3rd, 4th, 5th toe bunions / crack climbing

Just had surgery to shave off the tailors bunion that was started by ski boots and worsened by crack climbing. 

Lately though, I've also began to notice little tiny bony spurs on top of almost all my small toes, obviously from crack climbing. I have bony feet. 

Nowadays I wear TCs that don't curl my toes but  still I have VERY SLIGHT hammer toes from too small climbing shoes previously and think that is definitely a factor... but it seems like at least half the climbers I meet also similar toes from wearing small climbing shoes, and they aren't complaining...

Does anyone else deal with this? I'd like to think my jamming technique is alright, but maybe I'm jamming too hard or something. I fear if I don't make a change my days of crack are nearing their end...

I have tried gel toe sleeves, and it works pretty well, it's just a little ridiculous, wasteful and expensive. Any other ideas would be appreciated! 

I've got a hammer toe on my pinky toe, x-ray revealed that I've also got tiny bone spurs on top of it. I'm still evaluating having that bone spur grinded down by a podiatrist. I was told that it was a three week recovery period after the grinding... I haven't experimented with the gel toe sleeves, but I might try that after reading your post especially if there was a low volume option. I've just been using athletic tape to tape the pinky toe to another toe when crack climbing. I also think that in the long term, I would benefit from sizing a half size up in my shoes to give that toe more room.   

Erik Harz wrote:

I've got a hammer toe on my pinky toe, x-ray revealed that I've also got tiny bone spurs on top of it. I'm still evaluating having that bone spur grinded down by a podiatrist. I was told that it was a three week recovery period after the grinding... I haven't experimented with the gel toe sleeves, but I might try that after reading your post especially if there was a low volume option. I've just been using athletic tape to tape the pinky toe to another toe when crack climbing. I also think that in the long term, I would benefit from sizing a half size up in my shoes to give that toe more room.   

3 weeks might be optimistic for climbing, I'm about 3 weeks out now, and easily walking around town (walking down slopes hurts) and have been mountain biking again for a week ish with mild pain. Sticking my foot into a crack still sounds pretty horrible, though. I'd estimate in a week or two I can start face climbing, crack climbing TBD. 

So far results seem promising, but I can't definitely recommend/discourage the surgery until I'm fully healed. 

Still don't know what I'm going to do about the rest of my toes, just pad them and hope I caught it soon enough I guess.

I tried larger sizes and it feels really bad, like wearing clown shoes. I wear TCs which are possibly too narrow. Maybe other brands are the solution? Just my experience. 

I wondered if the tailors bunion was a surgical option or if people just dealt with It in crack climbing.
it can be pretty painful. What was the recommendations from you DRs? Pretty good success rate? What’s the typical rehab time?

Thanks

Patch Lewis wrote:

I wondered if the tailors bunion was a surgical option or if people just dealt with It in crack climbing.
it can be pretty painful. What was the recommendations from you DRs? Pretty good success rate? What’s the typical rehab time?

Thanks

 I have been *carefully* crack climbing. I'm still swollen more than 4 months out, and it's so boney and sensitive still i am really wondering if it's just going to come right back

J B wrote:

3 weeks might be optimistic for climbing, I'm about 3 weeks out now, and easily walking around town (walking down slopes hurts) and have been mountain biking again for a week ish with mild pain. Sticking my foot into a crack still sounds pretty horrible, though. I'd estimate in a week or two I can start face climbing, crack climbing TBD. 

So far results seem promising, but I can't definitely recommend/discourage the surgery until I'm fully healed. 

Still don't know what I'm going to do about the rest of my toes, just pad them and hope I caught it soon enough I guess.

I tried larger sizes and it feels really bad, like wearing clown shoes. I wear TCs which are possibly too narrow. Maybe other brands are the solution? Just my experience. 

I've got a tailors bunion on one foot. It got really bad a few years ago but I got it under control by switching shoes. Not just my climbing shoes either. If you have a wide shoe store near you it's worth checking out there non-climbing shoe options. As for climbing shoes I know Scarpa has some wide models as does Butora.

Emil Briggs wrote:

I've got a tailors bunion on one foot. It got really bad a few years ago but I got it under control by switching shoes. Not just my climbing shoes either. If you have a wide shoe store near you it's worth checking out there non-climbing shoe options. As for climbing shoes I know Scarpa has some wide models as does Butora.

Thanks for the idea. I tried some Yosemite Bum's this week in the valley (which are much wider than TCs) I think it helped the pain on #4 size cracks but in 2s/3s that tailor's bunion is still getting crushed. Found a pretty good solution gluing Intuition ski boot pads inside my shoes, unless the Burora's have more padding there I think this will be my path forward.