The toes are made up of tiny bones (called the phalanxes), which break easily when tripped by a blunt object. Most cases of broken toes are stress fractures or hair fractures, which means the fracture occurs only on a small surface of the bone and is not serious enough to bend the bone or tear the skin surface. In rare cases, the toe may be crushed so that the bones that compose it are crushed (comminuted fracture) or broken so that the bone bends and sticks out through the skin (open fracture). Understanding the severity of your toe injury is important because it will determine the type of treatment you should undergo.
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Part 1 of 4: Undergoing Examination
Step 1. Make an appointment with the doctor
If your toe suddenly hurts from a certain injury, and doesn't improve after a few days, make an appointment with your family doctor, or go to the emergency room at a hospital, or a doctor's clinic that has X-ray equipment if your symptoms heavy. The doctor will examine your fingers and toes, ask about the cause of the injury, and take X-rays to determine the severity of the injury and the type of fracture in your toe. However, your family doctor is not a bone and joint specialist, so you may need to be referred to a specialist for more serious problems with your toe.
- The most common symptom of a broken toe is severe pain, swelling, stiffness, and usually bruising from bleeding within it. You will find it difficult to walk, while running, or jumping is almost impossible without severe pain.
- Other professional health practitioners who can diagnose and/or treat broken toes are bone specialists, foot specialists, chiropractic therapists, and physiotherapists, as well as doctors in the emergency department.
Step 2. Visit a specialist
Hair fractures, localized separation of bone and cartilage segments, and impact are not considered serious medical conditions, however, crushed toes or fractures that cause the bone to fall apart often require surgery, especially if it occurs in the thumb. Specialists such as a bone and joint specialist, or a bone and muscle specialist can better assess the severity of your fracture, and advise on appropriate treatment. Broken bones are sometimes associated with diseases and conditions that affect and weaken the bones, such as bone cancer, bone infections, osteoporosis, or complications caused by diabetes, so it's important for a specialist to consider these possible conditions when examining your bones.
- X-rays, bone scans, MRI, CT scans, and ultrasound are some of the tests that a specialist may use to help diagnose your toe fracture.
- Foot fractures are usually caused by dropping a heavy object on the sole of the foot, or tripping over something heavy and immobile.
Step 3. Understand the type of fracture and the most appropriate treatment
Be sure to ask your doctor for a full explanation of the diagnosis (including the type of fracture) as well as the various treatment options for the injury, such as a simple stress fracture, which can usually be treated at home. On the other hand, a broken, bent, or deformed toe is usually a more serious fracture and should be treated by a professional medical practitioner.
- The smallest toe (the little toe) and the largest toe (the big toe) are broken more often than the other toes.
- Joint dislocations can make the toe bend and look like it's broken, but a physical exam and X-rays will tell the difference between the two conditions.
Part 2 of 4: Treatment for Stress and Unshifted Fractures
Step 1. Use the principles of R. I. C. E
The most effective treatment principle for bone and muscle injuries (including stress fractures) is called R. I. C. E. and is an abbreviation of rest (rest), ice (ice), compression (compress) and elevation (elevation). The first step is rest--stop all activity with the sore leg for a while to relieve the injury. Next, cold therapy (ice wrapped in a thin towel, or frozen gel bag) should be applied to the broken bone as soon as possible to stop the bleeding inside and relieve inflammation. If you can, apply a compress with your feet up in a chair or some pillows (this position can also relieve inflammation). Ice should be applied for 10-15 minutes every hour, then reduce the frequency once the pain and swelling have subsided within a few days. Applying ice to your leg with a bandage or an elastic bandage can also help relieve inflammation.
- Don't tie the bandage too tightly or leave it on your leg for more than 15 minutes at a time, as this can block blood flow and make your foot worse.
- Most cases of uncomplicated toe fractures usually heal well, within four to six weeks, after which you can gradually return to physical activity.
Step 2. Take over-the-counter medications
Your doctor may advise you to take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin, as well as regular analgesics (pain relievers) such as paracetamol to help fight inflammation and pain from a toe injury.
These medications tend to be harsh on your stomach, liver, and kidneys. So you should not use it for more than 2 weeks in a row
Step 3. Wrap your toes to protect them
Bandage the broken toe with the toe of the healthy side to keep it in position and to realign it if it bends (consult your doctor first if your toe appears bent). Wipe your toes and soles of your feet with alcohol wipes, then apply a strong medical tape (preferably water-resistant) so they can last you showering. Change this plaster every few days for a few weeks.
- Consider putting gauze or felt in the gap between your toes before wrapping them together to prevent skin irritation.
- Make a simple homemade splint to strengthen the bandage of your toe by placing chopped ice cubes down both sides of your toes before wrapping them together.
