Big Toe Pain?? What is causing? Help!

[gostovp]

Long post so bear with me…

I have a pair of HanWag Alaska GTX in size 11.5 W… I feel they have been great boots, seem to fit me well. Broke in this summer really well for me. I used them on my Sept archery elk hunt and had no blisters or hot spots. My only issue was towards the end of my hunt both my big toes just hurt bad, like painful when walking on them, and almost numb by end of trip, and pain stuck around for a couple weeks after trip ( while wearing any shoe). I’ve been wearing the boots again while whitetail and upland hunting back home… and sure enough that toe pain is kinda coming back..
any thoughts? Is the boot just too stiff for me? Is it a fit issue ? ( I seem to have plenty of toe box room, don’t feel any rubbing on my big toe… my left pinky toe sometimes feels pinched but that toe is weird in just about all boots).

More about my feet. My left foot measures just a hair over 11 on the Brannock, my right measures just under 11, so usually size up to 11.5 depending on how the boot runs. On the Brannock I measure on the high side of medium width, and maybe just into wide side with thick socks, and again depending on the boot will go normal or wide with. I have a narrower heel… here’s where it gets interesting… natural flat feet, I’ve never had an arch or instep of any kind even when younger, but I don’t have any pronation issues ( my shoes wear very evenly), no knee or back pain issues. I’ve tried various insoles like Superfeet, Sol, Powerstep and they all seem to have to much of an arch and cause irritation on my arch area.

Is this a problem with the boot? Too stiff or other fit issue? Am I pronating and don’t realize it? ( like my foot is rolling in just a bit and my big toe is taking all the pressure)? Do I maybe need to continue to try and find an insole that might work? Go to a podiatrist?

ps: Other boots I’ve tried/ owned: I own the Cripsi summit GTX ( ok fit, don’t put a ton of miles on them because the midsole cushion sucks and they kinda rub my left pinky). Schnees timberline and Beartooth ( great boot, didn’t fit my feet) , Kennetrek MTN extreme ( didn’t feel right on my feet), whites locsha ( feet slid around too much) … note non of these other boots have really any mileage on my feet, so I don’t know if the big toe pain would manifest or not…

 

[matthewmt]

I'm not much help but I'm in a similar situation.
Pain on the ball of my foot more so in between the ball and big toe mainly. Similar sensations as you, usually not as long lasting but usually comes and goes through my hunt.
It can get very uncomfortable tho.

I've wondered it it's not due to moisture. I usually pack an extra pair of socks and always run wool but I haven't changed them in the field yet it's been snowy and when your looking at animals through glass it's the last thing on my mind.

I picked up a pair of those 5 finger socks as I read on here another member mentioned not getting Hotspots after but i havent hunted them, they're pretty thin tho but otherwise I may try to tape them if I can stand it and see if it helps any. Ever since I started a different Job working on a hard flat service my feet got weird and I've been chasing the perfect pair of boots but it may be my feet that are the issue.
I too have one foot that's half inch shorter than the other.

I've been wearing crispi briksdal insulated and lapponia 2 lately with the best success.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[gostovp]

Just to clarify, I would say the majority of pain are in these joints

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Check out hallux rigidus.

 

[gostovp]

I've been wearing crispi briksdal insulated and lapponia 2 lately with the best success.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Lapponia didn’t work for me, heel slippage
I had a pair of Briksdahl MTN but they leaked so I returned them to Scheels… never got a ton of miles on them… I’ve thought about trying them again in a Wide if I can pick some up on sale.

 

[bat-cave]

I started experiencing this last season and it hit me again this season. I did find that in my instance, if I really kept the toe box loose and cranked down the laces above that, it made a big difference. I went to see a podiatrist and in my case he said that it was simply joint inflammation / arthritis and not much that could be done. My boots are very stiff (Lathrop and Sons) and I believe some of my discomfort came from time kneeling where my toes were flexed and ultimately helped create the soreness at the big toe joint.

He advised trying some carbon fiber inserts (~2 mm) that will make the boot even stiffer. Loosening my boots when possible while kneeling for longer periods. I haven't tried the inserts yet, but in my case the pain subsides with ~2 days of not wearing my boots. The Dr checked fit, orthotics etc .... all checked out. My summart was it sucks getting old!

 

[gostovp]

Check out hallux rigidus.

Yeah I’ve seen that pop up on some searches. It’s weird because it’s in both toes.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Given its both feet I would say yes its a fit issue with the boot...I have pain in that area but only in one foot...got an xray and I have a bone spur in that joint on my right foot..have surgery scheduled for next month to have it removed.

 

[gostovp]

I will try keeping the toe box looser and see if that helps

 

[bat-cave]

Given its both feet I would say yes its a fit issue with the boot...I have pain in that area but only in one foot...got an xray and I have a bone spur in that joint on my right foot..have surgery scheduled for next month to have it removed.

