What are the common toe injuries that cause forefoot pain?
Sesamoditis
A common injury that affects the big toe, where pain is felt under the ball of the toeon weight bearing and increased levels of activity. Sesamoiditis is caused by poor biomechanics and high impact forces and poor shock absorption in the forefoot.
There are various ways to treat the problem that include patient advice, short term treatment plans including stretching, pain relief and orthotic therapy.
Turf toe – what is it?
More common in sports that involve kicking a ball such as rugby or football. Impaction form kicking causes swelling and pain around the big toe joint and can lead to severe pain.
Hallux Limitus
Do you have a pain in the great toe when standing, running or walking uphill?
Pain is caused by a reduction of movement in the big toe joint, resulting in long term arthritis, pain and mal function. Anna Balcombe, biomechanics specialist will examine the underlying cause of the problem and provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan to return you to pain free walking.
Have I got an Ingrowing nail?
Ingrown toenails occur when the nail grows into the skin at the side of the nail. It is especially common in the big toe and it can be a very painful condition. Starting out as slight redness on the side of the nail but this can quickly deteriorate giving an inflamed red toe which becomes easily infected and produces pus.
Anna Balcombe Podiatric Surgeon will treat the condition with the minimum amount of pain and discomfort and resolve the problem quickly using a variety of surgical and non surgical treatment options. We will also look at the reasons behind the problem and address them promptly giving advice to prevent reoccurrence.
What are the common forefoot injuries?
Morton’s neuroma: this is a nerve impingement problem that affects the forefoot often causing tingling in the toes.
Inter metatarsal bursitis: Symptoms are similar to Morton’s neuroma. It is caused by a fluid filled sac (bursa) and pushing on the nerve causing pain, tingling and numbness.
Plantar plate tear:Occurs when the ligament connecting the toes ruptures or partially tears. This can be particularly painful.
Stress fracture: usually affects bone in the forefoot. It is caused by high impact stresses, lack of shock absorbency and systemic conditions such as osteoporosis.
Capsulitis: This injury affects the joints of the toes (the metatarsal phalangeal joints) the joint gets swollen and inflamed
