Anyone else losing toenails?

[Lawn Sale]

This is odd and I was wondering if anyone else has this problem.

On both feet, the toes next to the large ones lose their toenails. They did it last year and I attributed it to rubbing on the inside of the boots during a particularly wet spring. I noticed when they got caught on the sock and there was nothing attaching the nail to the toe itself, so I trimmed them back. They grew back last winter despite all the hiking and this spring they have done the same thing again. There is no pain, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and wondered what could be causing it.

I haven't worn the same hiking boots all winter, varying between several sets, and none seem to rub or be the slightest bit uncomfortable. It's only on those toes, but it is on both feet. Any ideas?

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Since not everyone's feet has the same shape - is your second toe longer/shorter than the first?

 

[BorealChickadee]

lawn Sale -This used to happen to me before I paid attention to my laces on the descent. My ankle laces were comfortable goinfg up but too loose going down. Now I do a criss cross at the ankle to lock the lace tightness for the forefoot and then tighten up the ankle laces. This keeps my toes from jamming the front of my boots. Results: I get to keep my toenails all year

 

[Rick]

Lawnsale, I also used to have that problem. It was always the second toe, which is about as long if not a teeny bit longer than my big toe. But I used to lose it at at least once per year, both feet, regardless of the boot.
When I started wearing New Balance Trail runnners for most dayhikes and AT section hikes, the problem disappeared.

I thought that perhaps in a boot, my big toe is squeezing against the affected toe each time I took a step, pushing it up a bit to rub at the top front of the boot.
While it was never painful, (the toe was almost always numb), it is worrisome a few days after a long hike to lance that toe and have a lot of fluid come out from beneath the tonail before slowly losing it.

 

[dRitter]

I'd lost 6 by the end of the winter hiking season, attributed it to being constantly packed in sweat though. They grew back but are kinda gnarly now.

 

[hikerfast]

my big toe toenails are almost jet black. i wondered if one of my shoes or my boots were too tight. been like that for months. they havent fallen off but my toes jam forward in my boots a little at times. they sized me at ems, but maybe i should have gotten a half size bigger. I didn't use them in winter, I wonder if they would exchange them 9 months later.

 

[Lawn Sale]

Kevin, good question, they are as long as, or just a tad shorter than the big toes.

Many thanks to all who have replied. I didn't think my feet were sliding around, but maybe they were and I just didn't notice. I don't keep the laces very tight, just tight enough to prevent my foot from slopping around, but maybe that's too loose on the descent. Come to think of it, the problem could also be from my cycling shoes, I have been spending a lot of time on it in the last month. But I wasn't wearing them last year as I just got the shoes last fall.

I did pick up some Merrell and Montrail Trail runners for the summer as part of going lighter, so I'll definitely give them a try.

There was never any fluid coming from under the toenail, so it wasn't like a blister, which indicated a hot spot. They just seemed to detatch from the backing. There was also no pain at all, I just noticed it when my nails kept getting caught on my socks.

 

[DougPaul]

As others have noted, it is due to the wear and tear of the nail hitting/rubbing on the toe of your boot on the downhills. I generally tighten my laces for the downhill to minimize this problem. Perhaps you need a little more toe room in your boots. Also keep your toenails short.

Socks can be another factor--toenails can catch on the toe seams on some socks. Same net effect. I file my toenails after cutting to smooth off any rough spots that might catch on my socks.

Doesn't take much pressure--I've had cases where I never felt anything wrong while hiking, but a toenail turned black a few days later.

Doug

 

[GlennS]

I experienced the same problem this year. Coming back from Bondcliff, it became so painful that I had to take my wool socks off and walked the rest of the way out wearing only my liner socks (and boots ). Closer inspection of my feet at the trailhead diisclosed the problem. I had disregarded my old Sargeants instructions and didn't keep my nails trimmed short. They weren't really that long, just long enough to become a problem. They quickly turned black and I lost several in short order. Compounding my problem is narrow feet. As much as I try, I can't find a perfect fit so my feet tend to move around a bit.

The bottom line is, it's a bit uncomfortable at times but the nails always grow back and I'm sure I can live without them.

 

[DougPaul]

Though conventional practice of the manicure industry is that toenails are kept square, I have to disagree and cut my corners at a 45' angle. I have tried doing it their way and that is when the above unpleasantness occurs. Short, round and possibly filed is best.

