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  1. #1
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    Default Big Toe Joint Pain/Tingling

    Hello all,

    I searched the threads and did not find any information on inflammation/irritation of the sesamoid bones of the big toe joint (metatarsal head).

    A long story short: During my pre-hike training I put excessive pressure on my first metatarsal joint of the big toe (predominatley on my right side). I was doing up to 250 calf-raises/day with 200 lbs. of resistance and hiking in Asics Trail Runners which were too flexible. I totally regret doing all this now but it is too late to go back and change my training.

    I will be starting my thru-hike the week of April 24th, so I have a week or so to let it heal up. The pain is not bad. It is generally just a little soreness with a slight tingling/numbness in the big toe and between the big toe and second toe. Currently, I am trying to stay off it and use advil and ice for 15 minutes, two times per day.

    I have read a little on the internet about it and it recommends wearing stiff soled shoes, so I will wear my Vasque boots instead of trail runners.

    Does anyone have any advice, or had a similar experience? I still have about 10-14 days before I leave for Georgia, so I hope that is enough time to rid myself of the symptoms.

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Donating Member/AT Class of 2003 - The WET year
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    Default

    It's most likely due to excess movement of your forefoot in the shoes. Boots may help but if it was me I'd try a pair of good footbeds in whatever you choose to wear. Have you ever looked at the SuperFeet style footbed. Might be worth the $30 investment in order to stabilize your foot.

    'Slogger
    The more I learn ...the more I realize I don't know.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the reply. I have a pair of custom orthotics that are molded to my flat feet ($350)....However, I was not wearing these during my training as I chose to go with a brand called Shockdoctors. This may have been part of the cause but I think that the flexible sole of the trailrunner and doing excessive calf-raises is what did it. I'm just hoping that the recovery time is <3 weeks. It stinks because I'm sitting around when I could be out there training for the hike.

  4. #4
    Registered User orangebug's Avatar
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    It may not be injury to the sesimoids, but local injury to peripheral nerve between the toes. I have a similar injury on the medial aspect of my great toes, and a fairly large anesthetic area over the toes. This was from rubbing the ball of the foot on the inside of boots with resulting pressure on the nerve.

    You can get similar paresthesias from other injuries, including diabetes, lumbar disc disease and the like. I suspect that this is a common result of participation in our sport and our bipedal habits.

  5. #5
    Registered User Mother's Finest's Avatar
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    poison, wear your orthotics all the time!!!! does not help now, but i had to say it.
    To relieve pressure on the metatarsal heads, you need proper metatarsal support. Should look like a round or oblong bump towards the front of your orthotic. If you do not have this feature in your orthotics, consider trying a pair of OTC orthotics that do have it. see if it feels better.
    No doubt that you want to wear a stiffer soled shoe, but the met support is what you really need. If your foot is extremely rigid, you may have a tough time adapting to it. Most folks do just fine though. Also, if you have a problem with morton's neuroma (like orangebug was talking about) met support will lift and spread your toes to relieve pressure in that area
    good luck with your thru.
    depending upon your location, a good C.Ped may be able to help you out.
    peace
    mf

  6. #6
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    Thanks for the replies...I'm starting to feel better after a week off from hiking/working out at the gym. I just have a general soreness from being on my feet all day at work. The good thing is no sharp pains or tingling the last 2 or 3 days. It seems to be better....I'm just going to relax for the next 9 days before I head down to Georgia...I'll be a little out of shape but hopefully feeling close to 100 percent.

  7. #7

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    I think have the same toe problem, but numb little pinky toe. The joint in the foot directly across from the big toe/ball joint is hurting if massaged . The nail has turned dark, but not fallen off.

    Is this the same thing do you think?
    ad astra per aspera

  8. #8
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    Smile-

    My guess is that is caused by either the footbed of your boots or sneakers being too tight or walking on the outside of your foot...I would say that custom orthotics from a podiatrist would a wise decision for that. Stupidly, I thought that my feet would be ok not using my custom orthotics but I am paying the price now with this problem. Hopefully, the problem will subside with continued use of my orthotics.

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