What does your toes reveal about your health? Feet and toes are an integral part of your body. They help you in performing day-to-day activities. The vital function of your toes is to provide balanced support and maintain your body weight.

You need to know about your toes as they say much about your underlying health condition and the overall body, especially for people with diabetes, high blood pressure and other health conditions.

It is important to understand the toes and feet before they become critical and serious. Toes help in moving faster and increase the length of your stride which allows you to run faster.

Generally, people ignore paying attention towards their toes due to which they get affected by some infections or diseases. Toes are considered as the stem of overall health, they help in balancing the whole body structure.

1. Things your Toes say About your Health

Considering health, toes play a major role in maintaining the overall body. It is important to pay keen attention to your toes, as they play a vital role in health determination. Signs of any discomfort and sensation must be reviewed by a doctor without any delay. Following are some things that your toes indicate about your health problem:

1.1 Change in Nail Color

Pinkish and smooth nails are an indicator of good health. Infected toes are generally yellowish and have ridges¹. Smoking, alcohol abuse, diabetes, and liver problems cause your nails to become yellowish, indicating deteriorating health.

The texture and colours of your nails indicate your health, depending on which the specific distribution as follows:

• Terry’s nail²: under this condition, the nail colour changes into white with slight bands of pink, red, or brown at the tip of the nails, showcasing a problem with the liver, psoriatic arthritis, congestive heart failure, or diabetes.
• Beau’s lines³: due to underlying malnourishment, the depressions on nails fade yellowish.
• Green nail syndrome⁴: close contact with a bacterial organism leads to this nail syndrome, thus leading to an infection.
• Leukonychia⁵: this condition leads to white spots on the nails, signifying an injury, infection, or nutritional deficiency.
• Half and half nails: nails change their colour to white and pink under this condition, signifying kidney diseases, psoriatic arthritis, and others.

1.2 Cold feet

Poor circulation of blood could lead to cool toes and can cause circulatory problems. Other medical conditions that can lead to cold toes are:

• Diabetes: it occurs due to the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin or when the body cannot properly use the produced insulin, which is a hormone that regulates the glucose in the blood.
• PAD (peripheral artery disease)⁶: PAD occurs in the lower part of the body leading to the narrowing of the legs and blockage of blood vessels from the heart to the legs. The main cause of this disease is the fatty plaque in the arteries, called “atherosclerosis”.
• Heart diseases: underlying heart-related ailments lead to cold toes, arms, hands, and feet, as the body circulates the blood in the brain and other parts of the upper body to compensate for the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the body.
• Thyroid condition: going down the thyroid function can lead to reduced circulation, thus leading to cold toes.

Other symptoms along with cold toes, that indicate a serious medical condition, or health issues, and may require immediate medical attention include:

Weakness and pain in hands, cold sensitivity, changes in skin colour, sore toe joints. Cold toes may also indicate anaemia, which means that the body has insufficient red blood cells, to carry oxygen from the lungs to the overall body.

1.3 Changes in Nail Shape, Lung Disease

Changes in nail shape, like curving and scooping out of nails can be permanent deformity and it could be the indicator of the following underlying health ailments:

• Autoimmune disorder: Nail psoriasis⁷ is an autoimmune disorder that causes discolouration and deformity of nails, leading your nails to buff. This condition also leads to “Koilonychia”. However, treatments can help in improving these symptoms.
• Hypothyroidism: in the cold, all resources and energy of your body are funnelled to the necessary organs for its survival, which can leave the other organs cold. It also results in yellow and brittle toenails due to reduced blood flow in the body.
• Anaemia: Iron is a vital supplement for the body to make red blood cells. Its deficiency can lead to nail abnormalities and dry skin.

Club-shaped nails specify the following medical condition:

• Low oxygen in the blood, called hypoxia,
• Lung cancer, or lung-related diseases
• Cystic fibrosis
• Cardiovascular disease
• Circulatory problems

Appearing vertical ridges on toenails with age is a normal condition, however, if the ridges are horizontal, it might be an indicator of Beau’s illness.

Beau’s illness may be caused by trauma, a recent ailment, a stress fracture, or any surgery. Horizontal patches on toenails with no serious medical condition may be because of circulatory problems, zinc deficiency, and diabetes.

