For the second time this year I have come back to the beach after a well lit session to find I cant walk properly and discover a broken toe. Pain comes in shortly after, bent, blue black and red the next day, limited walking for a week at least. No idea how. Surely something to do with foot-straps, either getting in, catapult, or else ? Any ideas how this is happening, and how to prevent? Another local on the beach says he's had a few too in his time, with no ideas either.

both times its been my middle toes.

appreciate suggestions, whilst I admire my strapping and consider going out again tomorrow anyway.

Maybe trying to get in the rear strap you missed and stubbed your toe, I usually get it from kicking large rocks underwater carrying gear in bare feet.

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Hydrosurf said..
Maybe trying to get in the rear strap you missed and stubbed your toe, I usually get it from kicking large rocks underwater carrying gear in bare feet.

Yup, I've mangled toes exactly that way.

Only soft sand around me so can only be on the board. Its been the middle toes so if Im missing the rear straps when getting in, its by quite a long way, but this seems the most likely problem. I tend to be late with the back one, usually already at high speed and sometimes fiddle it - but to the point of breaking a toe ???

I've jammed them pretty bad on the rear straps, where I remember it happening but it didn't hurt at the time. Then, the next few days, a bunch of pain in that toe. Either missing the little toe or hitting the middle awkwardly somehow while I'm trying to get in. Hasn't happened a while but hurt them a few times. Usually don't hurt the big toe but one of the others.

Last two seasons I had sore middle toes. Stabbed the back strap wrong then any time doing it again it would be sore again.
Not sure if they were broken but they just never got time to heal.

Booties help for sure, the middle toe can't get caught up.
I'm working on barefoot technique first this time round and hope not to hurt them.

Have you had a bone density check lately, if your like most of us i.e getting older its a product of age. I had never broken a bone in my life and I've busted 5 vertebrae, a toe, a wrist, a shoulder and an elbow all in the last 3 years. It's not slowing down my efforts but it is grabbing me by surprise when it happens. The jabs they give you to toughen up your bones **** up your teeth by making them brittle, ive broken three teeth as well. Getting older is ****.

Like others said: most likely from hitting the back strap hard trying to get into it.
Two suggestions:
-Before "going for it" try to get a sense of where the strap is by moving the back foot right next to the strap so you can feel where it is exactly (but don't look down!)
-Avoid hooking in and loading the harness before you have both feet in the straps

when we go on windsurfing trips ,toes get sore from in and out of straps ,I duct tape my toes ,just the end part ,sprained my toes many times ,specially when sailing over powered .

Thank you all. Its in well lit and super gusty conditions, must be the back strap then as suggested - makes sense as its the right one which oddly I am much less good at getting in back there despite being right footed.

the local pro gave same advice, feet in as gust comes and well before full speed, and then hook harness once in.

Duct tape it is then whilst I figure it out.

Suggestions for best tape ?

What there's more than one brand of Duct tape ?

hope you haven't got hairy toes ,bloody hurts pulling it off ,second times better ,brazilian ,
you can just use electrical tape and tape a few together ,but a full cover with duct tape is better ,

do you use soft pads ? some have terrible hard and none forgiving arches ,

Got it. Indeed that tape is industrial stuff, gunna turn my foot into a flipper. Waterstarting will be a sinch.

The Da kine supremo straps are pretty easy on your feet, might help.

The Da kine supremo straps are pretty easy on your feet, might help.

Have you tried wearing booties?

Quiet possibly foot straps. I had the same problem with some straps I bought. Make sure the straps have soft or padded sides.
The DaKine Primo straps solved my problems

You buggers have cursed me. I just broke my little toe today jamming my foot into the strap.

Something else to consider is jamming your toes into the universal, which is how I jammed some toes in the past. Solutions are using a 'volcano pad' around the universal, which I always do now, or as others have said, wearing booties. I am hooked on using booties now since they protect the toes, provide better traction when tacking or other maneuvers forward of the footstraps, and provide extra padding to the footstrap pads when flying through chop. I do a lot of wavesailing over very shallow reefs covered with sea urchins which are very difficult not to kick when waterstarting in two feet of water. We see lots of visiting tourists who sail this spot come in with nasty coral cuts and sea urchin spines in their feet, which often ends their vacation. I find that wearing booties does not decrease my feel for the board any more than having footpads on the board does. I realize that some people think that booties aren't cool, but I think that attitude depends on how many infected coral cuts they have dealt with.

Yep, 3 foot injuries in 12 months now, I get the message, thin booties are cooler than hobbling. Thanks all for the guidance. By the way, medical tape is proving to be as good as duct tape in holding my toes together, thin and stays on when wet.

