Climbing shoes don't really mess up feet as far as I can tell, no old climbers have fucked up feet. You just don't wear shoes for that long nor do you undertake normal biomechanics while wearing them.
Despite this I am thinking about trying skinners socks next time I go for wall climbing. I haven’t climbed for a long time and after I got first and second gout strokes in my live I don’t want to torture my feet anymore
as a climber i can tell you that those shoes are so painfull that we only use them while on the wall. so our feet dont get that much fucked up. beacuse we spent the mayority of time barefoot actually
@@gabrielbetton420 Yea I know it can be different for outside climbing, but usually climbing shoes should fit perfectly, with pretty much no space. Shoes like that where your toes are stuffed into the shoe don't really serve a purpose either, they aren't even curving the right way
this is the reason, why climbers walk barefoot, or in slippers a lot, to balance it out, wearing a climbing shoe for a few minutes of climbing is much better, than wearing a ,,cool looking'' sneaker for multiple hours a day
I personally only use aggressive shoes for harder grades( I’m a v5 climber, I’ll use them for v6 and v7+). This means I’m taking generous breaks in between each attempt and I take my shoes off or just my heel to allow my toes to relax and loosen out. I’ve never had toe/foot pain from climbing. The only shoes I wear for long periods are non aggressive shoes that feel very comfortable. They squish my toes in slightly( no more then dress shoes probably) but have no down point and my feet feel perfectly fine after a 4 hour climb session.
Some tips if you do get feet issues from this: - Take the shoes off / take the heel out, to let the toes go back to normal shape, while resting in between climbs. Most climbers do this already for comfort - After each session, do some exercises e.g. intertwine your fingers and toes and squeeze a bit, not very comfortable but loosens/massages the toes - Do some light stretching, e.g. standing up on your toes, bare-footed, take each toe individually and stretch a bit in all directions etc.
The question is, do your toes go back when you finish climbing? I cant imagine a few hours a week in cramped shoes makes lasting impact if you let your feet decompress afterwards
Climbing shoe aren't supposed to be comfortable, they are design to maximize your climbing potential..,after you climb, make sure you open them, to release the stress..
I boulder about 3 times a week in shoes that I would say are medium in terms of down turn. Just started wearing a barefoot shoe and can already see my toes are spread apart more after 3 weeks. Foot feels more activated too for what its worth. If you ever see a pros feet they look ruined though. So probably there is a tipping point when you start climbing more
I don’t tell much of a difference other then my pinky toes being nearly sideways and curved in now 😂 I have callouses on every toe as well, but in terms of bone pain I don’t have any. If anything my feet feel stronger after long sessions with really aggressive shoes / downturned shoes
@@justinfung4351 I know dozens of people who have climbed for decades with aggressive shoes, and their feet are fine. You wanna know why? Because a normal climber takes their shoes off after attempting something. Maybe YOU should get some experience. Then check this again in a few years to see if you still have the confidence to argue with someone who knows what they're talking about.
@@Dexter_Morgan. Silly comment, as if taking off your shoes mitigates all risks. Damage is damage. You're clearly some arrogant boulderer, assuming you know secrets beyond our imagination. Look up pictures of Adam Ondra's feet.
@justinfung4351 it's almost like we know having our feet squished for hours at a time would lead to long term damage. So for that reason and also because shoes can be uncomfortable/painful, we take our shoes off when we aren't climbing. Sit down Justin.
@@justinfung4351 I'm guessing this "doctor" is NOT a climber herself. There are other orthos who are climbers, who can/will provide different points of view. And btw, I've seen older women climbers who have been climbing for decades and their feet are fine :) We take these shoes off in-between climbs and we don't wear them for a long period of time! Which this doctor also mentioned if the shoes are worn over a long period of time, which is not the case in general with climbing.
The reality is the more aggressive the shoe the less they're worn. I literally put my shoes on after I tie into the rope, and start taking them off the second I am being lowered. If your doing a longer route / big wall you would generally wear looser shoes to reduce the pain. So for the average climber climbing 2-4 times a week. The overall time spent in the shoes is relatively low.
The shoes are so uncomfortable that you only wear them while climbing. So if you're only wearing them for a few hours a week, your not gunna get fucked up feet.
We only use them while on the wall though. Most climbers take them off as soon as they get off the wall. With that a lot of climbers walk barefoot a lot so idk seems like a good compromis 🤷♀️
Those shoes are too small. They don’t need to be that small. If you like them that small then fine. But I’ve done both and I didn’t get a huge bonus from having them so small that my toes had to be crunched up like that. My shoes,after being broken in fit like a stiff sock. They do angle my toes to a point but they aren’t uncomfortable at all and I can wear them for hours Lots of pro climbers (Adam Ondra, for example) used to advocate for a shoes two or three sizes smaller than street shoes but in recent years have changed their tune and suggest that active strengthening of the feet has more benefit than simply cramming your foot into a tiny shoe.