I round the corners too. A sharp corner on a short nail can cut into flesh and be rather uncomfortable. A final filing also removes burrs.

Doug

 

[daxs]

Between hiking and long distance running I am always losing toenails. Its not painful and at this point I don't pay too much attention except to rip them off is they do not fall off on their own. I don't pull off the great toenail. That nail, I will usually have someone I work with take it off for me. I also have "low volume" feet and that could be contributing to toenail loss. I never have a pr of boots or running shoes that have an ideal fit. I've actually thought about destroying the nail bed so the toe nails do not grow back anymore.

 

[Davehiker]

Before Dave Metsky gives his customary advice, perhaps you should consider consulting a medical professional. While others may have similar experiences, they may not be the same thing. Consider the possibility of a fungal infection under the nail as well. I think that this may be something that a podiatrist can help you with.

 

[Sugarloafer]

Yeah I always lose at least one during ski season......SOP; no big deal.

 

[blacknblue]

I don't think I've ever lost a toenail due to hiking, but I did have some issues when I was trail running a lot (back when I had knees...). Most of my lost toenails are thanks to skiing - I wear my boots tight, even tighter than most skiers. Increased performance is the trade-off for losing body parts, I guess.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Last year, from May through Oct (or there aboutts) was the first time in YEARS that I had all 10 normal colored toenails, but then I forgot to trip my nails before a hike up Donaldaon & Emmons. That left me with black nails on my two big toes.

That hike was a wet one. As well as the nails being too long, wet leather stretches somewhat, allowing my feet to slide a little bit more than usual.

Note that it doesn't take much. It doesn't occur from a single thing. (If it would it would be painful). It happens from from thousands of small lifts or pushes. Think Chinese water torture.

Note also that the big toes take a long time (at least for me). I injured them in Oct, and they are still hanging on... any day now they'll come off. I injured one of my second toes climbing Cliff and Redfield in late Feb or something like that, and it has already fallen off, leaving me with a nice fresh new one.

For me, at least, the big toes remain black for about 8 months, while the other toes last only about 2 months.

Oh yeah... Sometimes I remember to trim my nails before a long hike.

 

[kmorgan]

No matter how tight I pull the laces and what technique I use and how happy I am with my footwear selection, I still get smashing toes on the way down. I have gotten black nails on the biggest toes most and ccasionally on the 2nd or 3rd toes. They almost always fall off, sometimes soon and sometimes later. Keeping the nails short is a good idea and it works.

Thanks for the link on lacing technique. Good stuff. I have a high instep and slide in my boots downhill (and end up with black toenails which I then lose) all the time. When I tie my boots tight enough to stop the slipping I find I cut off my circulation a bit. I get numb toes especially in the winter. The skip lacing technique looks like something I'm going to have to give a try.

Thanks!
Kevin

 

[GBKDalton]

I've lost toenails due to blisters and unknown reasons. The ones I lost for unknown reasons weren't at all painful, they just kind of fell off during a backpacking trip. I lost both big toe nails due to blood blisters that came from bashing my toes against the toebox of my boot. I got new boots soon after.

 

[kerry13]

I lose big toe toenails every year. I find that high top boots are more likely to keep my feet from sliding and toes from slamming into the end of the toe box on steep descents and when I encounter that g__ d___ 2 inch stub in the middle of the trail, which I always find. When I go to trail runners or boots just above the ankle I have real problems with jammed toes and lost toe nails. I suspect I could get larger size shoes but they would just be loose and cause blister problems. I wear poly sock liners and heavy sock combo in all my hiking shoes. All my shoes are fine fitting and I have never had blister problems, but the darn toes do take a beating at times and it can get painful. I always keep the nails trimmed very short which also seems to help. Given a choice I'll take the toenail problem over blisters.

 

[cbcbd]

Last time I had a black toenail was after doing the Pemi Loop in a day and banging my toe on a rock. Lasted for a while before I could pull it off.


Hey, you could always have them surgically removed - take care of that problem once and for all

 

[trailbiscuit]

Hey, you could always have them surgically removed - take care of that problem once and for all

Having lost toenails myself in the past without anything coming of it, this leads me to the obvious question: Why do we have toenails? I mean, besides to bite them, of course.