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Red, Swollen And Painful Great Toe. Should I Be Concerned?

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Posted on Mon, 4 Nov 2013
Twitter Mon, 4 Nov 2013 Answered on
Twitter Sat, 23 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on
Question : I have one big toe that is red, swollen, feels warm and is painful to touch. I have not stubbed, hit, or dropped anything on my toe. The nail bed is also somewhat red but otherwise normal looking. Is this likely something to be concerned about? Would ice or a topical medication be helpful?
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Answered by Dr. Geetika Paul (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: Cellulitis great toe Detailed Answer: Hi, I understand your concern regarding your skin problem and I hope I will be able to help you in the same. Now from the description that you have provided, it looks like you have developed cellulitis of the great toe. Cellulitis means a deep infection of the great toe. Now first of all, I would like to tell you that you need to take it seriously since such infections tend too increase very soon. Only topical therapy is not that effective in such cases. You might need to take a course of oral antibiotics . Penicillins or cephalosporins are the ones mostly required. In addition, you can take oral pain killers along as these tend to act as anti inflammatory drugs also and so there will help in reducing the associated swelling and pain. You should keep the foot end elevated whenever sitting or when lying down. This will prevent any swelling or oedema of the feet. Giving cold compresses can be useful in reducing the inflammation. Hope it helps. If you have any other query, please let me know. Dr Geetika Paul.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E
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Dr. Geetika Paul

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Red, Swollen And Painful Great Toe. Should I Be Concerned?

Brief Answer: Cellulitis great toe Detailed Answer: Hi, I understand your concern regarding your skin problem and I hope I will be able to help you in the same. Now from the description that you have provided, it looks like you have developed cellulitis of the great toe. Cellulitis means a deep infection of the great toe. Now first of all, I would like to tell you that you need to take it seriously since such infections tend too increase very soon. Only topical therapy is not that effective in such cases. You might need to take a course of oral antibiotics . Penicillins or cephalosporins are the ones mostly required. In addition, you can take oral pain killers along as these tend to act as anti inflammatory drugs also and so there will help in reducing the associated swelling and pain. You should keep the foot end elevated whenever sitting or when lying down. This will prevent any swelling or oedema of the feet. Giving cold compresses can be useful in reducing the inflammation. Hope it helps. If you have any other query, please let me know. Dr Geetika Paul.