How Do You Know if Your Toe Is Broken or Just Bruised

Facts and Definition of a Broken Toe

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Picture of the Anatomy of the Foot

Picture of the Anatomy of the Human foot

  1. The definition of a toe fracture is when one or more of the toe bones of the foot are cleaved (fractured) after an injury to the foot or toes.
  2. Seek immediate medical care for injured toes that are tingling, numb, cold, bluish, take bleeding open wound, or feel worsening pain that doesn't respond to pain medication.
  3. Treatment of a cleaved toe depends upon the severity of the fracture. It may exist necessary to put the fracture back in place, cast or splint the injured toe, and receive a tetanus shot and/or antibiotics.

A broken toe usually is acquired by trauma or injury to the human foot or toe, such as a heavy object dropped on the foot or toe, or stubbing the toe. Stress fractures of the toe are caused by repetitive movements, such every bit in certain sports.

Signs and symptoms of a broken toe include

  • toe hurting or foot pain,
  • swelling,
  • stiffness,
  • bruising,
  • deformity,
  • difficulty walking,
  • injury to the toenail, or
  • feeling that shoes are too tight.

If the little toe (pinky toe) is injured y'all usually volition yet be able to walk. Firsthand complications of a broken toe include nail injury (subungual hematoma) or open up (compound) fracture, in which the broken os in a toe fracture protrudes through the peel. Delayed complications of a fractured toe that occur after the broken toe has healed include arthritis, pain, stiffness, or deformity. The fractured bone may non heal completely (nonunion), or heals improperly (malunion), requiring surgery to fix the toe.

Treatment for a cleaved toe depends on the location and severity of the toe fracture. The fracture may demand to be put back into identify (reduced) and splinted or casted. If there is an open up wound virtually the injured toe, a tetanus shot and antibiotics may be necessary. If the toe fracture is a minor or small fracture in a bone of one of the small toes, the physician may tape a cleaved toe to the toe adjacent to it for support (buddy taping).

Once y'all have been diagnosed with a broken toe by a doctor, there are habitation remedies to care for the broken toe that can assist decrease pain and swelling, including elevating the injured foot, icing the injured toe, and rest (avoid walking on the injured foot). Use crutches of needed.

The healing fourth dimension for cleaved toes is usually near half dozen weeks. If bug terminal longer than six weeks, some other X-ray may be needed, or the injury should exist rechecked by the doctor to run into how the os is healing. The prognosis for a broken toe is generally proficient. Elementary fractures usually heal well with no problems. Bad fractures are at risk for developing arthritis, pain, stiffness, and deformity.

What Are Common Causes of a Broken Toe?

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Broken Toe

Broken toes usually outcome from trauma or injury to the pes or toe.

Broken toes normally consequence from trauma or injury to the pes or toe (toe bones are called phalanges). Injuries such as stubbing a toe or dropping a heavy object on a toe may cause a fracture. A broken toe may result from prolonged repetitive stress or movements, equally in sure sports activities. This is called a stress fracture.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Broken Toe?

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Broken Toe

Signs and symptoms your toe may be broken include: hurting or tenderness, swelling, and redness

Unless y'all have a chemical compound fracture or obvious deformity, you may not know for certain your toe is broken until a doctor orders an Ten-ray. Signs and symptoms your toe may exist broken include:

  • Pain or tenderness
  • Swelling
  • Redness
  • Blood under the toenail or cleaved toenail
  • Stiffness
  • Bruises or discoloration of the skin around the toe
  • The toe may appear aberrant, and may even await bent or deformed if the broken bone is out of place
  • Difficulty and pain when walking, especially if the big toe is fractured
  • Shoes may be painful to article of clothing or feel tight
  • Injury to the nail bed (subungual hematoma)
  • Bleeding, if there is an open wound from the injury
  • Tingling in the injured area

Broken toe symptoms are similar to sprained toe symptoms. Sprained toes may be more mobile, and not deformed, and may not hurt as much as a broken toe.

Some other complications may develop equally a consequence of the fracture. Complications can occur immediately after the injury (minutes to a few days), or can occur much afterwards (weeks to years).

Depending on how the injury occurred, a broken pes (metatarsal fracture), a sprained ankle, a fractured talocrural joint, or a dislocated toe may accompany a broken toe.

Immediate complications of a broken toe

  • Blast injury: A collection of blood may develop underneath the toenail chosen a subungual hematoma. If information technology is large, information technology may demand to be drained. To bleed a subungual hematoma a doctor will make a modest hole in the toenail to bleed the claret out. If the hematoma is very large or painful, the entire toenail may need to be removed.