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Imax1 said..
You buggers have cursed me. I just broke my little toe today jamming my foot into the strap.

Real bummer and sorry. Little consolation for you but you have made me as a lesser rider feel a whole lot better now knowing this ** happens to the good and experienced too. I shall henceforth consider my toe tape as a badge of honor. After all, it was obtained during my first really fast session where I kept up briefly with a few quick locals. Will be biting at their heels again soon, hope you get out again soon too.

I'm thinking I gots to go boots. I've tried many and I'm fine with them, it's just they are too grabby trying to get them out of the straps smoothly. I like my straps tight with only my toes sticking out. That's where the wedging in problem lies. If I had my straps loose , booties would come out easier.

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Imax1 said..
You buggers have cursed me. I just broke my little toe today jamming my foot into the strap.

Haha. Woops. I'm sure it's a zen thing. Think about it, and miss. Don't think, don't miss.

Same with booties, if you must wear them, forget you are wearing them, and they won't be there.
I hardly have to adjust straps for them.
Hard to find good ones.
1.5mm reef booties seems to be the thing for me.

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MobZ said..

Imax1 said..
You buggers have cursed me. I just broke my little toe today jamming my foot into the strap.

Haha. Woops. I'm sure it's a zen thing. Think about it, and miss. Don't think, don't miss.

Same with booties, if you must wear them, forget you are wearing them, and they won't be there.
I hardly have to adjust straps for them.
Hard to find good ones.
1.5mm reef booties seems to be the thing for me.

Neil Pryde booties are the best ive found, dedicated for windsurfing by being thin where the strap is, soft split sole, a bit of toe and heel reinforcement but not too much don't move on your feet or spin round your foot, but a bugger to pull off when your cold and get suction inside!
However like shoes - booties that work for one foot may not for another.
I was always anti booties having sailed all winter in Ireland when I was younger and never felt it cold enough here in Sydney, but 40 years later I'm soft now feel the cold and have busted toes twice so I were them in winter.
I did bugger my foot up (lis franc injury) in a smashed gybe on a 30 knot westerly day trying to get into the new back strap and the bootie simultaneously acted like a splint to get me home but was brutal to pull off when I got there.

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Imax1 said..
I'm thinking I gots to go boots. I've tried many and I'm fine with them, it's just they are too grabby trying to get them out of the straps smoothly. I like my straps tight with only my toes sticking out. That's where the wedging in problem lies. If I had my straps loose , booties would come out easier.

Two brands to try, Atan and Ion. Both are minimalist, you hardly know you have them on, they don't grab on the footstraps but they provide the protection you need.

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John340 said..

Imax1 said..
I'm thinking I gots to go boots. I've tried many and I'm fine with them, it's just they are too grabby trying to get them out of the straps smoothly. I like my straps tight with only my toes sticking out. That's where the wedging in problem lies. If I had my straps loose , booties would come out easier.

Two brands to try, Atan and Ion. Both are minimalist, you hardly know you have them on, they don't grab on the footstraps but they provide the protection you need.

I think I got to go down that road. Getting the wifeeee to pluck out urchin spikes is getting old. Not to mention broken toes and shell cuts. Even thinking of sanding down the diamond cut foot pad grooves , if I'm going to go down the bootie road.

Does anyone know how soon I can get back into it ? The doc said 4 to 6 weeks. I can wiggle the toe now and walk on it no worries , just a bit sore after a longer walk then settles down. I think my bone has stuck together but don't want to break it while healing. The doc did say , if I can tape it up solid with not much pain I should be ok, but it's up to me ??? He didn't want to give me a time frame. I will start with loose straps and booties. But there is wind coming and it's only 9 days healing so far. How long should I really take before

oh ,I have broken many toes as a karate competitor and long time windsurfer ,its up to you and how much pain you can handle ,I would be taping it to another toe and put it in a boot because if you pull it in the wrong direction the words that would come out our mouths are not fit for kids to be around ,I would still be icing that if swelling is still happening ,its hard sitting on shore when its blowing ,

Thanks, swelling has gone down and I can wiggle my toes as hard as I can with almost no pain. 3 weeks ?

OP here - nearly 4 weeks in. I have to look carefully to see the difference with my other toes now, movement is fine, but still piercingly painful. Can manage a few hundred meters walk before start hobbling.

I recon I need another week, then as soon as it blows will put toe strapping and thinnest booties I can find for a while. Hoping the cold sea water and the action will keep my mind off any pain, then pills after.
Meanwhile am changing straps to Dakine Supremos per advice above, they look very plush and sturdy.

Booties long term ? All logic and history of injury makes them a no brainer. And yet, just love being barefoot. Suspect it will always be barefoot in lighter wind and then whether I remember them.