losing big toe nail repeatedly

[gwelch]

Have been at alpine boarding for a couple of years, can now do blues out west fairly comfortably. Each year, I lose the big toe nail on my left, forward foot. I know that part of the problem is that I tend to lean back, but I wonder what else may be contributing. A couple of days into a week long trip, my toe nail is bluish and painful, and the rest of the week is nearly a complete loss. I have made attempts to adjust the toe box, but this does not seem to make much difference. Any ideas, advice? Thanks.

[Jack M]

Moldable liners.

http://bomberonline.3dcartstores.com/Thermo-Flex-Liners_c_55.html

You want the 131 or 141.

And custom footbeds. These two things help with circulation and keeping your feet warm, in addition to riding performance. Because they are formed to your feet, you don't have to crank your buckles down as tight. And you can mold them with a "toe cap" over your toes to create more wiggle room in the toe area.

[davekempmeister]

Have been at alpine boarding for a couple of years, can now do blues out west fairly comfortably. Each year, I lose the big toe nail on my left, forward foot. I know that part of the problem is that I tend to lean back, but I wonder what else may be contributing. A couple of days into a week long trip, my toe nail is bluish and painful, and the rest of the week is nearly a complete loss. I have made attempts to adjust the toe box, but this does not seem to make much difference. Any ideas, advice? Thanks.

i had mine both permanently removed. surgically, of course. they are unnecessary and after experiencing a few painful episodes over the years, I decided it was the best pre-emptive approach. yes, roots and all - it's a tough couple of weeks post-op.

pics later - just a joke

[kieran]

i had mine both permanently removed. surgically, of course.

i have also, but not because of snowboarding.

now one has two vestigal 'spikes' that grow from either side of where the nailbed was, the other is just a mess. it seems nailbed can regenerate itself.

[Neil Gendzwill]

A good foot bed can fix a lot of problems

[Corey]

I haven't lost a nail yet, but I have had them separate from the toe right near the root. Not painful, surprisingly, just mild discomfort and NASTY looking toenails that take about 10 months to grow out. It was way worse for me in Deeluxe boots as I have very low-volume feet, no liners or additional padding could keep my feet from moving front-to-back and not have them falling asleep.

Switching to UPZ and trimming my nails before every ride has helped a lot. I also make a point to never walk with my boots unbuckled, that really drives the toes into the end of the boot. Even with boots buckled, I try to have near zero pressure on my calf when walking. It probably looks stupid when I walk like this, but I don't care. ;)

[dingbat]

Trim your nails as far as you can without making them bleed, then go after them with a nail file. Do this regularly enough and they will start to recede. Like others above have suggested, good bootfitter, footbeds, moldable liners. Then punch the box and don't be afraid to have the liner cut.

[Erik J]

Have Fin make some new toenails for you on his CNC machine. He could also color them if you would like.

[michael.a]

Step one is to learn how to cut your toenails properly. Cut them flat, do not round off the edges. Cut them short and then use a file. And cut them regularly so they are used to being short, and not just a few days before a week-long ski trip. If that's not the problem then do what everybody said above.

Oh yea, walk barefoot. Id chance it you walk exclusively in shoes for most of the day.

[queequeg]

What shape foot do you have? If you have an egyptian foot (like me and a lot of other people) then your big toe will always rub the tip/side of the boots unless your boots are WAY oversized (which will create other problems) - particularly if your big toes are extra long like mine. The front foot will be a problem, and the rear foot will not.

As far as I know there are no alpine snowboard boots that conform to this foot shape well. You can get them punched and ground but if your boots are an appropriate size there is going to be a bit of a rub and maybe some pressure on the toe during turns.

I've downsized to the smallest boot I can fit into, and punched the big toe area significantly, but this still leaves a gap between the rest of my toes and the tip of the boot (since my big toe is so much longer than the rest). Filling this area in a bit can help make sure that forward pressure is absorbed across all your toes, and not just the big toe.

Otherwise: as others have said: proper, custom footbeds can really help a lot.

My big toenail on my leading foot is pretty much half dead on one side so it doesn't really bother me anymore :-P

Edited September 25, 2012 by queequeg