1.4 Swollen Toes

An improper circulatory system leads to swollen toes. Fungal infections, and traumatic injuries like broken bones, sprains, stress fractures, etc. may also cause swelling of the toes.

It includes blood clots in the lead, kidney failure, and intaking medications like steroids, antidepressants, or any other medicines for hormone or allergic conditions. Swelling can also be caused by:

• Maintaining the same position
• Being overweight
• Wearing shoes that do not fit properly

Injuries, infections, and conditions like arthritis, kidney disease, and deep vein thrombosis, in which blood clot in one place, can also cause swelling of the toes.

Swelling of toes can also be the reason for overuse injuries because Athlete’s feet are usually swollen because of their profession. Even gym people also come across these injuries because of holding the heavy weight of iron supplements.

1.5 Tingling, Numbness, and Poor Circulation Problems

Tingling, numbness, or burning in your toes or feet, may be a symptom of peripheral neuropathy, which is caused by diabetes. Other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are weakness, fatigue, and muscle spasms.

Numbness of the toes also indicates a problem with the nervous system or poor circulation of blood in the toes. Exposing your toes to cold conditions and wearing tight jeans can also lead to numb toes.

Numbness may either last long or rarely come and go, as it differs from one person to the other. Sensations are also variable and depend on the reason for numbness.

Cold feet lead to numbness which can cause tingling sensations, burning sensations, and an inability to feel touch, heat, or cold.

Numbness can be severe due to medical conditions like diabetes, peripheral artery or peripheral vascular disease, or multiple sclerosis.

Some reasons that lead to numbness and tingling are:

• Wearing tight footwear can cut off blood circulation in the body, making you feel numb. Similarly, wearing tight jeans can also stop circulation and lead to numbness in the toes.

• Temporary numbness in the toes can be due to running or walking for a long period, which may subside after taking rest.

• Exposing feet to cold can also cause numbness. Being outside in cold weather when the feet get wet, can cause numbness in toes.

If a person feels toe numbness, they should go outside and warm up to avoid frostbite, which may cause permanent tissue damage and poor blood flow in the toes and can lead to amputation.

• Raynaud’s phenomenon⁸ occurs when a person’s blood vessels respond to strong cold weather. It affects the fingers and toes, causing them to feel numbness and tingling. In such cases, one must warm up or can consider taking prescribed medication.

• Broken toes due to an injury or fracture can also be a lead cause of numbness.

1.6 Dark Vertical Bands Under the Toenail Which says much about your Health

Psoriasis dermatophytosis, allergic contact dermatitis, chronic kidney disease, or melanoma are some serious diseases that cause dark vertical bands to appear under the toenails. It may also appear due to shifts in estrogen and progesterone hormones. In some cases, nail polishes may also lead to dark vertical bands.

Having a line on your nails is called melanonychia. These black lines can appear on your toenails that start from the bottom of the nail and end at the top of the nail bed.

Melanonychia can be seen on one or more nails and is a normal or natural occurrence for people of darker complexion. It is also called melanonychia striata or longitudinal melanonychia, which can be diffuse or moving.

Two broad kinds of melanonychia are:

• Melanocytic activation: it increases the melanin in your nails but not the pigment cells. It can be caused due to trauma, some nutritional deficiency, medication, or any other underlying health-related ailment.
• Melanocytic hyperplasia: it increases the pigment cells in your nail bed and its growth can be malignant.

1.7 Fungal Infection and Skin Cancer

Tiny organisms that cause germs in the surrounding nails and lead to chronic kidney disease are responsible for toenail fungus. Usually, people are not aware that they have a toenail infection until it becomes very apparent.

Some of the common signs and symptoms of the fungal infection in nails are when there appear white or yellow streaks under the nail beds, along with the thickening of the nails.

White spots on nails can be a sign of fungal infection. This whitening of the nails might spread and become thick to become cloudy yellow-brown. In some rare cases, toenails become more brittle and fall off. Black and green spots are also very common in fungal infections.

The nail fungus can make your nails hard and thick, making it difficult for you to cut them. It may crumble the nails and can become critical, causing pain, and for the toe to swell up, making it difficult for you to walk or run.

Thus, as soon as you notice a whitish spot on your nails, it is better to consult a doctor and get it treated.

