For the last 18 months I have had a really weird problem with my right foot. I don't even know if I can describe it correctly but I will try.
The middle and 4th toe do something really weird. They feel like they are suddenly sticking straight up or kind of kinked about an inch or two up higher in my foot. I get a terrible pain and tingling on a whole half of the foot. This doesn't happen when I am just sitting around, it happens when...
1) I walk for a long period of time (in tennis shoes),
2) I walk for a short period of time in NON-tennis shoes,
3) I wear any kind of professional shoe and do ANY walking,
4) I am doing something squating on the ground like weeding in a garden that requires me to stand only on the front part of my foot bending my toes,
I can't even tell you how painful this is. It literaly feels like my toes are bent and caught upward, but when I look at them, they are sitting in the normal spot. Grocery shopping has become a nightmare. By the time I am done, I have to stop in the car, take off my shoe, and rub the foot for a while so I can drive home with it. It will continue to hurt until I am off it for a while.
I was hoping weight-loss would fix this, but it hasn't.
I have the same condition. I have had it all my life regardless of what weight I was.
My observation is that it seems to be a muscle cramp, and that it's brought on by any of the things that would normally bring on a muscle cramp, like dehydration, muscle fatigue, calcium/magnesium deficiency, etc. To prevent it, I generally try to make sure I drink enough water, make sure I'm getting enough calcium and magnesium in my diet, make sure my shoes have enough padding in the sole, and try not to do those motions that I know from past experience tend to bring it on.
Also, make sure that your shoes are wide enough, because if your toes and/or the ball of your foot are getting squeezed, that can cause it too.
I have also found that once you get one of the cramps, it seems to go away faster if you stand on the foot and put weight on it (Make sure you are standing on a flat surface and don't bend your foot).
I get pains like that, it's like a charley horse in your foot! I found that potassium really helped and keep hydrated. Try adding some potassium to your diet or a multi-mineral/vitamin. Hope this helps!!
I have the same problem! I never knew there were others...
The only thing that seems to help me is to really stretch my foot when it happens and hope it goes away. By "stretch," I mean toes on the ground, bending at the ball of the foot as far back as possible.
Anyone know if there's a solution to our crazy toes?
I don't know if there is a solution, but i get the same thing. I am so relieved...I thought our family was the only freaky people that had "charlie horses" in my toes. And good God Almighty..THEY HURT!! I've had 2 kidney stones and 2 kids by natural chilbirth, and this toe pain ranks right up there!
My daughter gets them too, and she SWEARS that if someone gets her a glass of milk while she is having one, that helps immensely. It doesn't help me, though.
It usually happens at 2:00 in the morning and it wakes me up and I have to go walk around the house, rub my toes, etc. etc. By the time I am done "curing my toe aneurism", it's 5:30 A.M.and time to get up. UGH.
A small can of V-8 juice, especially in the evening, will stop those muscle cramps at night. If the salt is worrisome, V-8 has a low sodium version.
I also get the foot cramps, and usually it's because of an imbalance of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and other minerals. V-8 solves it. But I agree with the post about seeing a podiatrist. You might have a nerve problem in your foot that would require a special shoe insert or something like that.
Foot question?????
