The foot is a complex system consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The foot is subdivided into the rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot.
With 33 joints in the foot, one of them is bound to be bothersome at some point. Pain in the big toe joint can result from a number of conditions. Whether you are young or old, an athlete or sedentary, the big toe joint can become injured, arthritic, infected, jammed or stiff.
According to the Arthritis Society of Canada, 1 in 5 Canadians suffer with arthritis. Arthritis comes in several forms, and it can affect every joint in our bodies. It can cause cartilage breakdown within the joint space, resulting in pain as the joint’s bones rub together, and it can cause inflammation of a joint in response to an autoimmune response.
If you’re dealing with painful toes, especially around the base of the big toe, everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or even standing still can become challenging. One of the most common causes? Arthritis. This degenerative joint condition affects millions and often hits the small joints of the feet first. Symptoms can range from big and small toe joint pain, ball of foot pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, bunions, toe deformities, corns, calluses and difficulties walking.
Over 6 million Canadians have arthritis and in the coming years, this number will continue to grow. It is quite common for arthritis to be present in the hips, knees, ankles or feet. It can arise with age, from normal wear and tear on the joint.
Psoriasis is a condition that causes dry red/white/silver patches on skin that usually feel itchy and irritated. These patches are referred to as plaques and are found most on the knees, elbows, and bottoms of the feet, but they can occur anywhere on the body.
