Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]
Bone on Side of Foot Sticks Out and Hurts [Causes & Best Treatment!]
The bone on side of foot sticks out and hurts: 90%+ of the time this means something is happening to your 5th metatarsal or your 5th toe bone.
Look:
- Outside of the foot pain can be improved with a few simple treatment changes.
- We are foot doctors & we see this problem get better almost every day.
- The goal is to solve this problem without medication or surgery if at all possible.
So, let’s GO!
Table of Contents
Outside of the Foot Pain Picture Gallery:
Look:
- Fifth toe pain usually has nothing wrong with the bone unless it has recently been broken. The pain usually results from pressure against the front of the shoe, causing a callus or ingrown toenail.
- The fifth toe joint can cause a Tailor’s bunion to occur. This can also result in nerve pain and arthritis of the fifth toe joint.
- The bone connecting to the fifth toe is called the fifth metatarsal. It is possible to develop a stress fracture or “Jones” fracture.
- It is also possible to have pain and tendons and nerves outside the ankle from pressure against the outside of the shoe.
- The peroneal tendons can also be causing pain. This means the peroneus brevis tendon and the peroneus longus tendon.
- Cuboid syndrome can also cause pain at the back and outside of the foot.
Click on the photo gallery to see descriptions!
Bone on Side of Foot Sticks Out and Hurts Overview:
- We show you why the bone on the outside of your foot is sticking out.
- This is due to your 5th toe, your 5th metatarsal phalangeal joint, your styloid process and the outside of your ankle.
- We then show you have to get rid of that pain with home treatment tips!
Symptoms:
This can lead to:
- Numbness.
- Burning.
- Tingling.
- 5th toe pain.
- Redness and rubbing against the shoe.
- Tight and swelling sensation in your shoe.
- Itching in your shoe.
Is It Dangerous?
- The majority of the time bone sticking out the side of your foot are not dangerous!
- Everyone always thinks the fifth metatarsals is a tumor, but generally what does happen is your Achilles tendon is tight in your foot rotates and rubs against the side of your shoe.
- Some people have a much larger fifth metatarsal bone, and a much larger fifth metatarsals styloid process than other people.
- Especially if you have a very high arched foot your fifth metatarsal process can be very large.
Lateral Foot Pain Causes:
- 5th toe pain.
- 5th metatarsal pain.
- Peroneal tendon pain.
- Outside of the ankle pain.
Causes of Bones on the Side of the Foot Sticking Out:
- The most common bone responsible for pain on the side of your foot and bone sticking out and hurting is the fifth metatarsals!
- There are three areas that could be causing this pain: the fifth toe itself, the fifth metatarsal and outside of the heel/ankle.
- We would estimate that approximately 90% of the time it is the fifth metatarsal, and in normal prominence called the fifth metatarsals styloid process is what is causing your pain.
Fifth Toe Bone Sticking Out:
- The fifth toe could become swollen and irritated.
- This can cause the bone to stick out.
The 5th MTPJ:
- This is referred to as the tailor’s bunion.
- This is the knuckle where your 5th toe connects to the rest of the foot.
- Gel pads work great hear as well, but the key is to stop your foot from twisting our.
- Look at some of the gel pads above.
The 5th Metatarsal Styloid Process:
- This is what most people are probably looking for.
- This is the center outside of your foot.
- This is a normal bone.
- It is usually only aggravated when your foot is twisting outward.
Less Common Causes:
5th Toe Pain:
- Little Toe Pain Causes are most common after physical trauma such as stubbing your toe, but it is very common to develop calluses and nerve pain.
- The most common causes of little toe pain are injuries such as a stubbing your toe, ingrown toenails or even the formation of calluses or corns.
- These all occur because the small toe is exposed to friction on the outside of your foot from wearing shoes that are too tight or even shoes that are too wide resulting in rubbing against the outside of that foot.
- It is important to take the initiative and begin to heal these problems on your own, because the corns and calluses likely will not just go away on their own.
- It is also possible to develop a little toe bunion known as a tailors bunion (aka bunionette) that is very similar to a smaller bunion but it is just affecting the little toe rather than the big toe.
- For more on Bone on Side of Foot Sticks Out and Hurts:
Skin Problems:
Calluses are thick patches of skin that appear in sites of friction against the shoe, the floor or any other part of the foot. The danger is a blister can form underneath the callus!
A corn looks like a little pebble that can form, they usually even occur with a callus around them. This can be exceptionally painful.
Follow our at home pain relief guides, how to trim your nails properly and even how to remove them permanently.
These occur from stubbing your toe, so learn how to deal with them properly! Is it broken or is it just bruised, find out with this guide.
Bone and Joint Problems:
These that may result in a Bone on Side of Foot Sticks Out and Hurts.
This is when you toe looks really big and as if though its popping out at the base.
This is when your toe starts to dislocate slightly.
5th Metatarsal Pain:
- Jones Fracture
- Cavus Foot- Styloid Process Protrusion
- Os Vesalanium
Muscle & Tendon Pain:
Outside of the Foot Home Treatment:
- If you have 5th toe pain, tailor’s bunion pain, outside of the foot pain, or other lateral foot pain, this guide is for you!
- These are the recommended treatment products that will help you get better the fastest.
- The key is to stop your foot from turning outward and causing further damage to your foot.
The real key to fix outside of the foot pain in order:
1) Most important is a good shoe & a good insole for your shoe.
- Good shoes and good foot insoles are the best value and best long-term option.
- This will stop your foot from turning outward.
