Toe Fractures
What is it? How is it caused?
Few injuries to the foot produce more pain than that of a fractured or broken toe. The mechanism or cause of a toe fracture seems embarrassingly obvious yet seemingly unavoidable. A sudden blow or stubbing of a toe against a heavy non-yielding object, an impact injury involving an object dropping on top of a toe can cause a fracture. A toe fracture hurts high on the pain scale, swells and turns reddish pink, and takes on a bluish bruised type of discoloration after a day. If these signs are present and your body feels that it does not want to move the impacted toe, then it is likely that you have a fracture.
How is it treated?
It is at this point that we frequently find an area of public confusion regarding the treatment of toe fractures. Many of our patients and those not seeking medical care believe that toe fractures will heal by themselves and do not really need supervised medical attention. They tell us that there is nothing to do about a broken toe except tape it to the next toe. We disagree and would like to point out several facts on this issue.
Fractures of the toe should be seen professionally in order to evaluate the extent of the injury. In other words, not all fractures are the same and some will heal much faster than others. A proper evaluation and management are necessary to ensure the best possible result.
Certain fractures may involve deviations or crooked positioning of the involved toe after the injury. These impacted toes need to be set in proper alignment. Little toes that are angled outward can develop severe and painful corns. These should be treated early on by a specialist in order to prevent future disability and possible problems.
Proper treatment of a fractured toe should involve some level of immobilization splinting and support. Ignoring the injury and enduring the pain do not create an optimal environment for fracture healing.
These injuries often occur with sudden onset, extreme pain, and obvious shoe wear difficulties. Proper evaluation, management, and periodic monitoring are recommended in addressing a toe fracture.
