Arthritic foot

Evening all.

Who can recommend some trainers that reduce strain and flexion of the big toe?

I now have arthritis in my big toe joint of my right foot. Not that bad, but it knacks when I run for more than a couple of minutes. Not ideal when I'm trying to rebuild my fitness.

Or, any ideas of alternative cardio without the aid of equipment that doesn't put tension on the feet?

I have a good story about how I smashed my foot to pieces, causing said arthritis, which I might add later.

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I suggest my hot salt water foot soak, helps me, doesn`t stop it, but helps pain. I have the 3 middle toes on my right foot that claw in, resulting in the top of the joints rubbing on shoes, I now put those tubular cushion things on them, reduces the friction.

 

Swimming is said to be the best form of exercise Clueless.

 

Devils Claw I find is very good for Arthritis.Bit expensive but I find it helps my Athritic toes

Note to self,must go and get my Bunions sorted before I get to for the bones to heal

 

I like swimming, but I need something I can do regularly.

Also I want to be able to run on a whim, mostly so I can lark about with the kids without ending up in pain.

I need to do running because I need to substantially increase my cardiovascular fitness level and also my leg strength. I just need to find some suitable shoes that protect my big toe joint from too much pressure.

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Might be worth having a chat with your local Podiatrist as they can have a look at the toe joint and offer advice on the type of sports shoe to wear and the best exercise to do so that you don't put too much pressure on the affected joint.

Walking is a good all round form of exercise and won't put as much strain on the toe joint as what running will do.

 

I spoke to the podiatrist. She looked, said 'it's arthritis', then just said there's nothing that can be done. She didn't even organise an x Ray or anything. I'm very much left feeling it's entirely down to me to figure out how to work with it.

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Are you sure it's not Gout?

If so you'll need to give up alcoholic drinks, meat, nuts, seafood, trout, bacon, turkey, veal, venison, organ meats like liver, red meats, white bread, cakes, candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, products with high-fructose corn syrup, fatty poultry, coffee and high-fat dairy products.

 

I eat all of those things and have no ill effects from them. Also my toe moves freely then suddenly stops, as if bone is hitting bone. There's no pain until it reaches the end of its range, such as if I accidentally bend it back further than it goes. It's not like the tendon pain you get when you bend fully functioning joints to far.

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Sorry to hear this Clueless, I know how painful it is but if it's like mine a few years in the joint will settle and the pain will be less.
I don't think any pair of trainers alone will solve your problem but having a few different shaped pairs and changing them regularly may help to ease the pain. In similar circumstances a few years ago my doctor suggested wearing shoes with different heel heights would help - even a few mm can make a difference as it alters the angle and so the weight pressure on the joint. She also said that walking was better than running and if possible walking barefoot on sand. I found all of that advice good, hasn't stopped the arthritis developing but it did make exercise more comfortable. Having said all of that, I doubt if you'll be running a marathon.

 

Thanks for the tips, and the concern

I have no pain most of the time, and can even still do my martial arts training without pain, usually. Although I have to adapt some of the techniques to avoid bending my toe back.

It's only really when I bend my toe back that I get pain. Trouble is, with running, without even thinking about it you tend to roll onto the front of the foot and then apply a lot of force as you launch off with every step. I've tried adapting my step to land heal first and launch off flat footed, but that just diverts all the force to the ankles, knees and hips, and I don't want to wear them out too.

I've heard about rocker sole trainers, but when I Google them, they all just look like normal trainers but double the price. I'd pay more if I thought it was going to be worth it.

Now here's the funny thing. At training we train in bare feet. Sometimes in the warm up and cardio phase before we get into the actual martial arts, we do things like sprinting and hopping round the hall. I can do all that without pain, but when I run in shoes it hurts. It's not that the shoes are ill fitting or uncomfortable, I think it's that in bare feet I'm much more sensitive to what my feet are doing, so probably subconsciously compensate.

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Only cure from being pain free in the toe is a generous shot of anisthetic, be careful or you might be a very floppy floor ornament

 

I said earlier I might tell the story of how I caused my toe joint injury. It's not actually quite true, as there had been an underlying problem for years, but one interesting event made it worse all of a sudden.

Some here know that I train in martial arts, and am a bit accident prone. Not the best combination but it's fun and helps me with my plan to get fit.

So there I was, at the very last stage of my most recent grading test. By this time I had been training intensively for a couple of hours, and then been tested intensively for best part of another hour. I'd just had a sparring match against a thin lad less than half my age, and had refused to let myself look old and slow in front of the judges. So by the time I stood before the panel and the board holders for the final part of the test, I was exhausted.

I had to attempt to put my bare foot straight through a board. No problem. I've done it several times before, and the kick I was asked to demonstrate this time is one of the more powerful ones.

I lined myself up. I judged my distance. I meditated for a moment, then gave a subtle not to the big lads bracing for impact, holding the board. I slowed my breathing, took aim, and then launched with everything I had. I took off, airborne. I threw my bodyweight into a sideways roll through 90 degrees, and I launched my leg out at the precise moment to capitalise on the moment I'd generated and BOOM! And deathly silence. I bounced off. I'd miscalculated my angle of launch and came in far to steep. An impact force several times my bodyweight made its way through my big toe instead of the ball of my foot.

I was told afterwards that someone in the audience actually cried for me. other witnesses said it looked like my toes had hit square on.

I was full of adrenaline, and now surprise too, because I'd broke similar boards plenty of times before. So in my mind, numb with adrenaline and shock, I immediately lined myself up for a second attempt. I was, thankfully, stopped by the judges, who's judgement was not clouded by exhaustion and adrenaline, and first aid was immediately administered.

It was fun though. And worth it. I passed the test but much more importantly, I learned a valuable lesson. Work within and around your limitations, but don't try to work through them. My toe joint was already defective. I knew that, but foolishly chose to ignore it. I could have legitimately adapted my technique to work my way and I'd have not lost any points.

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Hi Clueless 1 . I got the same answer from my Podiatrist.
I purchased broad fitting trainers and I use Tubular Toe Cushion, Dr Scholl's when running and cycling, I find them a big help keeping the toes apart.
My big toe,(right foot), sometimes almost crossed onto the other toes,crushing the toes together, I find the cushions and the broader trainers help.
I believe the fault with MY big toe was the years I wore narrow fitting Cuban Heel Boots, in my younger years.. Hey Ho, anything for style in those days.

 

Incidentally Clueless. I swim 3 times a week.