Many people complain of pain in their feet and most often the big toe hurts. There are many reasons for these symptoms. Some people have big toes due to uncomfortable shoes, while others have big toes due to general diseases of the body. Such symptoms do not often cause concern to their owners; as a rule, they endure pain for a long time until foot deformity or other pathological signs appear. But it is very important to determine in time why your thumbs hurt, because pain can be one of the signs of a dangerous disease, delay in treatment of which can cost a person not only his health, but also his life.
Let's look at the most common causes of pain in the big toe.
Pain in the big toe is not always associated with illness. In most cases, it is due to physiological reasons and is a normal response of the body to certain types of stress.
Shoes with high heels and narrow toes are often the cause of the development of arthrosis of the first toe.
The big toe of the left and right foot plays a very important role. It helps the foot perform its supporting function; thanks to this structure, the load is evenly distributed throughout the foot. Also, the accumulation of soft tissue of the big toe softens the impact of the foot when walking and running. Accordingly, this anatomical formation is subject to heavy loads every day, so pain in the finger may occur:
Important! If your big toe hurts, then, first of all, rule out the reasons described above. After all, they can cause pain for a long time, and if such risk factors are not eliminated, then in the future they can develop into a full-fledged disease, for example, deforming osteoarthritis, the treatment of which is very difficult and not always successful.
Anyone can get a bruised first toe. You don't need to be a professional football player to do this, just hit a table leg at home. Thus, traumatic injuries are in second place among the causes of pain.
There are several types of thumb injuries:
In most cases, it is very difficult to immediately determine the type of injury, since the symptoms are practically no different. An accurate diagnosis will be made by a traumatologist after examination, clarification of the causes and mechanism of injury, and radiography.
If you bruise your thumb, you should always seek medical help, otherwise you may miss a fracture that heals incorrectly. And this, in turn, will lead to deformation of the foot, disruption of its function and cosmetic defect.
External signs of a bruised first toe
Popular arthrosis of the thumb is mistakenly called gout, although it has nothing in common with this disease. Also, many people incorrectly believe that this disease develops due to poor nutrition, mythical salt deposits, etc.
In fact, arthrosis and the resulting deformation of the finger, which is called hallux valgus or simply “bone”, can be provoked by the following factors:
Women suffer from arthrosis 3 times more often than men. Symptoms of damage to the thumb joint do not appear immediately. This process has several stages:
3 degrees of arthrosis of the first toe (halus valgus)
Gout is a general metabolic disease of the body, which is based on a violation of the metabolism of purine bases due to excessive production of uric acid and its deposition in the form of salts in peripheral tissues. It is these accumulations of urates in the tissues of the joints that cause the attack of arthritis characteristic of gout.
Gouty arthritis develops acutely. Often the pain begins at night in the midst of full health and awakens the patient. In 80% of cases of gout, the metatarsophalangeal joint of the first toe is inflamed. In women, gout most often affects the small joints of the hands.
The pain is so severe that the patient can neither touch nor step on the leg. At the same time, other signs of inflammation are present: swelling, redness of the skin, and increased temperature. For some people, a gout attack may be accompanied by a fever and general malaise.
Arthritis lasts 7-10 days without treatment and 4-5 with adequate therapy. As the disease progresses, attacks become longer and remissions become shorter. Urate deposits appear under the skin in the form of specific nodules, tophi. Gout can also be complicated by the formation of stones in the kidneys and gall bladder.
This is an inflammation of the joints of the first finger, which can develop for several reasons:
All of these factors can cause both acute and chronic inflammation. Determining the cause of arthritis is very important, as treatment depends on it. Although the first toe rarely suffers from such ailments, its arthritis may be a sign of:
The most typical involvement of the big toe in the pathological process is in reactive and psoriatic arthritis. Let's look at these diseases.
