Hi all,

I am fairly new to rock climbing and have been primarily climbing at an indoor gym local to me. I have been climbing for ~1 year and I can comfortably climb V5s at a max.

I have been having issues with my toes cramping while climbing. Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so how have you alleviated it?

Are there any tools out there to help people's toes return to maximum capability? I work in construction and I feel like my toes get so 'smooshed' in my boots.

Thanks!

If your toes are cramping up when you climb, you may have sized your shoes too aggressively.

Or, if the shoes otherwise fit well and are not painful to wear, you may have selected a brand with a smaller toe box than others.

Beyond that, I have no good suggestions. I put comfort above performance since I'm never gonna climb hard enough to need really aggressive shoes, anyway.

Thanks for the response, super helpful.

Do you integrate any toe stretches into your daily routines? I’m not sure if this exists, but if there was a tool which stretched your toes laterally, would that be useful?

Thanks

https://yogatoes.com/

Those might be what you're looking for. I can't say if they'll help, but I really like them.

Is it all your toes or just one more than the others? I ask because I developed big toe tendinitis when I was climbing a lot in light, flexi shoes, and jumping or falling off boulder problems a lot. Stiffer shoes did the trick. But if it's all of your toes that probably isn't the issue.