[pct-l] Toe jam

[charliethorpe@worldnet.att.net (Charlie Thorpe)]

Hello Brick and Joanne -

Brick said:

>...If you think
>that hikers have foot problems, you ain't seen nothing when
>compared to ultra runners, and they LOVE to discuss their aches,
>pains, blisters, bunions, black toenails, and how they go about
>fixing/preventing them.

Thanks for the info on ULTRA and IUS-L!  I have wondered for some time if
there might not be some overlap of interests between the distance runners
and the distance walkers.  I ran into some VERY neat folks on the CDT near
Leadville in September...turns out that they had done a 50-mile trail run
(over Hope Pass...twice!) the week before and they were out running up/down
local 14'ers to while away the time until the next race!

Joanne said:

>...try this for an explanation of your toe "ledge" problem:...

Thanks for all the good ideas on ways to attack my toe problem!  You have
given me a lot to mull over and have certainly stimulated me into going a
dab farther toward getting enough info to try to figure out what is really
going on.

I have been assuming that the duct tape build-up under the insert was
changing the "pivot point" for my foot's forward push-off (by the back foot
as the front foot was being swung forward).

My guess has been that my boot was built such that the main brunt of the
push-off was being taken by the very front end of the foot (end of the big
toe)...thereby putting a LOT of leverage into forcing the big toe up and
back (against the offending "ledge").

My solution was to build up the area under the insert at the ball of the
foot so that the "push-off" pressure was taken more by the ball of the foot
(in fact allowing almost no opportunity for the big toe to be forced up and
back at all).

I tried your suggestion of putting "traction" on my sore big toe.  There
was almost instant relief from the pain!  I have been sitting with toe in
hand(s) for some time each night before bed and I have noticed an overall
improvement in soreness as I do my daily town walks (I am not adjusting
anything else while I do this trial).  I have to admit, though, that I am
starting to agree with your husband that it is a LOT easier to have someone
else provide the traction...I also suspect that I am having about as much
recruiting success with my wife as he had with his <g>.

My wife was helping to figure out how to adjust supportive pillows (to help
overcome my lack of the overall flexibility needed to sit for a long time
as you put self-traction on your big toe) as I sat in the recliner.  We
decided that the whole process could be a lot simpler if we could find a
"Chinese handcuff" type gadget that would grab my big toe and allow (if the
other end of the handcuff was suspended from above) the weight of my
hanging foot to provide the needed traction on the joint at the base of the
big toe.  She suggested that a condom might work.

I went down to the local "super drug store" and asked the nice little old
lady at the Pharmacy if they had any condoms that would fit the big toe of
my right foot.

The conversation went downhill from there...

- Charlie II  AT (MEGA'93)
             PCT (Mex@Can'95)
     Chipping away at the CDT


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