A: As a medical doctor I am concerned about the cause of the pain in your middle toe. I will assume since you said “for no reason” that, unless you have severe memory issues, you didn’t bang your foot on any furniture or steps. There are several possible reasons for sudden unexplained nerve pain in your extremities:
- – You could be an undiagnosed diabetic. Try going a day or two without eating or drinking anything other than water. If the pain goes away then you should probably go to a doctor to get your blood glucose level checked.
- – It is possible that you overexerted yourself and are suffering from muscle inflammation which is putting pressure on a nerve. That nerve could be sending pain signals that seem to be emanating from your middle toe. If this is the case then simple resting of the afflicted limb should clear things up.
- – There are several darker possibilities that could be causing the pain, such as, blood-borne pathogens, degenerative nerve disorders, or possibly necrotizing toxins from venomous spider bites. But I won’t scare you by mentioning such things since there is little to no hope if they are at the root of the problem.
If the problem doesn’t go away in a couple days I would suggest removing the offending digit. Some people may think this is an over-reaction, but I say good riddance to a virtually useless appendage. The toes exist to provide us with better balance over variable terrain. The middle toe’s contribution to that balancing act is minimal at best. So, excising the toe will remove the source of the pain without significantly affecting the primary purpose of its existence.
If the idea of missing an appendage bothers you, I want you to be aware that large strides are being made in the area of regrowth. Recently, scientists believe they have isolated the chemical reaction that allows lizards to regrow their tails. It is theorized this discovery could eventually lead to humans being able to regrow missing limbs. But that is the future. At this very moment at the Brooks Institute for Laser and Radiological Research and Medical Clinic we have seen the growth of multiple limbs and appendage-like nodules on our research subjects. While we have yet to be able to control what and where these growths occur, it gives me great hope for the future of our new regeneration research projects.