Those shoes aren't necessarily too small they're more than likely just very aggressive (think la sportiva solutions or skwamas). They're meant to get your toes into that position so that you can put a lot of power down onto the foothold. Compare that to a beginner/ all-day shoe that has your toes flat and is comfy to wear for multiple hours, but is by no means optimal for high performance. You'll quickly start to see that it is, in fact, better to have a more aggressive downturn in the toe for almost anything except crack climbing.
Depending on the shoe and the shoe size. Also most shoes don’t hurt but when I put on my competition shoes HOLLY HELL it feels like I just stepped into a pool of lava that crushes my feet instead of burning them. Hurts just as much though.
As she said, these shoes are not meant to be worn for a long period of time. When we climb/boulder in a gym, we take the shoes off after and we rest in-between climb with our shoes off. When we climb outdoor on long routes, we also take the shoes off in between pitches - my feet look normal so far, as normal as other non-climber women I know. I have also seen women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s who still climb and have been climbing since they were young, and their feet look normal and not "scrunched up" as pictured here permanently :) Climbing shoes are designed like that, actually to ensure safety when climbing, hence one doesn't climb in tennis shoes or sandals. There are specific "orthos" for climbers who actually climbers themselves who can probably provide a more in-depth points of view on this.
hmm as a climber it is a good idea to really look after your feet when you aren't climbing. It means you don't do as much damage to your feet and also have a much better climbing experience
I just got a new pair of climbing shoes and I think about returning them. They are too soft, yet perfect for smearing. I climbed in them yesterday and now for some reason I get arch pain and big toe pain. 😢
I do wear barefoot shoes since 2014 and walk around the house with toe spreaders. I only climb no more than 8 hours a month and I remove my climbing shoes in between climbs
Climbing shoes are not meant for prolonged use. You put them on, climb, fall/descend and take them off. If you can walk in them, they are the wrong size. If they are comfortable, they are not good at all. But... the shoes are not the issue. The foot work is what causes the injury, health issues. Just like the ballet dancers. Their toes are abnormally defformed, because of the way they use their feet, not the pointe shoes.
Seriously, at grades lower than v5/6 this makes very little difference. I wear shoes with straight toes and can still use teeny footholds, and I can spend hours at the gym without discomfort. I think the hours of comfortable climbing does more for me than an extra 5% for a small range of boulders. I'm pretty sure I'm strengthening my feet the whole time, more than if I was relying on shoe support.
I always had a little pain because of valgus hallux. In the beginning it was very painful to climb for a long time but now I don’t feel pain anymore at any time. Can somebody explain? It’s like forcing my foot is this position stretcht everything up?
Would this ortho Dr mind recommending a more appropriate climbing shoe? I love this sport but also like my feet. I like to stretch the toe then grab the rock like a monkey and curl my toe then. Climbing shoes don’t allow that movement. And climbing barefoot not a great idea either.
Worth it for the send💪💪💪
Haha
So true!
facts bro haha
a lil tape will fix this
Real just dip it in chalk
me sitting in bed trying to break in synthetics seeing these x-rays and knowing full and well my foot looks just like that right now
Same lol
Same
Same 😭
Same
Climbing shoes don't really mess up feet as far as I can tell, no old climbers have fucked up feet. You just don't wear shoes for that long nor do you undertake normal biomechanics while wearing them.
yeah even when taking breaks, you remove them so that your feet dont undergo that much stress
Despite this I am thinking about trying skinners socks next time I go for wall climbing. I haven’t climbed for a long time and after I got first and second gout strokes in my live I don’t want to torture my feet anymore
I've seen Adam Ondra's feet and I have to say that even though you're right his toes are a complete mess.
he aggressively sizes them down tho@@nexovec
@@alessandr770 yes but you know nowadays we all have to be "victim" of something or some condition or disorder so they can sell us something about it
as a climber i can tell you that those shoes are so painfull that we only use them while on the wall. so our feet dont get that much fucked up. beacuse we spent the mayority of time barefoot actually
Climbing shoes shouldn't be painful, tight, sensitive but not painful
@@gabrielbetton420 Yea I know it can be different for outside climbing, but usually climbing shoes should fit perfectly, with pretty much no space. Shoes like that where your toes are stuffed into the shoe don't really serve a purpose either, they aren't even curving the right way
Every sport has a price. At the elite level. Such is life
this is the reason, why climbers walk barefoot, or in slippers a lot, to balance it out, wearing a climbing shoe for a few minutes of climbing is much better, than wearing a ,,cool looking'' sneaker for multiple hours a day
I personally only use aggressive shoes for harder grades( I’m a v5 climber, I’ll use them for v6 and v7+). This means I’m taking generous breaks in between each attempt and I take my shoes off or just my heel to allow my toes to relax and loosen out. I’ve never had toe/foot pain from climbing. The only shoes I wear for long periods are non aggressive shoes that feel very comfortable. They squish my toes in slightly( no more then dress shoes probably) but have no down point and my feet feel perfectly fine after a 4 hour climb session.
