I had an episode of this several years ago, and boy, was it exquisitely painful! My case resolved after two injections of a long-lasting anesthetic and depot steroid. I take care to avoid narrow shoes and look for a wider toebox when I buy men's business shoes. I have had no recurrence.

Apparently, women who were shoes that tend to compress the forefoot are more at risk for developing this. So if your wife/partner/significant other starts to develop forefoot pain, switching to a wider shoe can help.