Sensitive Skater Issue

[AgnesNitt]

I don't want to shock anyone by adding this topic, and I hope no one finds it offensive. I know it's a sensitive area and some people might not want to discuss it.However, I think it's important enough that it deserves a thread.

What the hell can I do about my toes?!  I wore steel toed boots for ten years and nothing has done anything to my feet like skating has. My uncles who were all farmers and wore heavy boots day in and day out had better feet than I do.

OMG! I looked at them the other day and I've got big friggin' calluses the size of pinto beans. I guess these are corns, but I was just astonished. I've never had these before. And my big left toenail (that my old boots split in half) has turned yellow. I suppose I could try stuff from the drug store, but to tell the truth it all looks like patent medicine to me. And when I read the instructions, they're scary. I'd be afraid to do something with the drugstore stuff for fear that I couldn't skate.

I mean this is not the end of the world (I've been trying for a week to get in to my hockey playing podiatrist,but  no luck) but geeze louise my feet look bad. Any suggestions? I've gone online and online is useless. I don't want to try something that keeps me off the ice. I thought I'd turn to you all. This has got to be a common problem. Any suggestions: products, or techniques?

[emilayy]

before getting crazy products that claim to heal calluses and corns, i think you should try to get to the root of the problem. do your skates fit well? too big or too small skates have caused a ton of problems on my feet. what do you wear under your skates? i find that skating tights are much less irritating than normal socks. i'm not sure what exactly you're dealing with, but if it's a bump on your foot, then i'd buy circular cosmetic pads and cut (or rip) holes in the center of the pads. put the hole-y part of the pad over the bump and tape it either to your foot or tights. this allows there to be a barrier between your foot and the boot while not suffocating the area that's trying to heal.

well, that's pretty much all i have to offer! let me know if i've helped you at all!

[Clarice]

I think being a skater (or a ballet dancer, for that matter) and having pretty feet are pretty much mutually exclusive things.  My feet are trashed, too, mostly by huge bunions that I never had before I took up skating.  I agree that the boots are the culprits.  I'm going to switch to customs for my next pair, but don't expect that the bunions will ever go away.  They don't hinder me in everyday life, so I won't have surgery because I don't want to have to stop skating while I recover.

[Skate@Delaware]

There could be several reasons why your toenail is yellow: wearing dark nail polish can stain the nail or it could be fungus.  If it's been stained, you can get nail whitener and make sure you don't wear dark colors for a while.  If it's fungus, you can either apply topical (which I would try if it only involves one toe) or there are oral medications to try.  Have your doctor check it out before you treat it at home just to be sure it's fungus.  My nails turned yellow from wearing dark colors and now I'm waiting for them to grow out.

[Skittl1321]

I have giant calluses on my big toes.  When I stopped skating for 6 months- they went away.  The best I can tell is my boots were too small which was causing me to curl my toes, which was causing the highest joint to rub against the roof of the boot.  I sure couldn't tell I was doing this, but it makes sense.

I have bigger skates now, and hopefully the calluses will go away again.


As for the nail- if it is not a fungus, have you damaged the nail?  Is it your picking foot? If you boots are too tight, and it is jamming into the skate everytime you pick, that could be causing trauma to the nailbed.  I know in ballet it was impossible to keep all our toe nails when doing pointe, but keeping them well trimmed, close to the foot, really did help prevent discoloration and loss.

Having done both pointe work and skating as an adult I still have feet I'm more than happy to show off in sandals.

[Query]

I disagree with the theory that skaters have to have unhealthy or distorted feet. We use our feet in a way that demands an order of magnitude better boot fit and care than most sports, but most skaters can get rid of the problems if they work hard enough at it.

In addition to the fit issues I emailed you about, it helps a lot to wear thin socks. I had a similar problem when I skated without socks. Leather boots don't rot much for the precise reason that leather is infused with toxic chemicals, that are awful for your skin. It's nothing like leather sandals, because more sweat stays inside the boot, which transfers chemicals to your skin. If you are at all sensitive to the chemicals, skating without socks is asking for trouble. Skating with thick socks, or a double layer of socks, often creates slippage, which can create callouses, corns, and blisters.

Slippage also exists if there is room inside the boot for the foot to slide around. I claim there should be virtually NO movement of the lower foot inside a skate.

On the other hand, it's hard for a frequent skater who skates fast or jumps not to have more muscular legs than normal people. Could trouble some ladies, make it harder for dance partners to lift you, and your lower body may not float when you swim...

[hopskipjump]

Thank you for posting this - dd has what looked like thickened skin on where her nail meets the end of her big toe.  I wasn't concerned but now I think I'll have the toe area stretched.  She said the skates are fine - but she doesn't really notice when skates get small until they give her a lot of pain.

[AgnesNitt]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

I'll tell you what I do, so you'll see why I'm baffled. First I double sock--two pairs of thin nylon trouser socks on each foot. Second I moisturize my feet every day. Third I keep my nails clipped short. Before April I never had this problem. Then after April when my coach decided on 'the big push', the skating demands on my feet got harder; more power, more practice. The boots are five years old. I think they fit okay.

(and the calluses aren't actually the size of pinto beans, it's more like lentils)

The big toenail (the one the old boots split) is actually scary looking. Sort of like something you'd see on the foot of a witch in a halloween movie. I guess it's off to the podiatrist.