This is one of the manifestations of psoriasis (skin disease). Joint lesions occur in 7% of patients with this disease. Moreover, joint damage may precede the skin rash, occur simultaneously with it, or be present after the rash. The last option is most common. The causes of joint inflammation in psoriasis, as well as the disease itself, are unknown.
The joints of one or more fingers may become inflamed. They are asymmetrical in nature. A characteristic feature is axial damage, that is, all the joints of one finger are simultaneously retracted, as a result of which the latter becomes like a sausage. The finger swells, turns red, and pain develops.
If arthritis becomes chronic and the patient does not receive the necessary therapy, the foot begins to deform and the joints are destroyed. This may cause disability.
This is inflammation of the joints of infectious etiology. The cause most often is urogenital infections, intestinal or respiratory. As a rule, joint inflammation begins 10-14 days after the initial infection. Several joints are affected simultaneously, including the first toe.
The pain varies in intensity. The joint becomes red, swollen, and the skin over it becomes hot to the touch. In some cases, limb function is impaired due to pain.
Arthritis responds well to treatment with antibacterial drugs and never leaves behind deformities. The prognosis is favorable, but sometimes it can become chronic with periodic exacerbations.
There is more than one cause of pain in the big toe. Some of them are familiar to everyone. Unfortunately, most people do not take them seriously until they experience the pain and discomfort they cause. These include:
In conclusion, it should be noted that pain in the big toe can be a symptom of many, including dangerous, diseases of the body. In each case, such a sign deserves careful attention and consultation with a specialist, because at first it is much easier to cure the disease than to then unsuccessfully fight its consequences.
Our entire body relative to the surface area of our feet is not small at all. Proper distribution of mass is achieved by the arches and special structure of the foot. In this case, the maximum load falls on the first toe .
This tension often leads to illness.
There are many reasons why your big toe hurts:
The thumb is often injured. The reasons are quite simple and mundane:
If the injury is only superficial, a hematoma (bruise) develops in the area of the bruise, and the pain in the big toe is not pronounced and almost does not change when trying to move. If you try to touch the site of the impact, the pain will intensify.
The injury may result in a dislocation of the phalanx of the first finger. The most common mechanism of such injury is a foot strike on a hard object or a fall. A sharp, acute pain that occurs at the moment of impact and a change in the position of the finger will help to recognize a dislocation: it may seem bent. Swelling quickly develops in the joint area, and the big toe hurts especially badly when bent.
A fracture and crack in the bone of the distal phalanx of the big toe develops after a particularly strong kick or when falling from above onto the toe. The pain associated with a fracture is very strong and acute. The swelling of the finger quickly increases, it is impossible to step on the foot.
Sometimes, painful sensations occur directly at the edge of the nail. The skin in this area becomes red, inflamed , swollen, and hot. In the future, white pus may even appear from the inflamed area. This condition is called felon, or more precisely, paronychia. Reason: Small wounds on the fingertip become easily infected.
With panaritium, the big toe hurts extremely strongly, pulsatingly. The pain intensifies if you lower the leg down and is relieved when you raise the limb on a pillow.
Often a person associates pain in a finger with the presence of a bone near the joint. This foot deformity is a direct consequence of transverse flatfoot .
In a healthy person, maintaining the correct distribution of weight on the foot is ensured by two arches: longitudinal and transverse. Everyone has heard about the first variant of flat feet: children in kindergartens are checked for pathology by making foot prints on paper. The second option, transverse flatfoot, is the lot of adult, beautiful women who are accustomed to wearing high heels throughout the day.
Open sandals are especially dangerous:
This long process, which is difficult to stop, will lead a 20-year-old girl by the age of 60 to disfiguring deformities of all her toes. This phenomenon is called hallux valgus and is accompanied by pain in the big toe. The pain is especially aggravated when wearing high-heeled shoes.
The combination of pain and swelling is a sign of inflammation in the big toe . Arthritis is an inflammatory process in the joint - it is this finger that causes gout. This metabolic disease was once considered a privilege of the rich. Eating large amounts of red meat, red fish, wine, seafood, and caviar contributes to the manifestation of gout. However, it has now been proven that some people synthesize uric acid in excess or do not excrete it enough. Urate crystals are deposited: in the joint - arthritis develops.
