Painful toes

[Darcy3]

Has anyone with Parkinson’s had issues with painful toes? I went to a foot doctor and told it was due to Parkinson’s. The bones are on top of each other and the space between the joints is impacted with bone. He said there wasn’t anything that could be done. He recommended I walk 2 miles every day otherwise the joints would stiffen up even more.

[DEAT]

I have painful toes but only on my affected side.

I got told it was NOT PD.

My toes are swollen and deformed. My toes curl under when they grip the floor (when barefoot).

Opinion was its some type of arthritis.

[Darcy3 in reply to DEAT]

My neurologist told me it was a symptom of PD and yo walk as much asdI possibly could.

[Darcy3 in reply to Darcy3]

The x-rays showed how the space between the joints was no longer there and the bones were crowded . Consequently, the pain.

[jeffmayer]

My toes do curl under first thing in the morning

[134A]

I have “hammer toes” on both feet. Always had them. Since PD my left (affected) side , has become painful. I visited a podiatrist who told me I’ve been wearing too small shoes sz6.5-7, when I should be wearing 8-8.5. He sold me a couple pairs of very expensive shoes. One running shoe for walking outdoors and one extremely ugly sandal to wear indoors. The results were that my feet are now too large for any of my nice shoes having spread, perhaps necessarily, but my left foot still hurts particularly the deformed toe. I can no longer wear stylish footwear.

[Jana86]

I too have painful toes. Podiatrist says it comes from the slow collapse and spread of muscle and bone in the foot as you age, pushing the toes forward into the front of the shoe. Hence, hammer toes and other toe deformity, bunions, neuromas (nerve inflammation), callouses along the tops of toes, etc. , a whole basket of problems. I now wear shoes that are1.5 sizes larger than I wore the rest of my adult life. Orthotics if properly fitted do help. Style? Ha! Flats at best and for short periods on special occasions. For walking any distance, good quality sturdy shoes with a wide toe box and properly fitting heel work best. Exercises for maintaining ankle strength and flexibility. And walking with careful attention to foot alignment, posture, etc. Is it caused by PD? Doc says not, but the gait issues that come with PD, I believe, make this worse as the spine, hips, knees misalign to maintain balance. I find foot soaks, daily callous removal, and topical pain relief to be helpful too.

[Sarahlil in reply to Jana86]

Spot on, Jana. I agree with everything you say especially the last bit about the foot soak. Dissolve some magnesium crystals in warm water and, after soaking my feet for 15 minutes, I am walking on air for a few hours. Bliss!

[Darcy3]

Thank you.

[Erniediaz1018]

Thank you

[Tribselyov]

Darcy, We shufffle and drive our toes into our shoes which causes pain. We should strike the floor with the heel first but we don’t. A suggestion: when you do your walking exercises, wear boots with laces and tighten the laces around the ankle to stabilize your foot motion. Also, keep your toenails trimmed.

Message from the hammer

[Darcy3 in reply to Tribselyov]

Thank you for sharing.