Sudden big Toe Weakness

[North50]

Last week I noticed while surfing that my right big toe did not feel right and also on 3 occassions stubbed it in the sand walking back to the waves which I have never done before. When I got back to my car I was shocked to find I could barely lift the big toe off the ground and the end of it flopped when I pushed down on it.
I went to a podiatrist who advised she had not seen that condition ever before so I became a little concerned. I then saw a sports medicine doctor who thought I may have damaged the tendon in the big toe ( have never felt any pain or swelling) and didn’t think it was coming from an L5 nerve compression. I now have to get an MRI of the big toe but it just doesn’t seem like tendon damage to me. So I then turned to Google which I understand can be a mistake
I did read the statement about ALS before posting that a muscle will generally just fail like not being able to do a calf raise. I can still lift the toe a bit but poorly or is the fail when you have foot drop or should that have happened at the same time? I probably would not know that I have the issue if wasn’t for surfing so not sure if need to be worried ( I have had BFS for over 20yrs) whether to see a neurologist or just wait to see if I get foot drop or cant stand on the balls of my feet or my heals. I welcome any feedback.

 

[lgelb]

Yeah, stop googling first and foremost. I very much doubt that you have any systemic neurological condition like ALS. Did anyone do an X-ray or ultrasound? Surprised anyone would jump straight to MRI. Anyway, I would first get some toe tests and go from there to a neurologist if nothing changes. Even if you have motor nerve damage in a toe, that doesn't mean any damage past the toe.

Best,
Laurie

 

[North50]

Thanks greatly

 

[North50]

Sorry to bother you again Laurie.
I didn’t mention that I have been woken over the last 2 months by both hands being numb and tingling as I didn’t think it was related. After 30 seconds or so they go but they have become more common to now several times a week. I saw a doctor who thought it was carpal tunnel syndrome even though I have no pain but with the weakness in my big toe thought he would do some blood tests and a nerve conduction test.
I did make the mistake of going back onto Google to see if the 2 could be related and once again became alarmed so just don’t know whether I should push to see a neurologist or not? Any advice would be appreciated as I’m super stressed now.

 

[lgelb]

Again, the simplest explanation, that you are keyboarding/texting too much, that you are not exercising enough, that your bed needs a facelift, is far more likely than any neurological disease. Anyway, numbness/tingling are not related to ALS but can definitely signal a problem with the nerves in your hands or arms; pain is not required in those conditions. Often, just some focused exercises as you can find on YouTube help a great deal.

If the condition continues to worsen, you could see a hand specialist to find out if physio is warranted.

 

[North50]

Thanks greatly Laurie. You all do a wonderful job!