Toenail bruising from cleats

[dustin]

Hey All,

I feel like many of us have had this problem in the ulti community,
but I'm curious to collect some stats on it to see how widespread it
is. I have some ideas for why it occurs, and how cleat designs could
be changed to mitigate it, but would like some input. Jot down your
symptoms and other miscellaneous anecdotes. For example, if you've
noticed some cleats are better than others.

Cheers,

Dustin

[Kyle]

I've got the exact opposite problem. I never bet bruised toes, but I
always get bruising on the back of my heel, right in my lower Achilles
tendon. Three months ago, I bought some New Balance football cleats
that seem to fix the problem:

http://www.nbwebexpress.com/newbalanceMF895LW.htm

but I wouldn't give them a favourable review. They were greay for the
first month, but now as soon as they get wet (either from sweat or wet
grass) they get super heavy and they feel "sqwooshy." I even got them
in a narrow width to accommodate my mutant feet, but they' still don't
feel stable when I cut. I wear them for pickup, but I'm back to my
duct-taped soccer cleats and bruised heels for any game where I've
gotta play hard. But not for long... I've got some Nike Vapor Jet
4.2 cleats coming this week that I'm real excited about...

Kyle

[luke...@gmail.com]

As far as toenail issues go, I have had bruising on my big toes to the
point where I have lost the nails. I have had the issue a few times
and had many (wrong) assumptions as to why it was happening. It turns
out that in my case I was buying cleats that were slightly too snug,
and I was told that when I try on cleats and find a good fit, buy a
half-size larger. Once I got into a slightly larger pair of cleats the
toe bruising went away completely and the rest of my toenails were
much happier for it too.

I used to wear the red Gaia cleats and I found that after buying them
a half size larger, once they stretched out from cutting the toe area
was much too wide and my toes would slide around when I would cut.
Based on Kyle's review of the Nike Vapour Jet 4.2's I bought a pair
and I would also recommend them to anyone. They are very light and the
laces go down far enough that I have good control over the width of
the cleat in the toe area. The only issue I have had with them is that
they have very high arch support and with my flat feet I was almost
unable to walk in them until I changed the insole.

Luke

[doyl...@gmail.com]

I keep two pairs of cleats now, and they're about a half-size
difference. I find that in the warmer weather, feet swell a bit...so
while losing toe nails is never a problem for me during the winter, it
becomes an issue in the summer season (only for the right toe). The
extra half-size in the heat of the summer (or switching to a lighter
sock) has helped in the past. For womens cleats, the Pumas are nice
(have a wider toe) but still a snug fit; however, I find that if I
accidently cut/plant straight into the toe of my cleat then all is for
naught...more reason for me to keep better angles on my cuts :P On a
final note, it may not really matter if your cleats are nice and
comfy...I sustain a significant amount of toe/foot damange from the
rare stomp on the foot as people step out to block a lunge (fake or
throw) :(
-Melissa