During my long run today I experienced episodes of sharp pain in my big toe joint (ball of foot at big toe). I don’t believe I have ever experienced that before. I would wiggle/stretch the toe/joint and it would completely go away for a mile of 2. Came and went 3 or 4 times…seems a little sore this evening. Any insight as to what is going on?
Thanks,
I’ve had that before. Unfortunately I have no idea what it was. I thought maybe I broke it or fractured it but it ended up going away after taking a couple of days off from running and then going really light and short afterwards. I know this isn’t helpful, sorry.
My dad had to get surgery on his big toe joint. I think he said that he didn’t have any cartilage so it was just bone on bone contact.
That is one of the three points of balance for a foot (the other two being the heel and the 5th metatarsal), and a common place to get pain in runners. Common problems there include tendinitis, gout, irritation of the metatarsal head due to stress fracture, sesamoid bone inflammation (tiny bones under the metatarsal head), neuroma, just to mention a few.
If it persists definitely worth looking, probably merits an X-ray at bare minimum and evaluation by ortho or podiatry.
Good luck.
you might have aggravated your sesamoid bone. these bones can actually break. do a google search.
I had some pain here after coming back from a 3rd metatarsal break over the summer. Ortho doc did a follow up X-ray for the foot and checked out the toe. Said it was turf toe and showed me the rough toe joint. I ran through it and it went away, although I imagine it’s not really gone.
You are describing “sesamoiditis” pretty well (especially since I * think* you are talking about the bottom of the joint) and would be a good start to Googling (I think that is really a word now …)
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Hope your not getting gout…
Is it possible that you have developed a bunion? I had this problem several years ago with no history of bunions, but realized later that a series of narrower (and pointier) shoes combined with increased mileage seem to have brought it on.
My low-intervention/low-$ solutions are: (a) buy shoes that are wider in the toebox to eliminate pressure on the outside of the big toe and on the joint, (b) put a spacer between my big toe and the other toes (can buy a silicone one at the grocery store or use a cotton ball), and (c) avoid pointy shoes (running or regular shoes).
What would make this come on out of the blue? Never had anything like it before in 38 years of running?
hills, speedwork, worn out shoe, limited flexibility of the great toe joint, etc. are common causes (assuming no direct trauma). Basically, repetitive microtrauma to the area. Again, this is assuming a sesamoid issue (since on off, things like gout would be ruled out). Hallux limitus/rigidus another