Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Joints Crack or PopUnderlying CausesToe and Foot Arthritis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why Joints Crack or Pop
Underlying Causes
Toe and Foot Arthritis
This article explains the causes of cracking or popping toes, both harmless and serious. It also takes an extended look at the symptoms and treatment of foot and toe arthritis.
Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images
Causes of Popping Joints
Underlying Causes of Toe Popping
Prior Toe Injuries
One such example is the development ofbone spurs, also known asosteophytes. Bone spurs are tiny projections of bone that can develop after an injury when the body tries to rapidly repair bone. The haphazard way in which the new bone develops can result in a spur.
A popping sound can often be heard when smooth cartilage meets the rough surface of the bone spur.
Stress Fracture
The symptoms of a stress fracture may not be overt and may only cause pain when pressure is placed on the joint. But, if crepitus develops alongside toe pain, it is often a sign that the stress fracture is progressing to a complete fracture.
How to Tell If a Toe Is Broken
Arthritis
A popping toe joint is common with arthritis. There are two main types of arthritis, both of which can cause the progressive loss of joint cartilage and the development of osteophytes:
Osteoarthritis tends to occur at an older age, while rheumatoid arthritis can develop at any age. Osteoarthritis will often affect a particular joint on one side of the body, unlike rheumatoid arthritis which will commonly affect the same joint on both sides of the body.
With rheumatoid arthritis, there will often be joint swelling and fatigue, symptoms that are not typical with osteoarthritis.
How to Treat Arthritis Toe Pain
Gout
Over time, gout can cause joint damage that increases the odds of crepitus. It can also cause the formation of lumpy deposits, calledtophi, that erode bone and cartilage and further increase the risk of crepitus and other arthritis symptoms.
How Arthritis Affects the Toes
Ourfeetare the workhorses of the body with more than 30 joints and 28 bones in each foot. More than 100 types of arthritis can affect the foot and ankle, the most common of which include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Insofar as the toes are concerned, arthritis will often affect the forefoot (the ball of the foot), including the adjacent toes joint referred to as:
Symptoms
When the MCP, PIP, or DP joints are affected, they can cause a cascade ofsymptomsthat will generally get worse as arthritis progresses.
Symptoms of arthritis specific to the toes include:
Treatment
Depending on the type of arthritis you have, the treatment may be focused on relieving symptoms or, in the case of autoimmune arthritis, treating the underlying disorder.
Options may include:
Why Your Finger Joints Click, Snap, and Pop
Summary
Crepitus of the toes may also be a sign of an underlying condition in need of treatment. This includes a stress fracture or a prior toe injury. It may also be due to osteoarthritis (“wear-and-tear arthritis”) or long-term complications of inflammatory arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis and gout).
A Word From Verywell
Cracking or popping noises in joints can come with age, but it is not an inevitable part of aging. By keeping active and fit, you can maintain mobility well into your 70s and beyond. By doing so, vulnerable joints of the knees, ankles, feet, and toes are less likely to experience chronic popping or cracking sounds indicative of osteoarthritis.
With that said, overdoing it and placing excessive stress on the joints can contribute to the onset of osteoarthritis.
As you get older, speak with a personal trainer or physical therapist about ways to move from high-impact activities (like running) to low-impact activities (like swimming) to protect your joints and long-term mobility.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lepage SIM, Robson N, Gilmore H, et al.Beyond cartilage repair: the role of the osteochondral unit in joint health and disease.Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2019;25(2):114–125. doi:10.1089/ten.teb.2018.0122
Welck MJ, Hayes T, Pastides P, Khan W, Rudge B.Stress fractures of the foot and ankle.Injury.2017;48(8):1722-6. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2015.06.015
Carroll LA, Paulseth S. Martin RL.Forefoot injuries in athletes: integration of the movement system.Int J Sports Phys Ther.2022;17(1):81–9. doi:10.26603/001c.30021
Mohammed A, Alshamarri T, Adeyeye T, Lazariu V, McNutt LA, Carpenter DO.A comparison of risk factors for osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis using NHANES data.Prev Med Rep.2020 Dec;20:101242. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101242
Igel TF, Krasnokutsky S, Pillinger MH.Recent advances in understanding and managing gout.F1000Res. 2017;6:247. doi:10.12688/f1000research.9402.1
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the foot and ankle.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
