Foot and toe pain is often caused by wearing ill-fitting or narrow shoes.
Footwear with narrow toe boxes can cause blisters, calluses, ingrown toenails, and corns. It can worsen other conditions such as bunions, hammertoes, clawtoes, and morton’s neuroma.
The five toes as well as their connecting bones comprise the forefoot. The big toe has two phalanges, two joints and two tiny round bones. The other four toes have three bones and two joints that are connected to the metatarsal phalangeal joints at the ball of the foot.
Besides ill-fitting and narrow footwear, other common causes for toe pain include skin conditions like dry and cracked skin. A fungal infection, bacterial infections, fractures, and bruises can also cause foot and toe pain.
On the other hand, gout which is a disease caused by the buildup of uric acid in the joints can also cause severe toe pain. It typically affects the first metatarsal phalangeal joint of the big toe, heel and the ankle joint.
Foot and Toe Pain Risk Factors:
- Age – children and the elderly are at higher risk of suffering from pain
- Heredity – most of structural foot problems are inherited
- Overweight
- Prolonged periods of standing particularly on women wearing high heeled shoes
- Repetitive jumping and running particularly on hard surfaces
- Regularly wearing poor fitting, high-heeled, and narrow shoes
So, certain medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and inflammatory conditions may also increase the risk for developing foot pain.
These complications that can occur include infection such as fever, severe pain and swelling, an inability to bear weight and deformities. The inception of pain may be sudden, or may develop slowly over time. Pain can vary from a mild ache to a severe stabbing and burning pain.
The feet should be washed regularly and dried thoroughly as well as the toenails should be trimmed carefully, straight across and to a comfortable length. It is necessary to use sunscreen whenever the foot is exposed to the sun like if you are wearing sandals to avoid sunburn. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help to prevent foot pain.
Foot and toe pain risk can be reduced by proper exercise and wearing shoes that fit properly.