An attack can be provoked by alcohol abuse, overeating food rich in animal protein, or trauma. The pain of gout is acute and very strong, the finger literally bursts from the inside. The outside of the joint is red, hot, and movements are painful. The attack lasts no more than 3-4 days, and then subsides due to the washing away of the crystals.
In addition to gout, arthritis can be the result of an infection (streptococcal, staphylococcal, viral) or an old injury to the joint.
The cause of pain in the nail, in addition to paronychia, can be injury. Often, small sharp splinters that get under the nail go unnoticed. After a couple of days, the splinter will cause inflammation of the surrounding tissue . This will manifest itself as a sharp, throbbing pain that intensifies when you press on the nail. If the splinter is superficial, then it can be seen under the nail plate - in the area of redness.
Often the finger does not bother the owner at rest, but as soon as the finger begins to move, aching, pulling discomfort develops. The causes of such pain in the big toe are problems with the big toe joint. This can be either hallux valgus or osteoarthritis deformans .
This is a chronic pathology of all joints of the body that affects older people. With age, especially if a person’s work was associated with physical activity, if there is excess weight, the cartilaginous surfaces become thinner, damaged, and the joint spaces become narrow.
These protrusions cause severe pain when moving. The finger is little changed in appearance - there may be slight swelling. When bending the finger, a sharp pain and crunching occurs. Pain that occurs when walking forces a person to stop and walk slowly.
Deforming arthrosis is a disease that affects absolutely all joints.
Pain when walking can also be a consequence of a dry callus located on the pad. This is the so-called “corns”. This type of callus develops in a place subject to active pressure: under the fingers, especially when wearing high-heeled sandals.
The problem can also affect the nerve fibers of the legs. Diabetes mellitus is a common disease today. One of the complications of diabetes is polyneuropathy. This is a specific nerve damage that manifests itself as problems with sensitivity. Including, numbness may develop in both the fingers and feet or all legs.
Neuropathy is often accompanied by painful sensations. Since diabetic polyneuropathy develops symmetrically, the big toes of both the left and right feet usually hurt equally.
If such a problem occurs, it will not be superfluous to know what to do if your big toe hurts.
Among all the methods it is worth highlighting:
All drugs used for finger pain can be divided into
The main drugs that alleviate the condition are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . This is a very large group that comes in all forms. Injection medications are most effective for acute pain. Diclofenac and ketorol are used. These are strong remedies; it is not advisable to use them for longer than 7 days.
If the condition is very severe, with severe inflammation, then it makes sense to resort to hormones. This is prednisolone, hydrocortisone in injections: they have a strong anti-inflammatory effect, but have many side effects and can be harmful to health.
Intramuscular injections are prescribed for periods of acute pain. Then they switch to tablets.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also in the lead here : diclofenac and ketorol tablets. The effect of these drugs is excellent, but the frequency of side effects is high: stomach pain occurs due to ulcerative lesions.
A somewhat new group among NSAIDs is selective COX-2 inhibitors:
These drugs are much less likely to cause side effects from the gastrointestinal tract.
Deforming arthrosis requires the prescription of drugs that restore cartilage tissue: Artra, Teraflex, Structum.
In parallel with the use of injections and tablets, anti-inflammatory drugs are used topically , in the form of ointments and gels:
Many physical therapy techniques have been used very successfully for chronic thumb pain.
It is recommended not to stop physical activity due to finger pain , with the exception of injury and an acute attack of gout (rest is needed there).
Many medicinal herbs have excellent anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to make infusions for compresses:
Infusions are prepared from herbs: dry or fresh raw materials are poured with hot water and infused in a dark place for 3 days. Then, the liquid is used as part of a compress.
