EpicSki  ›  The Barking Bear Forums  ›  Ski Training Forums  ›  Fitness, Injury, and Recovery  ›  Treatment for 6th Toe
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Treatment for 6th Toe

#1
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10/9/09 at 3:56pm
  • Joined: February 2005
  • Location: The Mecca of Midwest Skiing
  • Post Count: 946
My sixth toe is killing me!

Has anyone had theirs actually treated/removed? 

I made an appointment with a doctor to get mine checked so I'm wondering what anyone else's experience has been.  What did the doc do? How was the recovery? How long before shoes are a welcome friend and not an arch enemy (ooh, good pun!)?  How long can Uncle Louie expect to have to wait on me (yes, here it comes) hand and foot?

Go ahead, scare me!

Ski like a redneck!

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#2
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10/12/09 at 7:25am
  • Joined: May 2004
  • Location: Summer in MI, teach at Breckenridge
  • Post Count: 3,467
Foot surgeries require a reasonably-long period of relatively little use for recovery.  If you find it necessary, plan it for after the season if you can.  I'd expect a couple weeks of limited use and then gradual return of shoe comfort--maybe a month.  UL will only need to treat you extra-special (he still treats you special, doesn't he?) for two or three days.  I've not had that sort of foot surgery, but friends who have report that kind of schedule for recovery.  Discuss it with the doctor.

I presume you've done the standards like having your boot blown out and ground, boot liner trimmed,  etc.  I've always had a bit of a problem that simple blowing out didn't really resolve.  It rquires footbed work too.  I have to remove a little material from either the bottom of custom footbeds--I know UL likes Dr. Scholl's footbeds, but you should have a custom if you have a significant enough problem to require a surgeon's attention--or from the baseboard beneath the liner to relieve pressure UPWARD under the tender sixth toe area.
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#3
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10/12/09 at 7:32am
  • Joined: February 2005
  • Location: The Mecca of Midwest Skiing
  • Post Count: 946
Thanks, Kneale.  It's weird, my ski boots never hurt my feet, but when I've had to wear regular "work" shoes, oh the pain!  I've had work done on my boots, have custom footbeds too, just have a dickens of a time with regular shoes.  Looks like more boot work is in the future--oh well, it'll be worth it to be able to keep skiing and keep this nonsense from coming back or getting worse. 

Hope you and Monique had a fab summer!

Ski like a redneck!

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#4
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10/23/09 at 12:28pm
  • Joined: February 2005
  • Location: The Mecca of Midwest Skiing
  • Post Count: 946
The good news: no surgery required (I'm 2 for 2 on that front).  X-rays show healthy feet, plenty of cartilage where needed and no excessive bone growth.  The 6th toe situation is oh so treatable, so if you suffer, get thee to a podiatrist toot sweet.  I'm having new orthotics made for my dress/work shoes and I'm to take them out for a trial run for a few weeks and see how they do.  I already have custom footbeds on my skiboots which explains, to some degree, why they're actually more comfy than work shoes.  Now, if only my insurance will cover it all, I'm doing the happy dance (on the inside anyway).

Ski like a redneck!

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