[livingwith]

I am 56 years old and have the short toe on my right foot. Although I have always been conscious of it while wearing sandals, etc., I grew up without much teasing. I get pedicures, and wear sandals, and if people want to stare, that is fine with me. Just recently, I have embarked upon an exercise program. I walk/run about 5 to 6 miles a day for 5 days a week. It is just now that this condition is becoming a real bother.
My third toe seems to be stretching to the right to deal with the abse...Read the full article

[bajaratt]

I have short 4th toes on each foot (and short big toes, too), and on my right foot in particular, the toes have shifted to compensate for balance. I have a big gap between my second and third toes, which makes that foot look even stranger than my left. I realized one day, however, that they are now perfectly spaced to carry my weight. I used to have some foot pain in the metatarsal area when I was a late teenager playing soccer, and I think that might have been the tendons or something stretching to accommodate the shift. I haven't had a problem in the last 10 years, though (knock on wood), and I'm still active. This is extremely unprofessional advice, but I used to take Advil before soccer games when I knew my feet would hurt and I couldn't be bothered with the pain. After a year or two, it went away as mysteriously as it came. I hope your troubles likewise go away with time because it's great that you've started an exercise routine. I sympathize that your third toe is shifting, but it's not random and it's not indefinite. Hopefully it's just evolving ;)