Toe paresthesia - Foot Problems Message Board

nscrbug · 11-03-2008, 06:30 PM

I get strange sensations on the 3 & 4th toes of my right foot. The best way to describe what I'm feeling is...I feel sort of a "popping" sensation (think knuckle-cracking), followed by a burst of intense pain and tingling/numbing. This cycle will repeat itself many, many times over the course of my day but is definitely more prevalent during my workouts (particularly running). I've had this problem for several years now. I recently went to a podiatrist for treatment of PF/heel spur (on the other foot) and he looked at my toes and didn't see anything outright that would cause me this type of pain. He took x-rays, which showed nothing abnormal. I ended up getting custom orthotics for the PF, and he had them built with metatarsal pads. I've been wearing them for 2 weeks now. I've had a difficult time adjusting to the orthotics...mainly due to those metatarsal pads. They feel like I have golf balls in my shoes. My left foot seems to be adjusting better than my right, which I guess is a good sign for my PF/heel spur, as it does not seem to be bothering me as much. But the toe pain in my right foot is downright awful! And the metatarsal pads on the orthotics make the pain 10x worse...which I know is not supposed to happen. What could be going on with those toes that would cause them to feel worse with a metatarsal pad?

emmie54 · 11-03-2008, 08:51 PM

I would see a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon for a complete workup. If you are having pain that bad you need an MRI to see what's going on. X-ray will only show fractures or other "bony" problems and will not show any soft tissue issues or neuroma's, etc.

geggar · 11-04-2008, 08:55 AM

It's a neuroma and that popping sensation with sharp pain is called a mulders sign and is indicative for a neuroma. I would try a cortisone injection and see if that shrinks the neuroma down enough for the orthotics to work. Start icing the area, try aleve or advil and don't wear any shoes that squeeze the foot from the sides. I don't know what kind of doc you went to but those are classic symptoms for a neuroma and shouldn't have been missed but the metatarsal pads were a good initial try anyway.