Sometimes, conservative medicine becomes obsolete. And pain in the thumb causes a lot of inconvenience to a person. For such cases there are operations:
Despite all their insignificance, the big toes of the right or left foot are vital for us to walk correctly and comfortably.
When the big toe suddenly starts to hurt, many people do not take it seriously, although they feel discomfort during physical activity that involves movement. Pain is a particular nuisance for those whose work requires them to spend a lot of time standing or walking a lot throughout the day. Such a symptom can be a manifestation of many diseases, and sometimes can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, if your big toe is swollen and painful, suddenly turns red or begins to swell, you should immediately contact the clinic for help.
A common reason why a big toe hurts is a fracture or bruise. Moreover, often an injury received during exercise in the gym, an accidental fall, or as a result of a heavy object falling on the leg may go unnoticed. Therefore, after such incidents, you need to monitor the condition of the limb - if the finger begins to hurt more, and also turns blue and swollen, you should immediately contact a traumatologist. An x-ray will help determine whether the foot is injured.
If there is an injury, it will be necessary to reduce the load on the leg, and, in particular, on the big toe. If necessary, the doctor will usually apply a fixative or plaster bandage, which will need to be removed only after his approval. If the pain in the finger is very severe, painkillers are usually used to relieve it. Treatment of fractures also involves taking vitamins and medications containing calcium. When consumed, bones grow together faster and stop hurting.
The causes of foot deformities, which also cause pain in the big toes, include uncomfortable shoes, high heels and shoes with a narrow last, which are usually preferred by middle-aged and older women. In the advanced stage of the deformity, the thumb bends towards the index finger, which provokes the appearance of a “bump” on the side. The development of the disease can be prevented at the earliest stages by purchasing comfortable shoes and performing special massage procedures. In particularly advanced cases, the “bone” can only be removed after surgery.
Inflammation that occurs on the big toe can be infectious or autoimmune. In the first option, the disease develops after viruses or bacteria enter the joint cavity, and in the second, the cause is a malfunction of the immune system. Inflammation has the same symptoms that appear in other joint diseases: the finger swells, starting in the second half of the night. The swelling subsides a little only after lunch. Treatment is carried out with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Infectious arthritis is characterized by a focus of inflammation that appears after bacteria enter the joint after mechanical damage and the formation of a wound. Antibacterial therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs are used for treatment. It is also necessary to eliminate the cause of the disease. Finding the factors that trigger autoimmune arthritis is very difficult. Treatment is carried out by rheumatologists, using modern effective means that can reduce inflammation.
Pain in the big toe often worries athletes and older people: frequent injuries and widespread infections lead to a degenerative disease - deforming arthrosis. Doctors do not yet fully know the causes of this disease. The pathology is associated with cartilaginous structures, the occurrence of bone growths that deform the joint and lead to various complications.
Treatment of this disease is usually complex and quite complex, using several methods. If the toe hurts quite noticeably, physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are used. In case of significant deformities, the affected joints are sometimes treated surgically.
Gout is a metabolic disease in which urate, a salt of uric acid, accumulates in the joints. Thanks to these crystalline deposits, gout-specific arthritis begins to manifest. Middle-aged men are more susceptible to this disease.
Common symptoms of gouty arthritis are:
If your big toe hurts due to gouty arthritis, treatment should be carried out in a hospital. Those who suffer from this disease should remember that their diet should not contain broths, dishes made from the meat of young animals, smoked meats, fried or salted fish, legumes, cheeses and spices. It is also worth excluding alcoholic drinks, chocolate, coffee, too strong tea, grapes, cakes and pastries with cream. All of the listed products provoke increased formation of urates. Gout is an incurable disease. However, by changing your lifestyle and eating right, you can control the course of this disease.
If your big toe hurts, the cause may well be bursitis, which is an inflammatory process of the metatarsophalangeal joint. The disease develops as a result of injuries or prolonged wearing of uncomfortable shoes. Its characteristic symptom is the appearance of a painless “bump” on the outside of the big toe, which provokes curvature of the joint. Aching pain in the area of the joint and foot appears only after 2-3 months. Corns that appear on the soles make themselves felt by pain when walking.
