Throbbing Big Toe Pain At Night
Causes, Symptoms & Best Treatment
Start Healing Within a Week.
95% of the time throbbing big toe pain at night is mostly due to nerves being irritated. This does not always mean you have a nerve disease! FIX IT! Look: We will show you an animated diagnosis & treatment guide, photos and the best FAST treatment options for big toe joint pain at night. These are Simple & EASY options that we have seen success with. Also included is our stiff big toe joint pain video guide! So, Let's Get STARTED!
Big Toe Joint, Hammer Toe & Bunionette Problems
Big Toe Pain at Night Causes & Treatment Video
Big Toe Pain at Night Causes

Top 5 Big Toe Joint Causes Picture & Photo Gallery:
Look:
- A bunion is a pre-dislocation of the big toe joint.
- Big toe joint arthritis is also known as hallux rigidus and can form a very large toe joint spur.
- A turf toe is the hyperextension and bending of the big toe joint. This can cause ligament and tendon damage.
- Sesamoiditis of the big toe joint is the inflammation and possible fracture of the two bones underneath your big toe joint.
- Gout in the big toe joint is the buildup of the crystal substance called uric acid.
So, check out the big toe diseases by clicking on the photo gallery for descriptions!
Why Does My Big Toe Hurt At Night?
- Most people are not doing anything wrong with their big toe at night while sleeping, so why are you feeling extreme pain at night?
- Think about this like playing a sport, you could play a sport like soccer or run around for many hours, and you’re not really that sore.
- But when you get home and lay on the couch, then EVERYTHING starts hurting!
- This is called delayed onset muscle soreness.

- As you get sore during the day and spent hours and hours walking on your big toe doing damage, it will hurt later.
- It would help if you imagined that the more walking and damage you do, the more microscopic cracks and biochemical damage develops in the ligaments, the bones, and the joints.
- When you rest at night and your blood flow has slowed down, it will then start to pool in these small tears, and this causes throbbing pain.
- Most people realize you start to feel better as you get up and start walking around, but this is only because that blood squeezed out from those microscopic torn and damaged regions.
Causes:
Bunion:
As a bunion gets really sore during the day, it can definitely give you a noticeable throb at night.

Gout
Gout can come on quickly, but almost overnight, it will lead to terrible throbbing pain.

Hallux rigidus
Stiff arthritis and lack of bend in your big toe joint can lead to significant pain. This can get sore during the day and lead to throbbing at night time.

Sesamoiditis
There are two small bones in your big toe joint; these can definitely have pain at night.

Sprained Big Toe
If you hyperextend your toe, this can lead to pain.

Turf Toe
A turf toe is an injury that occurs while jamming your big toe into the ground.

Broken Big Toe
A broken bone can swell up and then cause nerve throbbing at night.

Swollen Toe
Many things can cause a toe to swell; click on the link above if you have extensive swelling.

Dislocated Toe
If your toe looks dislocated or displaced, click on the link above.

Flexor Hallucis Tendinitis
If you have a sore tendon at the joint, it may be tendinitis.

Foot Arthritis
Arthritis can lead to extensive pain in the joint.

Pinched Nerve in Big Toe
If you have numbness, burning, and tingling, this may cause extensive pain.

Pain to the Knuckle
If your big toe knuckle is hurting, click the link above.

Symptoms:
If the big toe is throbbing at night, you might feel:
- Numbness.
- Burning.
- Tingling.
- Big toe joint deformity.
- Difficulty fitting into shoes.
- Difficulty standing for long periods of time.
Big Toe Joint Home Treatment Infographic

