than you are now.

Hope it works out.

Check out Injinji brand "toe socks" -- I got mine at REI and they are excellent.

The cracks at IC have seen more action than a saigon hooker - maybe they are "love blisters"

+100 for lambs wool.

amazon.com/Lambs-Wool-Premi…

I got "blisters" between my two smallest toes for years, and I assumed it was a fungus or something that would come on after days of climbing. Turns out it is from the pressure and small bony protrusions I genetically have between both toes. Diligent use of lambs wool to space out the toes and no problemo.

I've never had a problem with cracks in particular, but when I break in lace-up shoes (the edge of the tongue chafes on my curled toes), I tend to get a pretty nasty rash. Most of this has already been recommended, but I a) wash my feet regularly, even if I don't shower, b) put tape on the afflicted knuckles (usually 1-2 layers of 1/2 in. climbing tape) and c) take the shoes off between burns. This generally cures it within the break-in period of a week or two.

I am in a similar dilema. I love all the responses and I will be utilizing them.

For about 4 months the 2nd toe of my left foot has been hurting. The tip and under the nail. The nail doesn’t seem to be growing much. It’s the longest toe as well. It looks fine but doesn’t not feel fine. The pain is in the center of the nail and the corners look fine. I finally made an appt-mostly because my right foot has an issue.

The 3rd toe has been pretty sore and tender. Finally poked around a bit and it feels like there is a blister on the under/inside but you can’t tell. There is a dime size white spot and then pink like the rest of my toe. I saw this by applying some pressure. It’s tender like a blister would be. I have been having pain and some numbness. I do have a bunion on this foot. I purchased new shoes not a month ago and my toes go numb. I am working on breaking them in still.

Any advice and ideas would be great! 

Chelsea Lybarger wrote:

I am in a similar dilema. I love all the responses and I will be utilizing them.

For about 4 months the 2nd toe of my left foot has been hurting. The tip and under the nail. The nail doesn’t seem to be growing much. It’s the longest toe as well. It looks fine but doesn’t not feel fine. The pain is in the center of the nail and the corners look fine. I finally made an appt-mostly because my right foot has an issue.

The 3rd toe has been pretty sore and tender. Finally poked around a bit and it feels like there is a blister on the under/inside but you can’t tell. There is a dime size white spot and then pink like the rest of my toe. I saw this by applying some pressure. It’s tender like a blister would be. I have been having pain and some numbness. I do have a bunion on this foot. I purchased new shoes not a month ago and my toes go numb. I am working on breaking them in still.

Any advice and ideas would be great! 

My idea is - see a podiatrist.

Who did you make an appointment with?

Agreed. I will need a referral. The appt is with my pcp but I may call and see if they can recommend a podiatrist.