Too mobile metatarsal bone and impaired pronation are the main causes of bursitis. Because of them, the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe feels excessive pressure when pushing the limb off the ground. Because the tendons are always stretched, the big toe has to bend outward.
What to do if your toe hurts due to bursitis? Of course, it is better not to wait until a nagging or sharp pain appears, but to seek help from a medical facility at the first symptoms. In the initial stages, wearing orthopedic shoes helps a lot, which changes the direction of mechanical forces. If the finger begins to ache more and more strongly and more noticeably, then the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and interstitial injections is indicated to localize the pain. In particularly severe cases, surgery may be necessary.
Other reasons why big toes hurt include the following:
Sometimes, for pain in the big toe, you can use simple traditional medicine recipes. However, such treatment can only be additional and agreed with the attending physician. For example, when a thumb is bruised, compresses made from chopped onions, as well as soft wormwood or plantain leaves applied to the affected areas, help relieve the pain.
If the joint hurts during an exacerbation of gout, you can apply lard, chopped onion or a bandage pre-moistened in a mixture of activated charcoal and alcohol to the sore finger. There are several effective recipes for pain in the big toes due to arthritis. For example, the inflamed area can be lubricated with apple cider vinegar, or lotions can be made from a pre-prepared tincture of bay leaves or potatoes. For arthrosis, compresses made from cabbage leaves or yogurt help a lot.
Deformation of the joints of the thumbs can be treated by applying a special product to the bones. To prepare it, you need to combine red clay (50 g), sea salt (1 tbsp.), and boiled water (200 g). You need to add turpentine (5 drops) to the resulting mixture and, after mixing all the ingredients well, apply the product to the diseased bones. You need to keep it until it hardens completely, and then wash your feet well with warm water.
However, in order for the treatment to bring the expected result, you should not rely only on the help of folk remedies. It is much safer to trust a doctor who will prescribe treatment in accordance with the established diagnosis.
Many people do not think that big toe pain is a harbinger of serious diseases in the human body. If you feel the slightest discomfort, you need to make an appointment with a competent specialist.
Today, a common patient complaint is pain in the nail on the big toe. What to do in this situation? You should not select painkillers or special creams on your own, because for effective treatment you need to find out the cause of the disease.
The following condition of the nails indicates good health and proper foot care:
Do you not have these signs? Then you have only one option - immediately contact a specialist and, under his guidance, begin treatment of the identified disease.
If your toenails hurt, this indicates:
Let's study each sign in more detail
The toes begin to hurt for reasons that do not depend on the person. These include all kinds of blows, bruises and splinters. The feet undergo enormous physical stress, and tears in the nail plate often occur. The injury causes severe pain to the victim. In severe cases, the nail becomes blue and the fingers become numb. Correctly selected complex treatment will allow you to get rid of the problem within 14-20 days. The color will be restored in at least 2 months.
In the second case, the nail plate begins to hurt as a result of onychocryptosis - this is known to many as an “ingrown nail”. Basically, this pathology is characteristic of the thumb.
Onychocryptosis is particularly dangerous in diabetes mellitus and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Because it can lead to gangrene and amputation.
Pain can be caused by pathogenic and fungal microorganisms. Please note that they have a detrimental effect on the condition of the body as a whole.
If your nails hurt, it could be:
Most of these diseases are transmitted through household contact. In this case, not only the big toe can hurt, but also all the other fingers and even the foot. It is also necessary to take into account that pain in several toenails can be caused by sexually transmitted or dermatological diseases.
The toenail may hurt due to the following diseases:
Nails require great attention to their condition. To prevent most diseases, you must adhere to good hygiene.
