Runner’s toes

Have you ever wondered why female runners ALWAYS wear nail polish on their toes? I’m willing to bet, based on personal experience, that it is most likely because of bruised toe nails. Apparently, it happens to many runners and it happened to me for the first time this year when I ramping up my training.

The cause, in my case was from two different shoes, one too tight and the other too loose. The too tight shoe caused the damage to the longest toe – my second toe – and the too loose shoe promoted the big toe bruising. I know this, because I switched shoes part way through my training; from a shoe that was too tight to one that was obviously too loose, but felt much better. Of course the overall problem was most likely running 3 or 4 times per week, with most of the speed work either on pavement or the track.

This condition is not restricted to runners; it also apparently occurs in tennis players and skiers and I’ll be willing to bet badminton and racquetball players, too. Whatever the cause, the skin bruises and bleeds underneath the nail. If there is enough damage, the toenail may fall off. And I’m not pleased to report, that appears to be my fate or at least it is heading that way. I’m trying hard to keep the nail on as long as possible until the new nail develops underneath. It is becoming loose, so I may be taping it soon. Yes, I’ve had experience with this before, but if I recall it was from a stubbed toe, when I inadvertently kicked a chair leg, and not from running.

I’ve been trying to keep the toe trimmed and the pressure relieved by cleaning away any loose blood under the toe bed. I also tend to live in bare feet or flip flops when I’m not running, so my toes get plenty of air circulation. With the colder weather and more sock and shoe wearing, I’m being a bit more cautious and monitoring the damaged toes a bit more. Apparently in severe cases this problem can lead to infection, swelling and pain. Luckily, I’ve had none of that and have not let it interfere with my running.

An article by Dr. Jim Brown, on the Core Performance website about Runner’s Toe suggests a few ways to avoid Runner’s toes, other than stop running (not going to happen):

• Wear running shoes that are at least one-half size larger than your street shoes.
• Trim your toenails regularly and straight across, but not so short that the remaining nail or nail bed is exposed to shoe/toe irritation.
• Keep your feet as dry as possible (wear socks than wick moisture away from the skin).
• Lace your shoes more tightly if you run downhill regularly to prevent excessive movement and friction.

I’m not sure about the first suggestion for me currently, as I’m convinced that the larger shoe caused the problem to my big toe. However, I think I can tighten the laces, as suggested in the last point, to hopefully prevent further cases. Of course, it will be while before the new nails grow in and by then I’ll probably have new shoes. But I will take all of this into consideration when testing out the next pair.

It is interesting that the damage only occurred in one foot. Perhaps I put too much pressure on that foot when I run… Who knows? Perhaps some assessment is needed to determine that. In the meantime, there is a colour choice to be made: purple, red or burgundy polish to cover up the black and blue.