There are different types of toe pain that one may encounter, and they may be broken down into these categories:

• Pain in the toes when walking, running, or engaging in other forms of exercise.
• Pain in the toes before or after exercise, but not during.
• Continuous pain in toes and toe joints.
• Sharp or shooting pain in toes, or more severe pain that limits movement.
• Physical injury is the most common cause of pain in the toes; this may be a result of splinters, cuts or open wounds, damage to the toe or toenail, the removal of a toenail, fractures, sprained or twisted joints, dislocated joints, inflammation, burns, or blisters.

Less commonly, if your toe hurts this may be caused by common infections which have reached an acute stage, such as:

• athlete’s foot (a fungal infection which often affects the toes)
• cellulitis (a skin infection)
• Wounds affecting the toes that are left untreated or allowed to become septic could also be a cause of toe pain.

Other factors that might influence common toe problems include:

• posture
• gait (the way you walk)
• blood circulation
• flat feet
• or even high foot arches
• Many times the joint of the big toe has intense pain, swelling, and warmth from Gout.

The following are a few other symptoms you should pay attention to. These include but are not limited to pain-related sensations:

• numbness
• burning
• soreness
• joint pain
• swollenness/swelling/inflammation
• skin discoloration
• cold toes or lack of circulation.