28
Apr

Pinkie Toe Pain

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Pinkie Toe Pain

Pinkie Toe Pain can be a broken or damaged bone. Find out if it is BROKEN, SPRAINED or SORE.

 

 

As small as the pinkie toe is, pain in it can be debilitating. There are many causes of pinkie toe pain, the most common being hitting it accidentally on a hard surface. Other causes of pinkir toe include Heloma Molle (soft corns), Heloma Durum (hard corns), bunion (bunionnettes), bone spurs, bruises or fractures.

The Video below provides you with a guide that you can follow to help diagnose the cause of your pinky toe pain. If you hit your toe and you are unsure of whether it is broken, fractured, bruised, only an X-ray is the only sure way to know! Visit your Podiatrist!!!

Pinkie Toe Pain

 

Causes of pinky toe pain:

1. Broken Pinky Toe or Bruised Pinky Toe (a comparison)

  • Feel for a deformity – if it is uneven it is a broken toe.
  • Wiggling your toe- if no severe pain or rubbing/popping sound, may not be a break.
  • If your toe is extremely swollen (2x the size)- it may be broken.
  • Compare that toe to your other foot, if it looks shorter or bent – it may be broken.
  • Check your temperature- after a break you are more likely to have the surrounding area inflammed.
  • The only way to know 100% is to go visit your foot doctor or podiatrist!

 2. Skin Problems

  • Calluses:

    Calluses are thick patches of skin that appear in sites of friction against the shoe, the floor or any other part of the foot. The danger is a blister can form underneath the callus!

  • Corns: 

    A corn looks like a little pebble that can form, they usually even occur with a callus around them. This can be exceptionally painful.

  • Ingrown Toenails

    Follow our at home pain relief guides, how to trim your nails properly and even how to remove them permanently.

  • Swollen Painful Toe

    These occur from stubbing your toe, so learn how to deal with them properly! Is it broken or is it just bruised, find out with this guide.

 

3. Bone and Joint Problems:

  • Little Toe Bunion (Bunionette)

    This is when you toe looks really big and as if though its popping out at the base.

  • Hammer Toe

    This is when you have a crooked or curved toe.

 

5th Metatarsal:

The fifth metatarsal is the long bone shown below that connects to the little toe. Any damage to this bones can cause pain on the outside of the foot. There are different types of fifth metatarsal fractures that can occur; Jones fracture and avulsion fractures. Other causes of pain on the outside of the foot and in the pinkie toe area can include a Styloid Process Protrusion and Os Vesalanium.

  • Jones Fracture

    A Jones Fracture occurs in the small area of the fifth metatarsal as shown in the photo above. This area of the does not receive a large blood supply. It is therefore difficult to heal. A Jones fracture can be a stress fracture (hairlike fracture) or can be broken suddenly and more severely. It can occur due to repetitive stress or trauma on the side of the foot or as the result of injury.

  • Avulsion fracture

    As the photo above demonstrates, an avulsion fracture occurs when the smallest section of the fifth metatarsal is pulled off as the result of an injury. This type of fracture accompanies in conjunction with ankle sprains and are often overlooked.

  • Cavus Foot- Styloid Process Protrusion

    As the photo below show, the Styloid Process is  the protrusion is a the end of the fifth metatarsal bone. If this bone protrudes, it will cause pain because it will increase the likelihood of friction between the skin and the shoes (the area will likely be callused) and a bunion may form.

  • Os Vesalanium

    The Os Vesalanium is an accessory bone at the base of the fifth metatarsal. In the majority of cases, its presence is asymptomatic. However, in some cases it becomes symptomatic and cause pain on the side of the foot.

 

Skip to the complete 5th Toe Diagnosis and Treatment Guide

 

Other Common Causes of Pain in the Small Toes:

Ball of the foot:

5th Toe

 

For more on Broken Pinkie Toe Pain:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/broken_toe/article_em.htm

Good Luck!

 

About the author

The Modern Podiatrist (Foot and Ankle Specialist Doctor):Today's podiatrist is required to undergo rigorous medical training that licenses them as physicians with equivalent legal standing to the MD and DO degree (These are physician recognized licenses most common only in the USA). Although admittedly the training does differ between the three degrees. The differences are listed below.In Michigan Podiatrists are trained and authorized to perform surgery in the foot and ankle up to the tibial tubercle below the knee.All our podiatrists and foot doctors have undergone rigorous training including a 4 undergraduate college degree, writing the medical school entrance exam (MCAT), followed by a 4 year medical school degree (DPM - Doctor of Podiatric Medicine),Once podiatrists in the USA complete the rigorous 4 year medical school courses, they are required to complete a minimum of 3 years of a surgical and non-surgical residency program. Some podiatrists and foot doctors then choose to go on to further fellowship training specializing in various forms of specialty such as diabetic surgery or reconstructive foot and ankle surgery.The training is not over yet! Each podiatrist must be judged by a governing body where they submit their surgical cases and are reviewed regularly to ensure excellent results. This is a career long evaluation with board qualifications and certifications every few years.So have faith that today's podiatrist is your best choice for your foot and ankle problems! We are able to approach you foot and ankle problems from a non-surgery perspective, but that when necessary we can provide you with the treatment that you need!All articles written by this account are considered to be for educational purposes only. It is impossible for us to truly assess your condition and the advice we give here is meant to give you a basis to then follow up with your podiatrist and foot doctor later.If you have any questions at all, or there is anything that we can help you with, please feel free to contact our office or email us. Podiatrists provide medically necessary treatment which should be covered by valid insurance plans, we are not a cosmetic or elective medical specialty.