Yao Ming is hobbled by an infected toe. The 7 foot 5 inch NBA all star has an infected big toe. It's amazing that the toes can have that much of an effect on a person, but it's true. The big toe is critical for walking, and more importantly for Yao, running.

Yao Ming doesn't have your run of the mill toe infection, but an infection called osteomyelitis. It's a nasty infection that is usually introduced somewhere else in the body, but ends up attacking bones.

What are the symptoms of osteomyelitis - toe infection?

• Bone pain in the area infected
• Swelling
• Fever
• Chills

How is osteomyelitis - toe infection treated? It depends on whether the infection is bacterial or fungal. In either case if it's caught early enough it can be treated with antibiotics and anit-fungal medicines. In some cases the infection is too aggressive, or goes untreated, and surgery is the only recourse. This is what happened in Yao Ming's case.

The surgery involves removing the infected bone and replacing it with a bone graft or other material to encourage new bone growth.

How long does it take to recover from osteomyelitis - toe infection? Depending on the severity it can take up to a year to fully recover. This is due for the continued need for antibiotics and the time it takes for new bone growth to occur.