Some tips if you do get feet issues from this:
- Take the shoes off / take the heel out, to let the toes go back to normal shape, while resting in between climbs. Most climbers do this already for comfort
- After each session, do some exercises e.g. intertwine your fingers and toes and squeeze a bit, not very comfortable but loosens/massages the toes
- Do some light stretching, e.g. standing up on your toes, bare-footed, take each toe individually and stretch a bit in all directions etc.
The question is, do your toes go back when you finish climbing? I cant imagine a few hours a week in cramped shoes makes lasting impact if you let your feet decompress afterwards
My feet haven’t changed at all and I climb about 12 hours a week 🤷🏽♂️
Climbing shoe aren't supposed to be comfortable, they are design to maximize your climbing potential..,after you climb, make sure you open them, to release the stress..
I boulder about 3 times a week in shoes that I would say are medium in terms of down turn.
Just started wearing a barefoot shoe and can already see my toes are spread apart more after 3 weeks. Foot feels more activated too for what its worth.
If you ever see a pros feet they look ruined though. So probably there is a tipping point when you start climbing more
I don’t tell much of a difference other then my pinky toes being nearly sideways and curved in now 😂 I have callouses on every toe as well, but in terms of bone pain I don’t have any. If anything my feet feel stronger after long sessions with really aggressive shoes / downturned shoes
I do both rock climbing and ballet so I wear bouldering shoes and pointe shoes for hours every week and my feet are perfectly fine.
@@justinfung4351 I know dozens of people who have climbed for decades with aggressive shoes, and their feet are fine. You wanna know why? Because a normal climber takes their shoes off after attempting something. Maybe YOU should get some experience. Then check this again in a few years to see if you still have the confidence to argue with someone who knows what they're talking about.
@@Dexter_Morgan. Silly comment, as if taking off your shoes mitigates all risks. Damage is damage. You're clearly some arrogant boulderer, assuming you know secrets beyond our imagination. Look up pictures of Adam Ondra's feet.
@justinfung4351 it's almost like we know having our feet squished for hours at a time would lead to long term damage. So for that reason and also because shoes can be uncomfortable/painful, we take our shoes off when we aren't climbing. Sit down Justin.
Same and same
@@justinfung4351 I'm guessing this "doctor" is NOT a climber herself. There are other orthos who are climbers, who can/will provide different points of view. And btw, I've seen older women climbers who have been climbing for decades and their feet are fine :) We take these shoes off in-between climbs and we don't wear them for a long period of time! Which this doctor also mentioned if the shoes are worn over a long period of time, which is not the case in general with climbing.
The reality is the more aggressive the shoe the less they're worn. I literally put my shoes on after I tie into the rope, and start taking them off the second I am being lowered. If your doing a longer route / big wall you would generally wear looser shoes to reduce the pain. So for the average climber climbing 2-4 times a week. The overall time spent in the shoes is relatively low.
That’s that climbing life baby
Me thinking about these x ray images every time I take off my climbing shoes that I sized down in 🥲
New to climbing and would love to know what I’m getting myself into. Would love more climbing videos!
The shoes are so uncomfortable that you only wear them while climbing. So if you're only wearing them for a few hours a week, your not gunna get fucked up feet.
If you're new to climbing there is no need whatsoever to size your shoes this small.
To make up for it, we usually like walking around bare foot or in really loose shoes after climbing
We only use them while on the wall though. Most climbers take them off as soon as they get off the wall. With that a lot of climbers walk barefoot a lot so idk seems like a good compromis 🤷♀️
Those shoes are too small. They don’t need to be that small. If you like them that small then fine. But I’ve done both and I didn’t get a huge bonus from having them so small that my toes had to be crunched up like that. My shoes,after being broken in fit like a stiff sock. They do angle my toes to a point but they aren’t uncomfortable at all and I can wear them for hours
Lots of pro climbers (Adam Ondra, for example) used to advocate for a shoes two or three sizes smaller than street shoes but in recent years have changed their tune and suggest that active strengthening of the feet has more benefit than simply cramming your foot into a tiny shoe.
