Sharp pain on the end of my toe

[tingletingle]

Hello gang,
I associate MS with numbness, tingling, hypersensitivity but never pain. I have just come back from an uneventful run but felt a sharp sting at the tip of my left toe after I took off my shoe. I suspected that I may have been bitten by an insect or spider however, upon inspection there isn't any bite marks, redness, or swelling. I can wiggle my toes normally.

The weird thing is that once I start to massage the spot the pain disappears but then comes back 5 or 10 minutes later. It feels like I have a bindi needle or sliver of glass stuck in my toe accept there isn't anything there. I just don't know what to think? Anybody had anything like this on the toe or anywhere else? I can't imagine it is MS related but then again nothing would surprise me.

Blessings
Alex

[tingletingle]

Thanks guys for your responses

Kyle, reading your post reminded me of the cold burning sensation in my feet that caused me to soak them in hot water. Then there was a time when my MS hug turned into a hot burning sensation. I had forgotten as those symptoms are now long gone fortunately.

But this is a different sensation for me. The old symptoms were distressing and uncomfortable but this is the first sharp pain like a needle as Wendy experiences. Glad to know that it too may come and go.

I've woken up this morning and its still there so I guess I'll just have to pray it goes away. My family have examined and noticed that a vein has appeared on the end of my toe. They delighted in gently touching and watching me yelp in pain. My kids are now calling me a baby!  

Weird disease for sure.
Blessings
Alex

[maxthecat43]

Hi Alex,

I get those kinds of pains too.  Sometimes in my toes, and other times I've had them in my fingers.  My non-medical opinion is that massaging it temporarily disrupts the misfiring nerve, in the same way folks can pinch a nerve and temporarily lose sensation in a limb. So it's reasonable that the massaging (is it fairly hard massaging?) ends, the misfiring nerve signal is right back to where it was before the massage.

Either way, it's no fun.  
Tammy

[debgen]

Hi Alex,,

I'm not sure if this is related or not but i have a great deal of pain in my left big toe. My left leg is my weak leg and filled with spasticity which is a different kind of pain. What has happened is that I have developed arthritis in the toe. My physical therapist believes this is due to my awkward gait when walking due to my MS.

Just something to think about!

Cheers,
Deb

[sllowe]

Helloooooooo  Alex,

My thought is that since you experience relief from massaging it that it is unMS related. Perhaps your toe was in a position during the run that blocked some blood flow/pressed a nerve. This would explain the lack of a "mark" from a bite, or a "pinch." Just a bad position for awhile with constant pressure from running.

That's my non-medical whack at it. I'd soak it in some epsom salts  - see if you can relieve it further.
(((((hugs)))))
-shell

[wendya432]

I have the same thing.  My left big toe feels like someone is sticking a needle in it up to the first knuckle or so.  It just comes and goes randomly, nothing physical going on with it.  

[kwarendorf]

There seems to be a fairly widespread misconception that MS does not have a pain component. It does.

Many of us with MS have neuropathic pain/neuropathy. This is pain caused by a misfiring of the nerves that control pain 'sensors'. Pain centers get garbled messages transmitted along damaged nerves. They translate these messages to "Fire!". There is nothing wrong with the painful area itself, but the associated pain centers are firing.

In my case it was my feet. I had a burning sensation between my toes, like really bad athletes foot. They would also feel like someone had just dropped a bowling ball on them. On really fun days it was both :-)

I now take meds and the pain is gone. MS does have a pain component, and it can be debilitating.

Kyle

[ghost39]

I think it is MS related. I often get tingling and then pain in my big toe.