1.8 Toe Pain

Toe pain could be a sign of nerve damage, joint pain, and arthritis, and thus, it should never be ignored. There are generally two categories of foot pain: normal pain and severe pain. Normal pain is not serious and requires little to no medication, while severe pain can affect your ability to bear weight on your toes, which limits your ability to move around.

Symptoms of toe pains include redness, swollen feet, stiffness, tingling sensations, and a limited range of motion. Some toe pain occurs spontaneously and can develop into severe pain gradually.

Diseases related to toe pain are:

• Osteoarthritis: this toe disease is also called a degenerative joint disease or rheumatoid arthritis and it causes redness, stiffness of the toe, and inflammation of joints from the breakdown of the cartilage. It can affect any of your toes and develops faster after an injury.
• Turf toe: this refers to a hypertension sprain in the big toe from loading the joint from weight bearing that happens when the toe pushes off the turf.
• Raynaud’s disease: this causes the nails to turn bluish, which happens because of reduced circulation of blood. Nails may even turn purple, which indicates a problem with the circulatory system.
• Freiberg’s disease: this disease causes severe pain in the toe.
• Morton’s neuroma: this disease involves the thickening of the tissue around the nerves leading to the toe, which may lead to stinging, burning, or numbness in the affected area.
• Plantar fasciitis: under this condition of the toe, a sharp shooting pain is experienced if one tries to lift their toes upward.
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome: this syndrome causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the toes and feet, which results in the inflammation of the posterior tibial nerve that runs along the inside of the ankle or foot.

2. Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How to get rid of swelling in your toes?

If your toes are swollen then rest your swollen or injured foot. Ice your swollen toes for 10- 15 minutes. Don’t ice it beyond 20 minutes, as this will cause nerve damage and skin damage. This will help reduce swelling.

2. Can your feet indicate health problems?

You can know your every health issue, like diabetes, Crohn’s disease, heart disease, nutritional and iron deficiency, just by knowing the toes.

3. What organ does it represent?

Eyes have a nervous connection with the second and third toes. If you have eye pain or strain then pressing of toes can help. The remaining toes are connected to the teeth, sinuses and top of the head.

4. What is the main and vital importance of the toes in the body?

The vital importance of the body is to provide posture and balance to our body and support the body weight. To maintain our brain and spinal cord.

5. How can you prevent the toe and health problems?

Toe and health problems can be prevented by practising good hygiene and by keeping the feet clean and dry. Trim nails to prevent fungal infections in growing nails, and avoid wearing sweaty socks and flip-flop socks.

In conclusion, these are the important guidelines or warning signs to get rid of all the toe-related diseases that can harm overall health:

1. Don’t take your toe problems for granted and don’t ignore them. If you feel any discomfort or pain, then get a check from the foot specialist so that the treatment begins early.

2. If you feel any numbness or tingling in your toes, don’t ignore it, don’t try to rub them or avoid them. Instead, warm up your body, and if it seems severe, report it to the health concerns for proper medications.

3. If you notice your toenails change to yellow toenails. Don’t take it as normal instead make a treatment plan, try to figure out and get information about the colour of the nail.

4.  If your nails change their colour other than pinkish or if you feel any burning sensation, don’t treat it as normal, instead go to the foot doctor before it gets severe or critical.

5. Toes say a lot about medical issues and overall health, so if you feel any pain or notice and change in colour, get it checked by any doctor because it could be a fungal infection or any other type of infection.

6. Prioritise your health over fashion and avoid wearing high heels or tight jeans because it can lead to poor blood circulation in all parts of the body, due to which you can face many severe or normal consequences.

7. Always maintain good toe hygiene, including washing and drying your toes and feet and keep them healthy and clean. Eat healthy food and avoid any body deficiencies like vitamin D deficiency. Keep your feet healthy because feet send fungal particles to the toes mostly.

8. Check your toe regularly and notice its colour, appearance and texture.

9. Keep exercising. Walking and running are important ways to keep your weight under balance and control and also to avoid toe pain.

10. Avoid walking without footwear, as it can save you from many fungal diseases, heel pain, infections, and injuries.

11. Wash your feet daily and dry them completely, otherwise, it can cause infections and can convert into a dangerous form.

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Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by riyaspeaks