Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer For Individuals & Families: For Individuals & Families For Individuals & Families Shop for Plans Member Guide Member Guide Find a Doctor Find a Doctor Log in to myCigna

Toe, Foot, and Ankle Problems, Noninjury

Overview

Everyone has had a minor problem with a toe, foot, or ankle. Most of the time our body movements don't cause problems. But sometimes symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear or overuse. Toe, foot, or ankle problems can also occur from injuries or the natural process of aging.

Your toes, feet, or ankles may burn, sting, or hurt. They may feel tired, sore, stiff, numb, tingly, hot, or cold. You may have had a "charley horse" (muscle cramp) in your foot while lying in bed at night. Your feet or ankles may change color or swell. You may have noticed an embarrassing odor from your feet. Some changes in your feet and anklesankles are normal as you age. Age-related changes include your foot spreading and your nails getting thick and brittle. Some changes are common during pregnancy. For example, your ankles and feet may swell. Home treatment is usually all that's needed to relieve your symptoms.

Toe, foot, or ankle problems may be caused by an injury. But there are many noninjury causes of toe, foot, or ankle problems.

Skin problems

Most skin problems that affect your feet are more annoying than they are serious. If you have:

  • The feeling of walking on pebbles: You may have plantar wartsplantar warts on the bottom of your feet.
  • Patches of thick and tough skin on the heel or ball of your foot: You may have a callus, corn, blister, or skin growth.
  • Red, peeling, cracking, burning, and itchy skin between your toes or on the bottom of your feet: You may have athlete's foot. Or maybe your feet are reacting to the shoes you wear (shoe dermatitisshoe dermatitis).
  • Red, swollen, and painful skin around a toenail: You may have an ingrown nail or an infection around your nail (paronychiaparonychia).
  • Red, swollen soles of your feet that are painful to the touch or when you walk: You may have a bacterial infection. Public showers, hot tubs, or swimming pools are common areas where bacterial infections, athlete's foot, and warts can be spread to your feet.

Joint problems

Toe joints are more likely to have problems than other joints in your feet.

  • Heat, pain, redness, swelling, and extreme tenderness that comes on quickly in your big toe joint may be caused by goutgout. Similar symptoms can occur with an infection.
  • If you have swelling or a bump at the base of your big toe, you may have a bunionbunion.
  • If you have a bump on the outside of your little toe, you may have a bunionettebunionette, also called a Tailor's bunion.
  • If your toes, other than your big toes, bend in an odd position, you may have hammer toes, mallet toes, or claw toeshammer toes, mallet toes, or claw toes.
  • Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling are common when you have conditions such as bursitisbursitis, arthritisarthritis, lupuslupus, or gout.

Pain

You may have pain in the front (ball) of your foot (metatarsalgia) or in your heel. Heel problems often occur when you overuse calf muscles, wear shoes with high heels, or do activities, such as running, that cause repeated pounding on your heels.

  • Sharp pain on the bottom of your heel may be caused by plantar fasciitisplantar fasciitis.
  • Pain in the back of your heel and ankleankle may be caused by Achilles tendinitis or tendinosis (tendinopathy)Achilles tendinitis or tendinosis (tendinopathy) or retrocalcaneal bursitisretrocalcaneal bursitis.
  • Pain that's worse before or after exercise but improves during exercise may be caused by a stress fracturestress fracture of a bone in your foot (usually a metatarsal bone).
  • Small bony growths under your heel bone may be a heel spurheel spur.
  • Pain in the middle of your foot may be caused by "fallen arches" or by being flat-footed.
  • Pain or a bump on the back of the heel is a type of bursitis called Haglund's deformityHaglund's deformity.

Numbness or tingling

Many conditions may affect the nerves of the footnerves of the foot and cause numbness, tingling, and burning.

  • Pain, burning, tingling, or numbness that occurs between your toes, especially the third and fourth toes, and in the ball of your foot may be caused by a growth around the nerves (Morton's neuromaMorton's neuroma).
  • Pain, numbness, and tingling that starts in your back or buttock and moves down your leg and into your foot may be sciaticasciatica. It's caused by a pinched nerve (nerve root compression).
  • Foot and ankle pain that occurs with numbness and weakness in your foot may be caused by a pinched nerve in your ankle (tarsal tunnel syndrometarsal tunnel syndrome) or back (sciatica).
  • Burning, numbness, or lack of feeling in your feet may be caused by poor circulation. This is most common in people who have diabetesdiabetes or peripheral arterial diseaseperipheral arterial disease. The circulation problem can lead to nerve damage (peripheral neuropathiesperipheral neuropathies). Foot problems are more likely to occur in people who have these conditions.
Health Tools Check Your Symptoms Self-Care Preparing For Your Appointment

Current as of: October 24, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC StaffIgnite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review BoardClinical Review Board
All Ignite Healthwise, LLC education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Ignite Healthwise, LLC, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of UseTerms of Use. Learn how we develop our contenthow we develop our content.

© 2024-2025 Ignite Healthwise, LLC.

Related Links

Page Footer

I want to...

Audiences

Secure Member Sites

The Cigna Group Information

 Cigna. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of Cigna.

All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details Details