Pain in the toe can have many causes and usually occurs during or after exercise. Often, diseases of the bones, tendons or joints are responsible, but occasionally pain in the toe can also have other causes such as gout or inflammation of the nail bed. In the following, some causes and common clinical pictures are presented.
Wrong footwear
Often there is pain in the toes after a long walk. This can be caused by incorrect footwear that forces the foot into an unnatural position or does not fit properly. If there is pain in the toe, it should be checked whether the shoes worn give the toes enough room.
Especially with sports shoes, the toes often bump, because the foot can slip forward in the shoe during movements such as abrupt stopping. Arthrosis can not only occur in large joints such as the knee or hip, but also manifests itself in smaller joints. The big toe is usually affected by the toes, with the base joint being the most severely affected.
Symptomatically, there is a pain in the affected toe, in addition, the joints become stiff, which is why this clinical picture is also called hallux rigidus (literally stiff big toe). If there is osteoarthritis in the toes, insoles should be made which relieve the affected joints and thus lead to pain relief. If this is not sufficient, an operation may be considered. In this case, the affected joint is stiffened, hoping to relieve the pain afterwards. However, it takes several weeks after the operation before the patient can walk again without pain and fluid.
Broken toe
A broken toe is a very common injury and usually occurs due to a large amount of force, for example when a heavy object falls on your toe or you bump your toe. The toe hurts under pressure and movement. Of all toes, the little toe breaks most often.
Most often, the metatarsophalangeal joint of the little toe is affected by the fracture. It should be clarified whether the broken bone has shifted, since it cannot grow back together properly. This is done with an X-ray.
If the bone is not displaced, the toe can be splinted and grow back together on its own. If there is a displacement, an attempt is made to bring the bone pieces back into the correct position manually. If this does not succeed, the fracture must be operated on to restore the correct bone position.
All articles in this series:
