Strange unexplained foot pain

[OSECS]

A little background: went skiing 10 days ago (five days of skiing). No incidents (that come to mind).

Cut to yesterday. The area of my foot on the pad below the third toe starts hurting, causing a limp. As time goes by, feels like it's swollen but doesn't look so. Now top and bottom of the area/joint is swollen (slightly) and the toe joint hurts when I apply hand pressure, but I can wiggle the toe with no pain or problem. I've broken toe bones before and this seems nothing like it. No bruising, swelling of the toe, no immobility. The bottom of my foot is much more painful than the top.

Feels like I'm walking on a donut on the bottom of my foot (from the swelling). Totally baffled. Hate going to the doc. Anyone suffer anything even remotely like this ?? Had a friend suggest arthritis, but I've never had any other pains like this previously.

[jm2e]

Sounds like a neuroma. Are you boots on the narrow side? Do you have a superfoot or any other enhanced footbed that would get more pressure on your mid-foot?

[mntlion]

does it hurt in other footwear now? worse in a narrow shoe?

[OSECS]

No footbeds other than the original liner. Hurts no matter what I have on. Bare foot hurts the most. No pain from putting my foot in a shoe, only from putting wight/pressure as I walk. My foots pretty average width I'd say, never considered narrow by any boot fitters.

I did crank down on my boots more this trip than any other, but as the liner has become packed out over time, I needed the extra tightening for foot support.

The neuroma thing sounds like a distinct possibility, no burning or tingling, but pain and a feeling like "somethings in my foot" as described in a google symptoms search.

[fish]

Yeah sounds exactly like neuroma.. I get the same thing. People tell me get a met pad

[underover]

Years ago in high school, i had a similar pain at the base of my second metatarsal on my right foot. I described the pain as "there's something in my joint", and it only hurt when I put pressure on the pad of my foot, or bent my toes up, manually. I was diagnosed with Freiberg's Avascular Necrosis, and apparently, since I had lost blood flow to that area, a bit of scar tissue had built up in the joint. It was removed, and hasn't returned. It's not common, and feels similar to Morton's Neuroma.