An average runner will run hundreds or thousands of miles over his lifetime. Often what we take into consideration when purchasing running shoes would be size of the foot and style. When we test out the running shoe and discover it’s too tight, we just ask for a larger size. But then, we face another conundrum. It’s too wide. What can we do?
Consider the toe box size. What’s a toe box? The toe box is the part of the shoe that covers and protects the toes. Located at the front of the shoes, the toe box provides our toes with space and the protection from impact while allowing our toes wiggle comfortably. It is important to emphasize that ill-fitting footwear can be detrimental to foot health with the forefoot being the area with most discomfort.
Toe box is also known as shoe width. Like t-shirt sizes, the toe box sizes are represented by alphabet. The sizes of a toe box are distinguished by four foot widths, those with narrow feet, average, wide and extra wide feet. For men and women however, these four options are represented by different letter of the alphabet.
Squeezing your toes in a toe box that is not your size can lead to different forms of foot problems. Painful blisters, corns (areas of thickened, dead skin found at the top of the foot that are particularly painful), calluses (areas of thickened, dead skin found at the bottom of the foot) and ingrown toenails are some of the common foot problems.
Repetitive thrusting of the longest toe into a cramped toe box of a shoe can even lead to subungual hematoma or commonly known as “runner’s toe” or “jogger’s toe”. It is characterized by a reddish-black discoloration of the toe nail. The key prevention? Purchase a pair of proper fitting shoes. A crossover toe may also develop when the toes are crimped in a toe box that’s too small. What happens is that, due to the small squeezed space, constant pressure in the toe box causes the second or third toe to move over to the toe next to it.
