What makes your toes hurt
The pain that occurs in the toes, as in any other place in the location, brings a person great discomfort. It can be dull, aching, throbbing, or sharp, depending on the cause. Toes usually hurt due to diseases such as:
- Arthritis;
- Arthrosis;
- Vascular disorders.
Ingrown nails can also cause severe pain in the toes, improper cutting and filing of which leads to the fact that a piece of the nail plate cuts into the skin, causing suppuration and other inflammatory processes. As a result, the toes are very swollen and sore, it is difficult for the patient to walk and lead a normal life. Those who, in such cases, do not seek medical help in time run the risk of being left without a finger at all, since an ingrown nail can lead to gangrene.
Toes hurt: reasons
Depending on the type of arthritis, different toes hurt. With the reactive and psoriatic form of this ailment, pain and inflammation occur in the big toes, as well as in gout. Rheumatoid causes pain and inflammation in various combinations and variations in the other four. Despite the fact that arthritis spreads to different fingers, any type of this disease is characterized by an inflammatory rhythm of pain that occurs at 3-4 a.m.
People call arthrosis of the big toe gout, but in fact it has nothing to do with it. Of course, with gout, the fingers on the feet are affected and sore, but it is much less common, and mainly in men. Osteoarthritis affects mostly women who wear high-heeled shoes with narrow toes. These shoes press and tilt the big toes inward towards the second toe. Due to the deviation, small cartilaginous growths begin to bulge and gradually deform. It is they who keep the big toes in an even position and, when wearing the right shoes, do not allow them to bend.
Over time, not only the cartilage is deformed, but also the entire joint - it becomes wider than required, the movement in it is sharply limited. With advanced arthrosis, the toes swell and hurt due to the wrong position, it is almost impossible to return them to their natural position. On top of that, crooked thumbs press down on subsequent ones, resulting in a combined deformity of the entire foot.
Another reason why toes hurt is Morton's neuroma or, as it is also called, plantar fasciitis. The disease causes increased pressure and pinching of the nerve endings at the base of the toes (second, third and fourth). In this area, painful sensations appear, which gradually intensify and become unbearable when walking and carrying weights, the pain can be given to the other fingers and towards the calves.
With diabetes, there are problems with blood vessels and hyperactivity of nerve endings, which causes numbness of the foot as a whole. When walking, the joints of the toes hurt, and often burns in the feet, even at rest.
Diseases of the arteries of the legs (atherosclerosis or obliterating endarteritis) can also be the reasons why the toes hurt. These diseases are accompanied by a noticeable paleness and dryness of all or some of the fingers, as well as brittle nails and hair loss on the legs.
Toes hurt: what to do?
If you experience pain in the toes on your feet, you should urgently consult an experienced specialist. In such cases, depending on the cause of the painful sensations, the following doctors can help:
- Neurologist;
- Surgeon;
- Endocrinologist;
- Traumatologist;
- Angiosurgeon;
- Podiatrist.
If a patient has pain in the joints of the toes, doctors, first of all, recommend reducing the load on them. Then, depending on the cause of the occurrence, medication or surgery may be prescribed.
When pain is caused by vascular disease or metabolic disorders, the root cause of the disease must be eradicated. Limiting the intake of carbohydrates and animal fats is necessary for those who have sore toes due to atherosclerosis. It is important to control body weight and those who have diabetes as the root cause of the symptom.
If the pain provokes gout, the patient is strongly advised to limit the use of alcoholic beverages, meat and fatty foods, coffee, cocoa, strong black and green tea, and also exclude bath procedures during treatment.
For those who have sore toes due to ingrown nails, there is a direct road to the department of podology or surgery. It is very difficult to cure a nail on your own in advanced cases, you need to know many nuances and have special tools with you. It is important to follow the rules of personal hygiene: wash your foot thoroughly with soap several times a day, wear clean socks made of natural fabric, and also exclude shoes that restrict foot movement from your wardrobe.
Fractures or severe injuries to the toes, which also cause pain, especially in the first few hours after the incident, require immediate medical attention.
Whatever the reason for which the toes hurt, what to do and by what methods you can get rid of it, only a doctor can say after a thorough examination. Self-medication in such cases is not worth it - not knowing the exact diagnosis and applying the wrong treatment, you can only aggravate an already painful condition.
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