Toe Pain

Is this your symptom?

• Pain in the toes
• Includes minor muscle strains from too much standing, walking or sports (overuse)
• If pain was caused by an injury, see Toe Injury care guide

Causes of Foot and Toe Pain

• Shoes that don’t fit or don’t offer good support can cause painful feet. Areas where shoes rub or pinch can cause corns and calluses. If blisters occur, they can become infected. Wear shoes that fit well and are right for the activity you are doing.
• Corns and Callouses. These are hard areas of skin caused by friction or pressure from shoes. The little toe is most at risk, but they can occur on any toe. The risk is higher if any toes are mis-shapen from injury or arthritis. Corns press into the skin and are often small, round and painful. Calluses often happen at the ball of the foot and heel. Padding can help with the pain. You may need to have custom shoe inserts or surgery to fix the problem causing the corn or callus.
• Ingrown Toenails. This problem is common and mainly affects the big toe. The edge of the nail presses into the skin at the side of the nail. At first, it may just cause discomfort. But if the nail breaks through the skin, it will causes a wound that can get infected. Treatment starts with protecting the skin from the edge of the nail. Sometimes part of the nail needs to be removed. Antibiotics may be needed. See more info in the Ingrown Toenail care guide.
• Trapped nerves. The nerves in the lower leg can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces as they leave the spine. Sciatica is from pressure on a nerve in the back. It causes tingling, weakness or pain in the leg which may go right down to the toes. If symptoms do not go away with rest or treatment, surgery may be needed to release the nerve.
• Tendinitis is inflammation of tendons where they attach to the bone. It's caused by overuse. This causes tenderness in the area and pain when the foot or toes are moved or used. Often needs a long period of rest from the activity that caused it. A steroid shot may be needed to reduce the pain.
• Inflammation of soft tissues can happen in the feet. It often affects runners. It can also affect people who do not wear shoes with enough support.
• Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout. Some, like gout, may affect just one joint (often the big toe). Others affect multiple joints at the same time. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to the joints involved.
• Bunions. These are swellings of the joints where the big toe joins the foot. The bone gets enlarged and the big toe turns outwards and points towards the other toes. The skin over the joint can become red and painful. Shoes may be hard to fit and walking is painful. Wearing shoes that are too tight could cause bunions or make them worse.
• Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves in the feet or legs (or hands). Feeling in the feet and toes can be affected. It can cause loss of feeling, tingling or stabbing/burning pain in some areas. The most common cause is diabetes. Wounds or injuries of the feet and toes may go unnoticed. This can lead to serious infection, if not treated.
• Fractures can occur during normal activity without obvious injury. Do not ignore ongoing foot pain.
• Blockage of an artery. Arteries carry oxygen from your heart to the leg tissues. Symptoms of blockage are cold, pale, numb and/or painful leg or foot. The blockage will need to be cleared right away when this happens.

Pain Scale

• Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, chores and sleep are not changed.
• Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
• Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.