To be protected from toenail pain, you should adhere to the following rules:
If you experience pain in your nails, it is necessary to exclude the development of a fungal disease, so be sure to visit a dermatologist and mycologist. But if you suspect a bruise, you should seek help from a traumatologist; an ingrown toenail is treated by a surgeon.
If the cause of the pain in the nail has not been identified, you should see a therapist, who will collect a complete medical history and write out directions for certain tests. After receiving the results of the examination, treatment will be prescribed or consultation with other specialists will be required.
Many people complain of pain in their big toe. If you feel discomfort, pain or burning in your big toe, you need to take the problem seriously. Such signals indicate illnesses that need to be diagnosed and treated under the supervision of doctors. To always move normally, it is important to take care of your feet. If your big toe hurts, then at first it is easier and faster to eliminate the disease.
Scientists are sure that leg problems are experienced by people who are not “friendly” with sports, move little, and lead a sedentary lifestyle. Patients who experience pain while walking often complain specifically about the toe. Doctors attribute this to his injury or internal ailments resulting from an unhealthy lifestyle.
The causes of pain in the thumb lie in a variety of causes.
Bunion of the big toe
Arthritis is characterized by tissue inflammation, which worsens at night when the limbs are at rest. This disease can affect any one toe, for example, the right foot. When the big toes are deformed and wearing high heels, bumps can form on the front and side of the foot, the big toe becomes concave, which makes it difficult to walk and causes pain. The finger does not bend.
Arthrosis is caused by poor circulation in the lower extremities. In this case, the pain is under the big toe because the ball of the big toe has been compressed by tight shoes. Blood flow is disrupted. The pain is felt both at rest and when walking. The growth on the side of the foot causes thickening of the joints, which interferes with normal movement of the toes.
Flat feet cause discomfort in the foot area, since when walking a person rests on the inside of the sole. Such a load sooner or later makes itself felt by pain in the left or right leg, which radiates to the big toes. Sometimes this causes them to bend. It is worth considering using more practical and comfortable shoes. Women need to give up heels and narrow toes on their shoes.
Most often, it is difficult to independently determine the causes of the disease. Only contacting a specialist gives results.
You may not be alone in hurting your big toes. Others join them. They change shape and need treatment just as much as larger ones. It is especially difficult to treat the disease if the finger turns blue. This means that blood does not flow to the tissues normally. If you have pain in your thumb, you need to conduct a thorough diagnosis.
Often, Morton's neuroma begins to manifest itself as pain in the fingers. Later the pain spreads to the entire sole. Not only does she ache, but all her toes ache, especially the base of her big toe. The disease is caused by compression of nerve endings. This is caused by wearing tight shoes. At first the patient feels a burning sensation, tingling, but over time it develops into pain.
This occurs because the nerve roots thicken. Before the diagnostic stage, this disease can be distinguished from others if the 2nd or 3rd toe of the left or right foot hurts. The 4th finger makes itself known less often, more often the thumb. A person experiences especially strong unpleasant sensations when walking or during periods of long standing. The pain radiates to the calves and legs. The disease affects women in adulthood. Men get sick, according to statistics, 5 times less often.
In patients suffering from diabetes, the reason lies in overload. A serious cause of vascular and leg disease in patients with diabetes is elevated blood glucose levels. In this case, the entire body suffers, the disease affects the blood vessels and nerves. Therefore, often in the morning, patients with diabetes experience a burning sensation in their legs, which goes away over time if they are in relative peace. The thumb also suffers.
Disturbances in the activity of blood vessels are no less serious causes of pain in the big toes. At the same time, they swell and hurt. This is observed after walking, running, and during hypothermia. The disease affects the blood vessels and arteries of the legs. Smokers and diabetics are at risk.
The causes of the disease also lie in endarteritis (chronic vascular disease of the legs). Arterial blood flow is disrupted due to insufficient supply of tissues with oxygen and nutrition, which causes pain in the legs. The appearance of the skin of the lower extremities also changes, it turns pale, peels, and hair falls out.