- Give these 1-2 weeks of effort, and you will really notice the pain relief.
- This does not instantly fix the pain but prevents future damage.
2) Gel pad to offload the toe.
- This will give your toes some cushion to keep pressure off the toes.
- Read below to see the specific gel pads for each specific condition.
3) Ankle brace for a possible correction.
- Check the recommended braces below.
- For ankle pain, this is almost guaranteed to improve your problem.
4) Menthol-based cream for pain relief.
- Creams and gels like Biofreeze act like ice but save you 20 minutes!
- Check below for our recommended pain relief options.
Best Treatment Products:
5th Toe Gel Pads:
- Fifth toe gel pads can stop your fifth toe or your Taylor’s bunion from rubbing against the side of your shoe.
- There are downsides because these don’t last forever, and they do start to break apart and develop older.
- They can be a low-cost option for tighter shoes during business meetings and at work.
Topical Pain Relief Creams:
- Menthol-based creams have been studied medically and show safety and excellent results.
- This is best for nerve irritation.
- This can help with the nerve pain on the outside of the foot. Just don’t use this as your only treatment option.
- This is not fluff, and these are scientifically backed!
- Bio-freeze is cost-effective and shows great results.
- This is more for people who have difficulty sleeping or walking due to significant issues.
Massage & Ice Products:
- Ice is an excellent option that can be safe for almost everyone.
- There are many nerves, ligaments, and tendons on the outside of your foot.
- This can help calm the inflammation until you fix the biomechanics making your foot turn outward.
- There is some debate about whether icing is worth doing, but this can help limit the need for medications and keep your options open for chronic pain.
- This works great for your arch, less for the ball of the foot.
- The more muscle and ligament tissue there is, the better ice will work there.
Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- More flexibility will make your foot turn out less.
- This is a very counter-intuitive way to take pressure off of the outside of your foot!
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This is very effective for the arch, the gastrocnemius, calf muscle, and the hamstring and thigh muscles.
- This also works very well for the gluteus muscles if you are having butt cheek or hip pain.
Best Shoes for Side of Foot Pain:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from the outside of your foot
- This is especially important if you have flat feet.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for the best pain relief!.
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Best Orthotics for Side of Foot Pain:
- Orthotics are the single most important way to improve your outside of the foot pain, Seriously!
- Most people don’t think orthotics will fix their foot pain.
- Besides trauma, 95% of all 5th toe, middle of the foot, and outside of the ankle pain can be improved with orthotics.
- This is because orthotics help your foot from twisting out and compressing against your shoe when you walk.
- Would you please not take our word for it? Read the reviews!
Most Important Tips For Orthotics:
- Make sure you have a roomy enough shoe.
- I’m warning you right now, don’t try to stuff a full-length orthotic into a tiny tight shoe. It won’t work.
- If you have tighter or dress shoes: try the dress shoe or 3/4″ orthotics.
Full-length orthotics give you the most correction and improvement:
- If you have roomy enough shoes like running shoes or work boots. Get a full-length orthotic.
- The cushion under the front of your foot prevents it from twisting out against the outside of your shoe as much as possible.
- These are one of the best possible options for the medium and heavy-duty correction!
These orthotics are for slimmer shoes without laces:
- If you are tight in the front of your shoes, or the shoes are tighter, these 3/4″ might be the best choice for you.
- But if you have a choice, the full-length orthotics are much, much more supportive!
- So if you wear work boots or running shoes, get the full length. They get you more support.
Dress Shoe orthotics:
- These are premium leather orthotic recommendations for dress shoes.
- If you have a tight dress shoe get the 3/4″ orthotic.
Outside of the Foot Trauma:
- If you think you might have a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stub, or a broken 5th toe, these products may be of assistance.
- This guide is meant only after getting your foot evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist first!
- Always remember to see a foot and ankle specialist like a podiatrist if you have severe outside of the foot pain or a broken bone!
5th Toe or 5th Metatarsal Injury Treatment:
- If you have a traumatic injury such as a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stubbed, or a broken 5th toe: consider protecting your foot!
- The best way to do this is, of course, to see your podiatrist and get evaluated with an x-ray, ultrasound, and potentially even an MRI or CT scan.
- If you cannot do so, it may benefit you to be in a cast, fractured boot, or even keep the weight off of it with a rolling knee scooter or other protective devices.
- We as podiatrists frequently take patients off work for a very long period of time when they suffer a traumatic injury. Unfortunately, there is no other way around us in labor jobs.
- If you have a sit-down job, there are ways to get people back to work quicker, but this can be impossible otherwise.
Outside of the Foot Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your outside of the foot injury. The Pros are that your injured lateral foot will hopefully have a chance to heal gradually! If you are immobilized too long, the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg.
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:
Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep pressure off of the outside of your foot completely.
- There are benefits to offloading in the early stages of the disease and can give you outside foot relief!
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices:
Outside of the Foot Compression Brace:
- A good compression brace can stabilize your foot from turning outward.
- This prevents your foot from pronation.
- The pronated foot will turn your foot outward, in your foot will rub on the outside of the shoe.
- This has solved their pain for many of her patients and is very comfortable to wear inside your shoe.
- This solves both pain and outward pronation for a relatively low cost.
Outside of the Foot Stability Brace:
- The stability brace goes a little bit further than the compression brace to stop your foot from turning out.
- At the same time, this is a little bit bulkier and does not affect every shoe.
- We find people are a little bit happier trying the compression brace before the stability brace.
Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]