After running- toe turned purple?

ddecarr

So I was on vacation last week and running on the beach. I did my average run 5-6 miles on Sunday - Tuesday - Thursday. After my Thursday run I also was running around throwing football. After going back inside that evening I noticed my right foot- fourth toe(next to pinky) was almost black, not just the nail which I understand is called runners toe, but the whole toe was. It was more pronounced around the nail, but the nail itself wasn't. It went all the way down the toe and stopped abruptly. There was no pain however. I thought I might have stepped on a jellyfish but someone looked at it and could find no wound. The next day the blood diffused out of that toe and I could now notice blue-ing in the adjacent foot area as if the the blood was draining out. Still no real pain, only a very slight almost unnoticeable twinge. Its now almost unnoticeable, a little discoloration left by the toenaiI, but not the nail itself. was wearing my normal running shoes, nothing new. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? I'm afraid to go run on it like this. Thanks for any help!

sparrow0716

Bump! I have the same problem because I have Morton's toe (2nd toe is longer than the 1st toe). Solutions? Advice? I really don't want to lose a nail!

davemunger

I've had all kinds of toe and toenail issues but never this one. I'm guessing it is some kind of internal bleeding / blister, but it sounds like it is rectifying itself. I generally just run through them and eventually they go away.

However, one thing I've noticed as I've run more and more is that I need to get larger and larger shoes. I started at a size 11 and I am up to 12 1/2 or even 13, depending on the shoe. This has made a huge difference and I have many fewer problems with my toes. Your toes need plenty of room to move around, and remember, they'll expand during a run.