Those shoes aren't necessarily too small they're more than likely just very aggressive (think la sportiva solutions or skwamas). They're meant to get your toes into that position so that you can put a lot of power down onto the foothold. Compare that to a beginner/ all-day shoe that has your toes flat and is comfy to wear for multiple hours, but is by no means optimal for high performance. You'll quickly start to see that it is, in fact, better to have a more aggressive downturn in the toe for almost anything except crack climbing.
meanwhile my feet look like this without climbing
I compensate by wearing bare foot shoe whenever I'm not climbing because I realised my feet were getting really bad
Depending on the shoe and the shoe size. Also most shoes don’t hurt but when I put on my competition shoes HOLLY HELL it feels like I just stepped into a pool of lava that crushes my feet instead of burning them. Hurts just as much though.
the more it hurts the better you climb xD
@@nikcezar2445 actually the opposite, I started in shoes almost a full US size too small. my footwork was attrocious
As she said, these shoes are not meant to be worn for a long period of time. When we climb/boulder in a gym, we take the shoes off after and we rest in-between climb with our shoes off. When we climb outdoor on long routes, we also take the shoes off in between pitches - my feet look normal so far, as normal as other non-climber women I know. I have also seen women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s who still climb and have been climbing since they were young, and their feet look normal and not "scrunched up" as pictured here permanently :) Climbing shoes are designed like that, actually to ensure safety when climbing, hence one doesn't climb in tennis shoes or sandals. There are specific "orthos" for climbers who actually climbers themselves who can probably provide a more in-depth points of view on this.
super uncomfortable but worth it
This is also a fairly agressive shoe since there are more comfy shoes made for long climbs
hmm as a climber it is a good idea to really look after your feet when you aren't climbing. It means you don't do as much damage to your feet and also have a much better climbing experience
For any climber that cares about foot health- use toe spacers after your session and you'll be mint. You can get toe spacers for $2
Climbing shoes are uncomfortable, but damage is rarely permanent and very little time is actually spent in them
Especially when bouldering you only wear them for short periods of time. Totally worth it 😂
I’m very eager to see a video of rock climbers fingers. I deal with pain in my DIP joints from crimp holds during climbing.
Keep it up
I just got a new pair of climbing shoes and I think about returning them. They are too soft, yet perfect for smearing. I climbed in them yesterday and now for some reason I get arch pain and big toe pain. 😢
Actually the climbing helped me get better toes beacuse of that they get stronger so dont be worried about it
I do wear barefoot shoes since 2014 and walk around the house with toe spreaders. I only climb no more than 8 hours a month and I remove my climbing shoes in between climbs
Exactly! I can’t imagine how climbing 1-2 times a week and only wearing shoes while on the wall would cause my feet to change.
Climbing shoes are not meant for prolonged use. You put them on, climb, fall/descend and take them off. If you can walk in them, they are the wrong size. If they are comfortable, they are not good at all. But... the shoes are not the issue. The foot work is what causes the injury, health issues. Just like the ballet dancers. Their toes are abnormally defformed, because of the way they use their feet, not the pointe shoes.
Would wearing shoes with an ultra wide toe box outside of climbing help?
nah
Seriously, at grades lower than v5/6 this makes very little difference. I wear shoes with straight toes and can still use teeny footholds, and I can spend hours at the gym without discomfort. I think the hours of comfortable climbing does more for me than an extra 5% for a small range of boulders.
I'm pretty sure I'm strengthening my feet the whole time, more than if I was relying on shoe support.
well it's just the sacrifice you have to make to climb
And that's why are we always barefoot when we're belaying 😅
Where is the claw toe video?
to be fair those are like...suuuuuper aggressive shoes no? And they don't get worn for that long lol
I always had a little pain because of valgus hallux. In the beginning it was very painful to climb for a long time but now I don’t feel pain anymore at any time. Can somebody explain? It’s like forcing my foot is this position stretcht everything up?
I climb, but I strength train barefoot in my home gym. Am I counteracting the potential damage my shoes are doing to my feet? TIA
Im a rock climber but it didnt hurt that much tho
Would this ortho Dr mind recommending a more appropriate climbing shoe? I love this sport but also like my feet. I like to stretch the toe then grab the rock like a monkey and curl my toe then. Climbing shoes don’t allow that movement. And climbing barefoot not a great idea either.
So what about stretching the food regularily. Wouldnt that help prevent Claw foot?
Oh yeah 🤘
yes but this is how they’re designed (like you did mention), they’re not designed to be good for your feet and it sucks but it’s the truth
sry mam i preffer climbing over my foot
i mean over the way my foot looks
i still want my feet xD
guys have you seen vans?
Very interesting!
Ok so where's the next video? because I'm the one in the ex Ray om sure.
And thats why i dont use shoes.
tc pros 😎
Luckily, climbers don't care 😁
😢
I’m very eager to see a video of rock climbers fingers. I deal with pain in my DIP joints from crimp holds during climbing.
Keep it up