FWIW ... I have it in both feet as well, but far worse on the Left foot. X-Rays came up normal for me, but my flexibility in the big toe was far less that what it should be and so the assumption is that so much time flexing them that is typical is the base cause.

 

[gostovp]

Given its both feet I would say yes its a fit issue with the boot...I have pain in that area but only in one foot...got an xray and I have a bone spur in that joint on my right foot..have surgery scheduled for next month to have it removed.

I’m wondering this also… maybe the toe box just changes my big toe angle enough to cause the issue

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Brother, get it looked at. I've been in medicine for 22-23 years. This is a red flag. If it's not addressed this WILL have a direct effect on your outdoor recreation.

I started the same. Changed boots twice etc. Both toes as well one was worse than the other. Nothing worked. Got worse with time. Treatment: surgery.

Looks like you have some Hallux Valgus as well per picture which commonly accompanies Hallux Rigidus. Be careful chasing the 'boot is the problem' idea. Think about it like this: did boots or shoes bother your big toe joints 5-10 years prior? Probably not. Point is something changed.

In the meantime, avoid shoes/boots with any toe rocker or pick boots with minimal toe rocker. Flat shoes are your friend, as are boots that are stiff, and shoes with wide toe boxes.

 

[gostovp]

Brother, get it looked at. I've been in medicine for 22-23 years. This is a red flag. If it's not addressed this WILL have a direct effect on your outdoor recreation.

I started the same. Changed boots twice etc. Both toes as well one was worse than the other. Nothing worked. Got worse with time. Treatment: surgery.

Looks like you have some Hallux Valgus as well per picture which commonly accompanies Hallux Rigidus. Be careful chasing the 'boot is the problem' idea. Think about it like this: did boots or shoes bother your big toe joints 5-10 years prior? Probably not. Point is something changed.

In the meantime, avoid shoes/boots with any toe rocker or pick boots with minimal toe rocker. Flat shoes are your friend, as are boots that are stiff, and shoes with wide toe boxes.

So should i make an appointment with a podiatrist? Thinking my general practitioner might not be able to diagnose… or go to an orthopedic doc?

 

[gostovp]

Brother, get it looked at. I've been in medicine for 22-23 years. This is a red flag. If it's not addressed this WILL have a direct effect on your outdoor recreation.

I started the same. Changed boots twice etc. Both toes as well one was worse than the other. Nothing worked. Got worse with time. Treatment: surgery.

Looks like you have some Hallux Valgus as well per picture which commonly accompanies Hallux Rigidus. Be careful chasing the 'boot is the problem' idea. Think about it like this: did boots or shoes bother your big toe joints 5-10 years prior? Probably not. Point is something changed.

In the meantime, avoid shoes/boots with any toe rocker or pick boots with minimal toe rocker. Flat shoes are your friend, as are boots that are stiff, and shoes with wide toe boxes.

Here’s a pic of my feet, standing up so they have weight on them. Anything look weird ?

 

[Mule3006Elk]

So should i make an appointment with a podiatrist? Thinking my general practitioner might not be able to diagnose… or go to an orthopedic doc?

Ortho

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Here’s a pic of my feet, standing up so they have weight on them. Anything look weird ?

That view no gross anomalies in the 1st MTP joints. IP joint great toe a bit angled but not likely contributing to your 1st MTP pain.

How old are you?

 

[gostovp]

That view no gross anomalies in the 1st MTP joints. IP joint great toe a bit angled but not likely contributing to your 1st MTP pain.

How old are you?

I will be 50 in March

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I will be 50 in March

Copy. If you were really young joint arthritis would be unlikely. But at age 50 fair game.

Keep us posted. Their are plenty of other with similar issues that think it's their boot. This is
a great thread that will help others regardless of what they find.

 

[gostovp]

Sounds good. I’m gonna make an orthopedic dr appt here today.

I didn’t put a ton of miles yesterday… just over 3.5, but it was some nasty swamp brushy crap… no elevation changes, but a lot of uneven footfalls if that makes sense. Plus we drug a nice buck out at the end of the day.

Big toes were pretty sore last night and this morning. Feeling a bit better this afternoon but I’m a desk jocky pretty much so not many steps in today.

 

[gostovp]

Copy. If you were really young joint arthritis would be unlikely. But at age 50 fair game.

Keep us posted. Their are plenty of other with similar issues that think it's their boot. This is
a great thread that will help others regardless of what they find.

Yeah I’m wondering if it’s some arthritis.
I’ve had gout flare ups in the past but as long as I stay away from bananas and too much alcohol I usually have no issues with that. My paternal grandmother had bunions something bad that eventually got surgically repaired.