Sharp pain in ring toe when skiing...

Hey all, any ideas on the extremely excruciating maybe tendon/maybe nerve, pain afflicting my next-to-pinky toe? It's not until I start heading downhill that it feels something like a cramp, and then becomes sporadically very sharply painful -- tear producing, gasp response -- as I start making turns. I've noticed occasional tingly numbness of that toe and my pinky toe when running.

Before I run off to the doctor and explain "not skiing" is not an option, just wondering if anyone has had any similar afflictions?

Could be referred pain from inflamation around a nerve, possibly in foot or ankle. I had similar but in my thumb and pointer finger and turned out to be inflamation around nerves in my neck. A great chiropractor fixed it in 3 visits in about a week and a half - that was after a doctor visit that started with drugs and wanted to move to MRI's, x-rays, etc. - just a thought, I have no basis for my suggestion other than similar feeling but different location. Try to find a doctor, chiropractor, etc that works with athletes, they generally understand 'not skiing is not an option' better than some that start by suggesting stopping the activity - unless it's critical to proper healing.

To echo Blizz's thought; I'd had tingly/numb fingers that were traced to a nerve beneath my shoulder.blade. PT and body-alignment advice cleared it right up. First step on that path was a visit to my primary-care doc.

Good luck!

Sound a LOT  like my Morton's Neuroma. Do you ever feel like you have some sock bunched up under your toes/foot in that area? That's another telltale symptom. Metatarsal pad  might help  by spreading the toe bones enough to  give an inflamed nerve room. Get thee to  a podiatrist - if it's early enough you  may be able to prevent the  scar tissue that I've built up around my nerve by not dealing with it soon after onset. I'm due back at my foot doc's as the cortisone injection I got last April has not just  made it go away,  so it's  time for me to try the  next  step  (my  doc suggests alcohol injection to  attempt to  deaden the nerve as a next step to  try).

Same thing in both feet . Growth around tendons. But to be sure go see DR Steve Fuson. two offices one in tacoma mine responded to cortisone injections. That was 6 years ago. I do get a occasional flare up but not enough to go back in.

Teleskichica, FWIW, I'lll chime in as a tele skier/physician/PT junkie. I have had similar things - a great PT with expertise in feet can help tons. Custom (molded to your feet) orthotics are often needed and I always have them in my ski boots. Because not (tele) skiing is not an option.