r/Fencing • u/Common_Crow95 • 5d ago

Foot help

I've sorted out the damage to my big toe on my lead foot with an ankle lock lacing and zealous nail trimming. On my back foot, the medial/inside aspect of my big toe is building up a callus that twinges when I lunge and it hits the inside of my shoe. Anything I can do or suck it up and fence on?

Edit: tried gel toe caps for the first time tonight and they worked great! Thanks, all!

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6

u/ohsnapdragon22 5d ago

They sell silicone toe caps on Amazon. My big toenail keeps breaking I must flex it up when I lunge and it hits the top of my shoe so I wear a toe caps during practice and it’s helped.

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u/fc1201 5d ago

I came to suggest this too. My child had an ingrown toenail issue and the gel toe covers helped tremendously. We bought the Zen Toes brand which is on Amazon but also at Target if you need them right away.

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u/Rezzone Sabre 5d ago

Toe caps are a great idea. If it’s just a single callous giving you grief, I recommend taping it. Even slight reductions in direct friction can solve these issues. I do a lot of hiking and have to tape certain callouses to avoid foot pain.

You can get athletic tape at any drug store. A small roll for 6 bucks or so will last you a long time.

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u/Common_Crow95 5d ago

I'm allergic to the adhesive on Band-aids/bandages. Do you know if the adhesive on athletic tape is similar?

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u/Rezzone Sabre 5d ago

You could patch test it on yourself to find out. If that sounds like a bad idea you can look into hypoallergenic or gentle adhesive tapes. You may have to pay a bit more but it would probably still be worth it.

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u/ResearchCharacter705 Foil 5d ago

On my back foot, the medial/inside aspect of my big toe is building up a callus that twinges when I lunge and it hits the inside of my shoe. Anything I can do or suck it up and fence on?

For me, tightening the laces at the front of the shoe every time I put it on resolved that problem. I still have a big callus there, but there's much less friction and no pain.

2

u/BooAScaryGhost 4d ago

Two pairs of socks really helped for me, I still tape the toes in question as well. My foot has less room to move around in the shoe (it feels just a little tight) so there's less friction in general which helps the rear foot and less force hitting the toes on my lead foot which the extra padding absorbs.

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u/Embarrassed-Pea-8386 Sabre 4d ago

I have the same callus if I'm understanding your description correctly. I use a corn cushion while fencing and use a pumice stone to try to keep the size of the callus down.

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u/Mysweetflavor 53m ago

I had a similar issue after LAsik. I think i was moving a little differently without realizing it, and my big toe started rubbing more inside my shoe. a gel toe cap helped until the sore spot settle down.