Crossover Toe: A Seemingly Common Toe Problem
You can totally see it in the photo.
My Mom is standing next to my two sons at the Oregon coast. Because it was warm that day, she is wearing flip flops. And right there in the picture, clear as a bell, you can see how the second toes on each of her feet are sitting on top of her big toes.
I had thought I was seeing things when I first noticed her toes criss-crossing onto the other ones. To be honest with you, it was pretty much creeping me out to see her toes looking so odd. But now I had photogenic proof of her unusual-looking piggies.
The next time she came to visit me, I noticed she had Band-Aids on both feet holding the wandering toes in place. I decided to ask her about it and she breezily brushed it all aside, saying that yes, her toes were crossing over each other but it didn’t hurt at all and she just used Band-Aids now and then to keep everyone in place.
Click here to comment on this article.Later that day, I tried to manually make my second toe sit on top of my big toe. Not an easy feat, no pun intended. And not exactly pain-free either.
Since my Mom was obviously not concerned about it and hadn’t seemed to have spoken with her doctor about it either, I decided to take matters into my own hands and bring up trusty old Google on my computer. I typed in “toes crossing over”, thinking that I wouldn’t get any matches at all. Instead, I got thousands.
In fact, the first website that popped up even gives my Mom’s toe ailment a name: Crossover Toe. And it included a ton of information and even some illustrations of exactly what I saw in the photo and in person too.
In case you are curious, here is the link:
http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/crossover.htm
As the article explains, Crossover Toe is a progressive and common condition where slowly the second toe begins to move and eventually sit atop the big toe. According to the information, if caught in the early stages it can be treated. But from what I can gather, my Mom’s symptoms are severe enough that she is probably out of luck at this point. And she is apparently lucky to be pain-free. From the article, it sounds like for most people Crossover Toe typically causes a lot of discomfort.
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Wow. I just this afternoon was diagnosed with early crossover toe. I had never heard of it before, but after searching the web my symptoms indeed fit the descriptions. Mine is not noticably crossing at this point. I am at an early stage where I at times have extreme pain in the ball of my left foot and it feels as though the ball of my foot at the base of my second toe is trying to come through the bottom of my foot. This all began a little over a year ago, right after I had my knee replaced. Calf raises were part of the rehab exercises, and that really aggrevated my foot. I just assumed I had arthritis that I would just have to live with, but after a recent visit with my family doctor I was sent to a podiatrist. My prescribed treatment is 6 days of oral steroids to eliminate any possible swelling; a flat pad under my foot that has a strap of elastic that loops around the errant toe to keep it extended during waking hours; and a foam spacer to wear between my big and second toes 24/7 to keep the toe aligned. As I understand, this is all to give the support ligaments/tendons time to calm down and heal. If this is successful it will take 4-6 weeks. I am hopeful. Just wearing the gizmos since mid-afternoon has given me significant pain relief.
My mum is 80 years old and has crossover toes on both feet. Surgery has been ruled out on account of her age and history of mini-strokes. She's in constant pain and foamspacers to separate toes do not benefit for long. The big toes on both feet are now discoloured from pressure of the second toes on them. She takes care of her feet, changing dressings daily but is frustrated at the apparetn lack of options for pain relief. any help/suggestions would be very much appreciated. Marie
Hi Marie - I'm sorry to hear your mom's in constant pain from crossover toes. I found an article in a journal for podiatrists that discusses several treatment options, including steroid therapy:.
http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/671
The following article also lists several treatment options, including shoe modifications and orthotic devices.
http://dev.foothealthfacts.org/Content.aspx?id=1482&terms=crossover+toe
Do you think any of these options could help? Perhaps you could go with your mom to see her physician and discuss what can be done, short of surgery, to give her some relief from the pain.
Pat
Thank you Pat for your kind thoughts and swift reply. I'll check the journals you mention and will make more enquiries about treatments with her GP. warm regards, Marie
You're very welcome!