Treatment:
How Can I Make My Big Toe Joint Feel Better At Night:
- You have to think about this in two ways: how can I prevent this damage from happening first, and how can I make the pain go away now.
Immediate Pain Relief:
- This is where most of the products and medications come in handy.
- The single easiest thing to do is ice your foot before going to bed. Doing this for 20 minutes and 20 minutes off is a great combination to make the swelling and soreness go down.
- Trying a cream or an ointment like icy hot or bio freeze works great as well. Many studies have been done that once you put on bio freeze, your toe will stop throbbing while it is on just about as good as ice (in our opinion, of course).
- You can also try anti-inflammatory gels like Voltaren gel. These can work really well in terms of removing the swelling and pain.
- Also, make sure you don’t have tight or heavy sheets pressing against the big toe joint.
- The most important thing is to prevent the pain from happening in the first place.
Massage & Ice Products:
- The metal ball is one of my personal favorites.






Menthol Based Gels:
- Biofreeze is one of our favorites.
- These gels have been studied to work 2x as long as ice.








How do I prevent nighttime big toe joint pain?
- The best way to prevent nighttime big toe joint pain is to stop your big toe from getting damage.
- I can pretty much guarantee that if you were to just lay in bed all day for a couple of weeks, you probably would not have bad nighttime foot pain. This means that you don’t truly have a nerve disease (Unless you are in the <1% of people that do have something bigger going on, then see your podiatrist!).
- You have to make sure to wear good shoes and good orthotics. If you do this, 90% of the pain will go away in most people. You will have to do anything else.
- Most people don’t want to wear good running shoes and don’t want to wear orthotics in the running shoes. But this really is the key. You can’t just keep wearing high heels or flats or flip-flops and expect to be pain-free for the rest of your life. Especially while putting on weight and getting more stiff.
Get Great Shoes:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from your heel.
- This is especially important if you have a calcaneal stress fracture, planer fasciitis or any other type of heel injury.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for best pain relief!.
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Good Orthotics:
- Great orthotics can help take pressure off the ball of your foot.
Best full-length orthotics:








Best dress shoe orthotics:






Best 3/4 length orthotics:


Good Shoes:
- Another thing we have seen frequently is people switching from a pair of high heels, a pair of flats, to a pair of flexible and unsupportive shoes.
- The switch is made into a good supportive running shoe.
- A great running shoe combined with a great choice for an affordable over-the-counter orthotic leads to a near-instant offloading of pain.
- This orthotic with an issue takes almost all the pressure off the second metatarsal joint.
- This leads to near-instant relief of pressure along the joint to heal over the next few weeks or months.
Gout Treatment:
If you suspect gout, consider these treatment options!








See A Podiatrist!
- If you have a deformity, or broken bone, or some more significant damage, you should see your podiatrist or foot specialist. You may need an x-ray, and you may need somebody to evaluate your foot structure. In most people, it is just a chronic overuse injury.
- If you do think that you have something more unusual going on, see your podiatrist for sure. You will feel much better, and you’ll know for sure that nothing dangerous is going on.
- But with great shoes and great orthotics, you should feel 100% better within a month or two, but it’s not to be something that gets better overnight.
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Big Toe Joint, Hammer Toe & Bunionette Problems
FAQ: Understanding and Treating Throbbing Big Toe Pain
Throbbing pain in the big toe can result from conditions like gout, arthritis, bunions, ingrown toenails, turf toe, or injuries. Infections and poor circulation can also cause discomfort.
No. While gout is a common cause, other issues such as sprains, fractures, nerve problems, or joint inflammation can trigger similar pain.
Yes. Tight, narrow, or unsupportive footwear can put excess pressure on the toe joint, leading to pain and inflammation.
Seek medical attention if pain is severe, persistent, accompanied by swelling, redness, or warmth, or if walking becomes difficult.
Mild cases may improve with rest, ice, elevation, supportive shoes, and over-the-counter pain relief. However, proper diagnosis is important.
Diagnosis may include a physical exam, X-rays, blood tests, or joint fluid analysis to identify the underlying issue.
Wearing properly fitted shoes, maintaining a healthy weight, stretching your feet, and addressing foot injuries promptly can help prevent pain.