Pain in my little toes suddenly appeared

[temple-Lobe]

Hi

Slowly a pain has been developing in my right toes which has today become quite bad

If you imagine you've got a stone in your shoe and you walk with your full weight

with the stone underneith the toes - that's the kind of pain it is!

It has never happened while I'm running only occasionally when walking, though I

think if I ran on it now it would hurt... So what started off as an infrequent shot

of sudden pain is now aggravating me almost every time I put weight on my toes and

it's really bugging me what it might be.

Could it be arthritis? - I'm 40 so maybe not too suprising, eh?

Someone mentioned gout to me but that usually appears in the big toe with swelling,

I haven't experienced any swelling and the pain comes from my little toes.

How can I tell what it is?

Maybe I should think about going to the doc's?

Your help is appreciated

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Hi TL, welcome to the RC forum

Sounds very much like it could be arthritis - but you need a doctor to tell you for sure. The good news is that you can runwith arthritis: I have what both my doctor and podiatrist call "severe" arthritis in my toes and hardly notice it anymore. The trick is to keep moving. Loads of walking, especially hilly stuff, is great for beating it. If it's painful to run, then you'll have to gradually increase the running load as you can. But it can be done, and the pain will go away.

The worst thing you can do for arthritis is nothing - you have to keep the affected joints active or they'll eventually seize altogether.

But get a professional diagnosis first!

[temple-Lobe]

Thank you for reply...

I'm gonna go to the doc's with it on Monday.

I've tried using ice which seems to help but if it is arthritis would this make it worse you think??

I'm still hoping, mind, that it might not be arthritis - is it usually triggered by running due to more pressure exerted in that area?

Input appreciated, Cheers

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Ice will always deaden pain, but isn't necessarily the right thing to do! Personally I'm not in favour of heating or cooling for arthritis pain - I find ibuprofen the best bet (or diclofenac, but you probably need a prescrition for that). For the long term glucosamine definitely helps - and it'll help your knees too which will eventually suffer if you run enough.

But check with your doctor!

[ladyrunner]

Hi TL,

I have had a similar problem with my small toes on my left foot for a few years. The 2nd toe (next to the big toe) causes most problems, aching and it does not bend anymore. I believe that it is arthritis but have not seen a doctor. I'm 39 yo.

I noticed a couple of months back that my small toes on right foot were starting to ache, but it has worn off now and not come back yet.

I generally find that the aching lasts for a couple of weeks at a time and then recovers. Also steady runs do not affect it but fast sprints where you are pushing off the toes can bring it on.

I'd be interested to see what your doctor says.

Julie

[Sweder]

. . . steady runs do not affect it but fast sprints were you are pushing off the toes can bring it on.

Eh? Fast sprints? What's that then? :o

[ladyrunner]

Eh? Fast sprints? What's that then? :o

Last 100m of Hove Park 5k when you ran that PB the other week???

[temple-Lobe]

Hi

Thought I'd let you know what happened at doc's

He said it probably isn't arthritis but he hasn't ruled it out. To be honest he looked quite puzzled about it which wasn't reassuring! - told me to use some anti-inflammatory gel and if the symptoms persist he'll refer me to a foot specialist

The good news is though that I ran 3m on it yesterday without as much as a twitch, but it's still there slightly when I walk, maybe the gel has had some good effect.

I believe my trainers might be at fault - i didn't buy trainers which were designed for my foot - I've decided to purchase some from 'up-and-running' in Manchester but I need my injury to have completely cleared up before they test me on their running machine.

This leaves me in a dilemma about what I do now though (got a 6m in Liverpool this Sunday), if the trainers are to blame I'm wary about running in them. They have air cushioning in them and are running shoes but slightly too tight on the foot that hurt, I noticed this more when I last ran , they seemed comfortable before the injury and there's no swelling? I must admit though when I first bought these trainers I thought they were a little on the small side but because they didn't bother me continued to run in them - how daft am I?

The doc didn't ask me about my running shoes (which I thought was odd) but asked me if I'd worn anything new, which I had, a pair of shoes I hadn't worn in a while, but I think the trainers were to blame causing a gradual injury and my shoes were the final straw

Any more thoughts welcome

[Sweder]

Aye, there's the rub; ill-fitting trainers cause more foot damage than just about anything else. I'd advise getting to the shoe flogger as soon as and get yourself the right boots. I learned early on that colour, style and coolness are nothing compared to blister/ pain-free feet.

Let us know what you end up getting - we've got a bad case of Imelda Marcos; love to talk about shoes :o

[Seafront Plodder]

didn't notice whether this has already been mentioned, but when you go to buy new runners, take your current pair with you. The experts can tell all sorts of things from the way they wear.

Sorry if it's obvious.:o

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Preferably go at the end of a busy day too - then your feet will have swollen to about the same size as when you run. Never buy shoes in the morning or they'll be too small. Or wear thick socks if you have to buy early in the day.

Well, that's all true for me at least. My feet swell between a half and a full size through the day. Strange, but true.

[temple-Lobe]

Hi All

Thought I'd let you know what trainers I got:

Saucony Progrid Hurricane 9 - paid £80, let me know your thoughts

They studied a video of my running and determined that I was overpronating requiring a slight arch support. When I ran with the selected shoe I wasn't overpronating. UpAndRunning seem like really friendly and know about their running, so far I would strongly recommend them...

I think the shoes are pretty-damn good! The comfiest things I've ever worn, they are fit for a little trail running as well as road - I do a lot of off-road running but usually along gravel pathways or canal paths etc

How often do you think I should change them? every 500m?

By the way my injury seems to be staying at bay, it's still there but doesn't bother me while I'm running, only occasionally when I walk bare foot in the house...

Might go and see the specialist though if I'm still having the problem in 3/4 weeks time - I just want to know what it is. I'm wondering if it might be a gradual thing slowly getting worse as I run?

Anyway least I've got some decent trainers (I think so anyway)

Let me know what you think about the shoes or any further thoughts on my injury

Regards,

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yep well good shoes make a massive difference. Now get out there and tell us all about your running!