[Philmont] Numb big toes after hiking

That reminds me. I wear a size 11 shoe most of the time but my
mountaineering boots are size 13. I also use 2 different shoelaces in each
boot. One for the forefoot and one for the top and lace them both several
different ways. Prevents your foot from sliding and losing your big toe
nails.

I lace the lower part pretty lose, I also have a wide foot. I lace the
upper part very tight. I also try to not walk straight downhill. I sort of
zig zag my way down the trail or slope. That way you can look up quickly to
check on everyone and you are not putting all of the downward pressure on
the same spot. A little hard to do on some trails but pretty effective. I
rock hoop whenever possible so the pressure is on the bottom of my feet.

Also, clean your feet every night. I boil some water get soap (do my face
first) then my feet to check them out. Do whatever I have to do to help
them heel for the next morning.

Jim Moss

From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com] On Behalf Of Mark
Jaffry
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 2:04 PM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] Numb big toes after hiking

Joe,

That same thing happened to me as well as several others on our trek in 01
and 04. We had "a lot" of steep downhill sections with packs and lots of
"foot slide". Big toes were numb to the touch for months. But, it didn't
happen to me nearly as badly during our last trek in 06 as I discovered a
solution that worked for me. It related to how tight I tied certain laces on
my boot.

I am not speaking about the lower laces around the arch and toe box of the
boot. I left those the way they were as those regulate the amount of side to
side movement you have in this area. If you make them too tight you can
over-compress your arches which will lead to foot fatigue and cramping. Nor
am I speaking about the upper laces which determine how firmly the boot is
tied to the foot and affects upward movement. Folks at REI had told me these
needed to allow for a small amount, but usually no more than a 1/2 inch,

No, the laces I am speaking about were the transition laces, sometimes one
or two as it depends upon the boot, which go across the bending area between
upper and lower section. I am sure there are more technical terms, but I am
not a boot expert. The one or two laces at this point help to regulate how
much front to back movement you will have in the boot. I discovered, all too
painfully, that when these particular laces were too loose, that my "foot
slide" increased and jammed the toes -- mostly the big toe, into the front
end of the boot. It isn't always a noticeable movement either. But if you do
this enough, like say a hundred time a day for oh, say 11 days as you would
on a Philmont Trek, you can cause a temporary nerve injury in the toe
evidenced by the numbness.

The way I was shown to tie the laces at the transition point was to bring
the lace over the top of the latch then down and back across the front.
Doing it this way causes the lace to bite against itself and the additional
friction reduces the amount of loosening that can occur as you walk. Just
limiting this movement a little has made a big difference for me. Perhaps it
could help you as well.

Mark

  _____

From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com] On Behalf Of Joe
Johnstone
Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 12:45 PM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] Numb big toes after hiking

This happened to me after last years Philmont trek, and again this year
after our lenhok'sin trip.

Anyone else ever get this? It takes months to go away, and it is quite
bothersome.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
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Received on Sun Jul 27 16:12:44 2008