- If you can't bandage your toe yourself, ask your family doctor, specialist, podiatrist, chiropractic therapist, or physiotherapist to put it on.
Step 4. Wear comfortable shoes for four to six weeks
As soon as your toe is injured, change to something more comfortable and wide so that the swollen, bandaged toe can fit in. Choose shoes with hard soles that can support your body and are strong enough, rather than wearing stylish shoes, and avoid wearing high heels for at least a month, because these types of shoes put the weight of your body forward, and make your toes squeeze against each other. in it.
Support sandals with an open toe can be used if the inflammation is severe, but remember that this option will not protect your toes
Part 3 of 4: Treatment for Open or Displaced Fractures
Step 1. Perform the reduction operation
If the fractures are not positioned correctly with each other, the orthopedic surgeon will move the fractures back to their normal position, through a procedure known as reduction. In some cases, reduction can be performed without the need for invasive surgery, depending on the number and position of the fracture. A local anesthetic will be injected into the toe to numb it. If the skin of the toe is torn as a result of the injury, stitches will be required to close the wound, and a topical antiseptic will be applied.
- In open fractures, treatment must be given immediately, because there is a possibility of bleeding and the risk of infection or necrosis (death of tissue due to lack of oxygen).
- Strong pain relievers such as narcotics may be prescribed until anesthesia is administered in the operating room.
- In severe fractures, sometimes pins or bolts may be needed to keep the bone in position during healing.
- Reduction measures are not only used for open fractures, but are also used for fractures with severe bone displacement.
Step 2. Attach the splint
After reduction surgery on a broken toe, a splint is often placed to support and protect the toe as it heals. Alternatively, you can use compression boots. However, whichever you choose, you'll likely have to use crutches for a while (about two weeks). During that time, walk less and preferably, rest your sore leg in an elevated position.
- While the splint will support and support it, it does little to protect your toe. So, be careful not to trip over anything while walking.
- During bone healing, make sure your diet is rich in minerals, especially calcium, magnesium and boron, as well as vitamin D to restore bone strength.
Step 3. Apply the cast
If more than one toe is broken, or there is a bone in the front of the foot (such as the metatarsus) that is also injured, your doctor may apply a cast or fiberglass cast to your entire foot. A short leg cast is also recommended if the fractures do not stick together. Most fractures heal well once they are repositioned, and are protected from injury or overpressure.
- After surgery, and especially with a cast, a crushed toe bone usually takes six to eight weeks to heal, depending on the location and severity of the injury. After being in a cast for that long, your leg may need to undergo rehabilitation as described below.
- After a week or two, your doctor may ask you to have another X-ray to make sure your bones are back in their normal position and are healing properly.
Part 4 of 4: Coping With Complications
Step 1. Watch for signs of infection
If the skin near the broken bone is torn, you are more at risk of infection of the bone or surrounding tissue. Signs of infection are swelling, pain, and redness in the affected area. Sometimes, pus will also come out (which indicates your white blood cells are working against it) and smell bad. If you have an open fracture, your doctor may recommend a two-week course of antibiotics to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria.
- The doctor will carefully examine the suspected infection and prescribe antibiotics if there are any.
- Your doctor may suggest a tetanus shot after you have a fairly serious fracture if it was caused by an open wound to your skin.
Step 2. Put on orthotic shoes
Orthotics are shoe cushions specifically designed to support the arch of your foot and improve movement during walking and running. After a toe fracture, especially if it occurs in the big toe, the way you walk and move may be affected because you were previously limping and avoided stepping on the sore toe. Orthotics will help reduce the risk of this problem spreading to other joints such as the ankles, knees, and hips.
In cases of severe fractures, there is always a risk of developing arthritis in the surrounding joints, but orthotics can reduce this risk
Step 3. Get physical therapy
Once the pain and inflammation have healed, and the broken bone has returned to normal, you may notice that your leg's range of motion and strength is reduced. If so, ask an exercise therapist or physiotherapist recommended by your doctor. A physical therapist will provide a variety of strengthening exercises, stretching, and specific therapies to improve your range of motion, balance, coordination, and strength.
Other health practitioners who can help restore strength to your toes/toes include a podiatrist, orthopedist, and chiropractic therapist
Tips
- If you have diabetes or peripheral neuropathy (your toes can't feel anything), don't wrap your toes together, because you won't be able to feel if the bandage is too tight, or if your toe is blistered.
- You don't have to stay still after you break your toe, but instead switch to an activity that's lighter for your leg, like swimming, or lifting weights with your upper body.
- Another option as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic substitute for a broken toe is acupuncture, which can relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
- After about 10 days, replacing ice therapy with moist heat therapy (using a bag of rice or beans heated in a microwave) may relieve pain in your toe and improve blood flow.
