foot problem

[iancity]

Hiya, bit advice please
Have recently found I have an irritating pain in my toes, around the 4th/3rd toe, it feels like they are overlapping when I walk (I know they do not, but that's what it feels like). The pain is not great, more of an irritant, but it has stopped me going for walks. Tried to get in touch with GP but could not get an appt, so went private to a local chiropodist - blooming useless, she had no idea what it might be, but she did give me a line to write to give to GP so he will hopefully send me for a ultrasound and an xray.
Just wondered if anyone else had come across something similar, the chiropodist did say it might be a nerve impingement but other than that no clue at all - any idea?

 

[vickster]

Morton’s neuroma?
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mortons-neuroma/
rest, ice, pain relief, orthotics etc...

 

[iancity]

Thanks for that, interesting, and I'll certainly look into it.
the one thing that strikes me from the photo is the pain (its an irritant, not a pain) is more towards the end of the toe, the pad, than what it looks like on the photo but, as I say, certainly something to look at - thanks for that.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Have you trimmed your toenails/checked your shoes and socks etc? Sometimes when shoes get worn your feet can hurt.
Your socks aren't too tight are they?
Could be loads of things really. Peripheral neuritis, Gout etc. You need to see the DR. Now there's a challenge.

 

[iancity]

New(ish)socks are a bit tight, could that be causing the problem? Hmm, another thing to investigate...
Thanks

 

[KnittyNorah]

... around the 4th/3rd toe, it feels like they are overlapping when I walk (I know they do not, but that's what it feels like). The pain is not great, more of an irritant

That happens to me occasionally - between my 3rd and 4th toes, too - if I haven't cut my toenails quite right the last time I did them. It doesn't happen right away after cutting them, only when they've grown a certain amount, so the first time it happened I was carefully examining my toes, the sole of my foot, my shoes and my socks; nothing to see there so I took an emery board to the edges of my toenails - even though everything seemed 'normal' and the sensation was more on the 'pads' and sides of my toes - and smoothed them all down a bit. Problem solved!
Then a few weeks later, it happened again - but on my other foot. Now, the toenails on that foot grow a LOT slower - due to an old injury - than the toenails on my 'first' foot so it made sense that they would be 'catching up' as it were with the other lot. Again, nothing to see, but the emery board to the rescue again. I first noticed it happening about ten or so years ago; its happened several times since and by a process of elimination I worked out that it must be how I cut my toenails. I think it's only happened once in the past couple of years - I must be cutting my toenails better!

 

[ColinJ]

Morton’s neuroma?
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mortons-neuroma/
rest, ice, pain relief, orthotics etc...

I developed that after a ride wearing new Shimano shoes that were too narrow for my fairly wide feet. It took ages to stop hurting.

 

[Saluki]

Thanks for that, interesting, and I'll certainly look into it.
the one thing that strikes me from the photo is the pain (its an irritant, not a pain) is more towards the end of the toe, the pad, than what it looks like on the photo but, as I say, certainly something to look at - thanks for that.

I have Morton’s Neurom. It started off feeling like an annoying bruise, to start with, near the pad of my foot. It was a week or so before it really started to hurt.
Its under control now. Orthotics in my boots and both pairs of my sandals are Birkenstock’. The Birkies really help.

 

[fossyant]

I don't think WFH has helped either, as I hardly wear shoes now - I'm usually walking about in my Carnac slip ons ! I've had a few issues this year with really painful feet - just doing laces up 'slightly' too tight has caused pressure on the nerves on the top of the foot, oh, and a 6 month old pair of walking shoes had 'worn out' - I'd done that much walking, the outside of the sole had worn.

 

[iancity]

Thanks for all the replies - if it was too long toe nails you would think the chiropodist would have noticed but she did seem generally useless so looks like my job tonight is filing down nails (something I have never done before) :-)

 

[Mo1959]

Thanks for all the replies - if it was too long toe nails you would think the chiropodist would have noticed but she did seem generally useless so looks like my job tonight is filing down nails (something I have never done before) :-)

Not a corn on the side of a toe? I get one on the side of my 4th toe where the pinkie toe rubs on it. For all the size, it is surprisingly painful.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Thanks for all the replies - if it was too long toe nails you would think the chiropodist would have noticed but she did seem generally useless so looks like my job tonight is filing down nails (something I have never done before) :-)

In my case I don't think my toenails were too long as such, just that the edges/corners were irritating the adjacent toe and filing them just smoothed the edges and stopped the catching or irritation.

 

[iancity]

Same thing applies though, would you not expect a chiropodist to spot this? I dont know, just asking the question...

 

[KnittyNorah]

Same thing applies though, would you not expect a chiropodist to spot this? I dont know, just asking the question...

If they already 'knew' your feet from previous treatments they'd be much more likely to pick up on it, I'd think, but I'm not sure about a first-time visit especially a 'one-off' - they'd probably be looking for something much more 'acute' and they don't know what your feet normally look like. The x-ray etc sounds like a good idea to rule out arthritis or anything like that. Don't forget that our feet are chock full of joints, any one of which can get any the problems that other joints in the body can suffer from.