How to Treat a Toe Fracture
Toe fractures often occur suddenly, such as from a stubbing injury or from dropping something heavy on the front of your foot. The metatarsal bones of the toes are also subject to stress fractures from repetitive use injury. Ballet dancers and people who play high-stress sports often experience hairline toe fractures.
How bad is it?
If you have a minor toe fracture, you will experience:
Pain (since your toes contain many nerve endings, a minor injury can be very painful)
Some swelling
Bruising of skin and toenail damage
Minor pain when you try to move the toe
In cases involving more severe damage, you will experience:
Severe pain and an inability to bear even a little weight or pressure without pain.
The broken toe may be bending severely and abnormally.
Numbing and tingling in the toe may be a sign of nerve damage.
If you have a fever, this could be a sign of a much more severe injury.
Obviously, if you have bleeding or bones sticking out you, need assistance immediately.
Treatments for a broken toe consist of the following:
A minor toe break should improve with rest, icing, and elevation. You can also tape the broken toe to an adjoining toe to immobilize it.
A cast or splint will be required with more severe toe damage.
For major breaks, toe surgery will be needed to remove bone fragments and to reattach bones and tendons. Hardware and screws may be necessary.
To help prevent complications from a broken toe, your foot doctor's diagnosis and treatment are highly recommended. James C. Ricketti, DPM of Hamilton Square, NJ (in Mercer County), is a board-certified podiatrist providing state of the art diagnostic and treatment options for all types of foot and ankle injuries, diseases, and deformities. From hammertoes and bunions to diabetic foot problems and sports injuries, you can rest assured that Dr. Ricketti and his staff will get you back on your feet as fast as possible. Please contact our office with any questions or to schedule an appointment. Call 609-587-1674.