Promblems with the small toes
There are three main problems that can happen to the small toes:
- Deformity - Change of the shape of a toe that may cause pressure, pain or hard skin (a corn)
- Pain in your toe joints
- Metatar - Pain in the ball of your foot (the area under your foot just behind your toes)
How to problems happen to the toes?
Toe deformities, such a claw toe or hammer toe, happen when tendons that move your toes get too tight or out of balance. The toe can rub on other toes and on the inside of your shoe, causing pressure and pain.
Problems with the small toes are more common if you have a bunion on your big toe. Inflammatory arthritis such as rhumatoid arthritis can damage your toe joints and this may make them come out of position (dislocate). You may get painful hard skin on the ball of your foot (plantar callosity).
Foot disease
Foot disease is where the tissues (skin and muscles) of your foot are dying. Atherosclerosis happens when abnormal fatty material (atheroma) coats the inside of the artery, causing it to narrow or 'harden'. The amount of blood flowing through the artery is reduced.
Atherosclerosis developes because because of one or more of the following risk factors:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Family history of atherosclerosis
- Age
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol levels
These factors also cause heart disease or stroke (loss of brain function resulting from interruption of hte blood supply to your brain). As well as causing atherosclerosis, diabetes can damage the nerves, muscles, sweat glands and bones in your feet. This increases the risk of infection and makes an infection more difficult to control.