Toe Pain

[Alohamora]

I've been experiencing pain in the joint between my big toe and the rest of my foot for over a year now. The pain isn't constant, and ranges from mild and almost negligible to sharp and distracting. It's usually worse after running, long periods of walking, or wearing high heels, but sometimes the pain sets in when I'm just sitting down doing something as simple as watching TV. The joint also hurts if I bend my toe backwards. I've looked up Turf Toe and sesamoiditis, but the only sport I play(ed) is tennis (and I don't remember a hyperextension injury), and the pain is in the wrong place for the sesamoids. There is no redness or swelling. Is there some kind of overuse/repetitive stress injury that I could have incurred? Has anyone else experienced this before? What would you recommend as treatment?

[mwpod]

Hi Alohamora,

your pain could due to an array of possible causes:

- long term high-heel wearing
- poor biomechanics
- previous trauma to the joint (not necessary hyperextension, any injury from childhood can be a cause, too)
- arthritic changes in the joint
- bunion
- inappropriate footwear

I suggest you visit a podiatrist to get your feet properly assess, depending on the remaining function of the joints, the podiatrist might prescribe orthotics to restore normal joint function, otherwise the orthotics will aim to restrict motion in that joint to prevent further irritation.

At the mean time, what you can do at home is by:
- avoid wearing high heel shoes
- get a pair of proper walking shoes from a footwear specialist shop
- mobileze your joint (just like cracking your finger or bend the big toe up and down, rotate it sideway, move it in a circular motion, pull the toe, etc.)
- you can apply ice after excessive use of your feet (e.g. after long hours of tennis or walking or high-heel wearing)


good luck
mwpod

[CTT]

Hiya,

The above advice is identical to what I would have said.

I can empathise with you as someone who has this problem too (except i don't wear high heels - well, only on special occasions!)

Tennis applies high impact forces to the foot joints - you don't need to give it up but make sure you where footwear designed for tennis and the surface that you play on. I wear orthotics in my footwear for running, badminton, hockey, hiking and skiing - also, if I know I am going to be on my feet all day. I then don't aggravate the big toe joint. Money well spent - less pain, less fatigue = better performance!

Feet take a lot of abuse so look after them, invest in supportive footwear and massage your feet. The orthotics correct your body posture and can reduce pain in lower back and knees. If you continue as you are they are likely to get worse as this type of problem is cumulative and the more pain you are in, the more unnaturally you will walk etc.