Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hello, Foot issue here

Hello All

Last Thursday (8/2/07) I was in a group of four that started in Portal at 4am, made the top of Whitney at 3pm, and made it back in Portal by 10:30pm. We did not set any speed records, but it was an experience.

My problem is that my toes have been somewhat numb ever since. I thought it would go avay, but it is now 5 days later. I did not experience any altitude sickness. No headaches. I had a loss of appetite, but I believe that had more to do with the protein bars I bought than altitude sickness. Those things are hanus. Any ideas?

Also, there was an elderly african-american man & his son (or grandson) who was climbing Mt Whitney on 8/2/07. They apparently left at 2:30 in the morning, and we passed them just shy of base camp. He was supposed to turn 72 in two weeks. Does anyone know if he made it?

I actually have the same symptoms from an epic 21h hike on 7/27/2007 up Mountaineer's route and down the Main Trail.
I got this info off a post I made on 14ers.com
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My feet have suffered plenty and because of that I've got some insight for you. Generally there are two causes for lasting numbness in toes. One is transient paresthesia the other is peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is a much less common cause for situations like yours, and generally doesn't have a specific event that causes it.

Most like likely you have transient paresthesia, usually associated with the feeling of pins and needles, but no sensation at all can be this too, especially if you have moved past the pins and needles point. It is a very common occurrence for the 2 or 3 outside toes on the foot.

It is caused by pressure being applied to the nerve that runs between your toes, ususally because the are being squeezed together in some fashion. When this happens it sometimes feels like there is a small pebble in between your 2nd and 3rd toes from the outside. This is the point of inflamation of the nerve and usually can serve as a warning that something is wrong. The numbness is not permanent, but recovery times vary.

Wearing a slightly bigger or wider shoe can help prevent it, as well as lacing your shoes tighter to keep them from sliding forward and banging against the toe box. Outside of that there really isn't much you can do.

I got transient paresthesia, after a weekend of snowboarding in Park City. I was using new boots that were much too narrow for my feet. After day 2 I couldn't feel my 2 small toes. I was a bit worried and started researchaing causes (hence the wealth of information). It took almost 3 months for me to regain feeling.
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I agree with karuzi, in terms of the cause. This is actually quite common. One of the causes is from the swelling that happens with longer distance hiking, and when there is more than normal impact, such as cross-country travel.

For this reason, some wear larger footwear, and that often solves the problem. Lacing strategies can also do wonders. Best reference on how to do this (reduce pressure on affected areas, but lock in the foot so it doesn't swim around) that I've seen is the book "Fixing Your Feet: Prevention And Treatments for Athletes" by John Vonhof

Vonhof has some great advice on managing foot problems, and I believe he has posted on this site from time to time.

My toe problems aren't exactly the same as klharmon but they might be related. My outer toes apparently curl under the "ring" (or second) toes. In normal everyday circumstances, this only causes minor problems such as calluses and some numbness. However, when hiking long distances, and especially when going downhill, the effects become major. I get extreme pain on the tips of my two outer toes but the pain goes away an hour or so after I stop hiking and the pain turns to a numb feeling.

I have learned how to virtually eliminate this problem by taping the outer toe and the second toe on both feet. I use about 1/2 inch wide medical tape and run the tape counterclockwise on the left foot and clockwise on the right foot. This seems to keep the outer toe "straight" and prevents it from curling under the inner toe. The tape on the second toes are to create less friction between the toes. It's also important to do this about 1 day before the big hike so the tape has time to soften and adjust to the shape of the toes. I thought of trying toe separators but the taping seemed to do fine.

Dave R

Dave, I've got the same problem, which is referred to by our podiatric friends as a "pinch". In my case, unless I take precautions, I end up with a very painful blister on the tip of my 5th toe. When that hardens up to a callus, I get another blister underneath that. This has been a real challenge to my walking. For short distances, Vaseline reduces the friction sufficiently, but for a longer walk, I have to tape, and I've had the best luck with Duct tape, due to it's smooth surface.

I still search for a better solution.

I hiked to iceberg Lake Aug. 6th , summitted the mountaineers route Aug 7th and hiked out on Aug 8th. I also have some numbness in the outer portion of both great toes. IThe feling is already returning slowly. I have never had this experience in the past. Thanks for the information. Ron

On my first trip down the MT, I wore a pair of Pivetta Pinnacles w/o insole "protection." Anyone who has ever owned a pair will tell you it resembles an oak plank. The balls of my feet were battered by the pounding and the toes slid forward just a fraction of an inch. Multiply that by the distance from Trail Crest. Years later, I included Spenco padding and arch support with carefully selected wool socks. As mentioned above, proper lacing to avoid any slippage is essential, but not tight enough to affect circulation. My feet were numb for weeks and gradually regained feeling after wearing open toe'd shoes/sandals like Birkenstock.