I sized my climbing shoes a full size down just for better edging: two years later, an X-ray showed what my big toe had been doing in there
A climber’s routine X-ray exposed a shocking truth: downsizing climbing shoes by full sizes accelerates bunion formation at ten times the normal rate. What starts as edging precision becomes permanent joint remodeling, and the specialists treating climbers see it constantly—but most athletes never know until it’s too late.