If life were a movie called “Walking Forward, Staying Balanced,” your big toe would play the leading role. Without your big toe in top form, walking can become difficult and painful. Your big toe is the one-digit that we push off with each step. When it acts up, you can’t ignore it.

The things that can go wrong with your big toe fall into three basic categories

1. Injuries
   Who hasn’t stubbed their toe on a chair leg or dropped something heavy on their toe? If an accident like that causes you pain for more than a day or two, or your toe looks bent out of shape, visit podiatrists Heidi M. Christie, DPM and Chanda L. Day-Houts, DPM. You may have broken a toe bone and, contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t just let a broken toe “heal itself.” We offer treatments to promote proper healing and prevent future problems.

   Many other toe injuries come about as a result of playing sports. Turf toe is one example, and it’s essentially a bad sprain. Sesamoiditis is another. The sesamoids are two very small bones located at the base of the big toe joint. The tendons surrounding these bones can become inflamed with injury or overuse.

2. Diseases
   Arthritis of the big toe is common and includes various kinds such as osteoarthritis, gout, hallux limitus, and hallux rigidus. Treatments for painful arthritis include modifications in footwear, orthotic shoe inserts, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications.
3. Structural abnormalities
   Your family history informs exactly how your foot is put together and, unfortunately, you may not inherit only the good stuff. Joint misalignments such as bunions run in families. Deformities in the toe structure can also lead to some of the arthritic diseases listed above.

The expert podiatrists at Montgomery Foot Care Specialists can help you with your big toe problems. If you develop pain in your big toe that gets worse over time or you experience swelling, bruising, or inflammation in the area of your big toe, make an appointment at our state-of-the-art podiatry office in Montgomery, Alabama. Residents of the river region can call us at (334) 396-3668 or contact us online.