The ankle doctor told me that my right big toe knuckle — the metatarsal — lacks any shred of cartilage. Bone spur upon bone spur and bone on bone. No wonder the pain hits me when I put on a pair of boots. Why is the ankle doctor going on about my toe? I guess the toe bone is in fact connected to the aching ankle tendons, especially when you’ve got a big flat foot in between. I don’t exactly understand it all but I do recall the doctor recommending that I wear shoes like his — long, flat black leather loafers — rather than the flip flops I had on. Lucky I spend a lot of time on my butt, writing and reading, not on my feet. But still, a person wants to walk in a glade or climb a mountain once in a while.
Jean Zimmerman 
Bummer, Jean! (btw, loved the snake skin description– four feet!!!). My husband has something similar with his big toe (and I have the flat feet), and we’ve both benefited from getting German-made orthotic inserts to a well-balanced/good-arch-supported shoe (like a New Balance walking shoe)–and NO MORE flip-flops, flat sandals, or shoes without arches again, ever. Sigh. But it’s apparently the only way to beat it. But walking is too important to screw up! The orthotic takes the pressure off the big toe sans cartilage, redistributing weight and pressure. Check it out! (I’m not a real doctor, I only play one on the internet!)