Another answer to the question of why big toes hurt could be an ingrown toenail. Prerequisites for the occurrence of such a disease:
The ingrown toenail is visible. This place turns red and breaks out. The finger becomes swollen and deformed. Since there is an inflammatory process, the finger may even twitch in pain. You shouldn't rub it. No amount of kneading or massage will help. You need to urgently contact a surgeon to fix the problem. In the future, you need to carefully monitor your nails and not expose them to mechanical damage.
Patients often complain of pain in the area of the thumb at the site of a callus, spine, or wart. If you remove the root of a steamed callus, you can get rid of the problem and prevent further rubbing in this area. Calluses without roots are cleaned with a foot brush or pumice stone.
Fingers need to be steamed in hot water. Rub directly into the steaming container with a pumice stone or brush, rinse the sore areas to remove abraded skin, and wipe the limbs dry with a towel. You can also have warts and calluses removed by a dermatologist.
If there are calluses on your feet, your toe is blue and hurts, the pain may be caused by an existing injury. You need to give your leg rest and contact a traumatologist. Avoid chafing your feet. When caring for your feet, you need to clean off rough skin regularly and use softening foot creams.
It is better to do the procedures at night. After which it is recommended to lubricate the soles with cream and put on cotton socks. Heels and places where there are calluses will be better softened. There are a huge number of diseases, the symptoms of which are pain and burning in the toes. Before starting treatment, you need to find out the nature of the disease. Never self-medicate.
Trust the doctors to do this, because if you fix the problem on your own in the wrong ways, you can deprive your limbs of motor activity. The doctor will conduct a diagnosis, if necessary, prescribe tests, x-rays, ultrasound, and determine why the big toe hurts.
Flat feet will require constant monitoring, special exercises, and the use of orthopedic shoes and insoles. If you have gout, you will have to stop eating large amounts of meat, and the ingrown toenail will simply be removed, after first clearing the tissue of pus.
During treatment, you must follow all doctor's instructions.
The foot is an important component of the human musculoskeletal system. It consists of many small bones, articular cartilage, muscles and ligaments. The slightest changes in the shape of the lower limb can lead to serious diseases of the hip, knee and intervertebral joints. Pain in the bone in the leg is the primary signal of possible curvature of the metatarsophalangeal joint. How to identify an orthopedic disease, and how to treat a bone on the foot near the big toe?
Why does the bone on the side of my foot hurt ? The answer lies in the physiological characteristics of the human body. Marginal bone growths are a consequence of dystrophic changes in articular cartilage, which become inflamed due to impaired shock-absorbing functions. The articular cartilage gradually becomes inflamed, causing pain, swelling and redness.
Depending on the degree of displacement of the big toe and the nature of the pain, experts distinguish 4 degrees of hallux valgus:
A bunion on the big toe appears due to deformation of the metatarsophalangeal joint.
The main causes of the pathology:
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor after determining the degree of complexity of the disease and the causes of its occurrence. The effectiveness of treatment depends on many factors: age, general condition of the body, stage of the disease, physical activity.
Conservative treatment methods are used at the initial stage of the disease (grade 1.2), surgical intervention is recommended when it is impossible to eliminate the deformity with therapeutic methods. Medicine knows more than 150 methods of surgical correction of the first metatarsophalangeal joint: chevron osteotomy, removal of abnormal bone growths, bone relocation, arthrodesis, osteotomy of the base of the first metatarsal bone and other methods. The orthopedic surgeon decides on surgical intervention after carefully examining the x-ray image.
Conservative methods of treating hallux valgus:
Chondroprotectors and vitamins A, E, C and D of synthetic origin are taken as additional nutritional supplements.
The most significant preventive measures for hallux valgus include:
Traditional methods only help to temporarily reduce discomfort, so at the first sign of deformation of the big toe of the lower limb, it is recommended to consult an orthopedist or traumatologist. The specialist will examine the foot and prescribe treatment.