That little toe can cause a lot of pain! We have seen many patients in our office who are limping from a painful little toe. If the pain is affecting your daily activities, please reach out to our foot doctors!

Little Toe Problems

The 5^th toe an cause pain regardless of age, occupation, or activity level

It is the outermost toe, and therefore will rub on the inside of the toe box of the shoe

If it is turning inwards, it can cause pain on the 5^th toe as well

Painful calluses form and continue to form on the toe

Heloma Durum

Dorsal lateral aspect of PIPJ

Assoc. with flexion contracture of PIPJ, extensor contracture of MPJ

Heloma Molle

Proximal and medially between 4/5^th toes

Medial aspect of PIPJ of 5^th and lateral aspect 4^th MPJ

Conservative Treatment of the Little Toe

Padding

Strapping

Shoe changes

Inserts

Surgical Treatment of the Little Toe

Tenotomy of the toe: releasing a tendon to change the pull on the toe

Arthroplasty of the toe: removing of some of the bone in the toe to allow for proper function

Hemiphalangectomy: removing part of the phalanx (toe bone)

Arthrodesis of the toe: fusing a painful joint in the toe

Amputation of the toe: removing the entire toe

Syndactylization of the toe: attaching the 5^th toe to the 4^th toe

Skin-plasty of the toe: a plastic surgery technique to rotate the toe with the skin

Reach out to our foot surgeons for help with your painful toe!

McGlamry's comprehensive textbook of foot and ankle surgery, E Dalton McGlamry; Joe T Southerland. Philadelphia : Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health, ©2012