Picture of a Subungual Hematoma of the Toe

Picture show of a Subungual Hematoma of the Toe

  • Open fracture: Rarely, the cleaved bone in a toe fracture may protrude through the peel. This is called an open or compound fracture. Careful cleansing of the wound and perhaps antibiotic medication will be needed to preclude the bone from condign infected. Sometimes surgery may be necessary.

Delayed complications of a broken toe

  • Afterward the toe fracture heals, the person may even so be left with arthritis, pain, stiffness, or even a deformity.
  • Sometimes, the fractured bone volition non heal completely (called a nonunion), or will heal improperly (chosen a malunion). Rarely, surgery may exist necessary to set up this problem.

SLIDESHOW

Common Causes of Human foot Pain See Slideshow

What Are the Symptoms and Treatment Options for a Broken Little (Pinky) Toe?

Symptoms of a broken trivial toe (pinky toe) are the same every bit with the rest of the other toes. However, while a broken pinky toe may exist painful, usually it does not limit a person's power to walk.

What is the treatment for a cleaved lilliputian (pinky) toe?

Treatment for a cleaved little toe (pinky toe) unremarkably involves buddy taping. This means the injured toe is taped to the toe next to it for support. The non-injured toe acts like a splint.

  • Place a small-scale slice of cotton or gauze in between the little toe and the toe adjacent to information technology to forestall sores or blisters, and and so loosely tape the toes together.
  • The record can be removed for bathing and put dorsum on afterwards.
  • Toes may demand to be buddy taped for upwardly to four weeks to heal.

How Can You Tell If You Have a Cleaved Toe?

A doctor will ask questions to decide how the toe was injured and will examine the injured toe and peradventure check for other injuries.

Information technology is best to seek medical evaluation soon after the injury to ensure proper handling and healing.

  • A doctor may take an 10-ray to determine if a toe is cleaved.
  • Ten-ray are non e'er necessary to make the diagnosis of a broken toe, especially if the break is in one of the smaller toes.

Do I need to encounter a doctor for a broken toe?

A broken toe may or may non require prolonged medical intendance. Home remedies to care for a broken toe at home include elevation, ice, and rest (run into home remedy section). If the fracture is severe it may require medical attention, a tetanus shot, hurting medication, or surgery. Severe injuries of the toe should be assessed by a health care professional person to make up one's mind if more than than simple immobilization is necessary.

What Natural or Domicile Remedies Can Help Soothe the Pain and Swelling of a Cleaved Toe?

These self-intendance remedies tin can exist taken at abode to assistance decrease the pain and swelling, and help the fracture heal properly.

Top of the injured foot

  • Swelling that occurs after the injury worsens pain.
  • To subtract swelling (and pain), keep the foot raised above the level of the centre as often every bit possible.
  • Prop the human foot up on some pillows, especially when sleeping. Reclining in a lounge chair is also helpful.

Ice the injured toe

  • Put water ice in a plastic bag and utilise it to the injury for 15 to 20 minutes every one to two hours for the first i to ii days. Frozen peas or corn may be used in place of ice every bit it conforms to the injured toe more than readily than water ice cubes.
  • Identify a towel between the skin and the bag of ice, frozen peas, or corn to protect the skin from freezer burn.

Balance (avoid walking on the injured foot)

  • Avert strenuous practise, prolonged standing, or walking.
  • Crutches or a special stiff-soled shoe to wear when walking (to avoid putting weight on the fracture) while information technology heals may exist necessary.

What Is the Medical Treatment for a Broken Toe (Meds, Buddy Taping, Booting)?

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Depending on the location and severity of the toe fracture, the fracture may need to be put back into place (reduced) and splinted or casted. If at that place is an open wound nearly the injured toe, a tetanus shot and antibiotics too may be necessary.

Pain medications for a broken toe

  • Usually, 1 only needs over-the-counter (OTC) acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such every bit ibuprofen (Motrin) hurting medicines.
  • Talk to the doctor before taking any new medications.
  • For a severe fracture, the doctor may prescribe stronger pain medication.
  • Elevating the foot and using water ice packs volition help reduce pain.

Reduction for a cleaved toe

  • If the toe fracture is displaced (the two ends of the cleaved os are out of place) or rotated (the toe is pointing in the wrong direction), the doc may need to put information technology back into place (reduction).
  • Sometimes an injection of medication (anesthesia) may be needed to numb the toe before it is put dorsum into place.
  • Afterward a reduction, the broken bone volition need support to concord it in place while it heals.

Buddy taping for a broken toe

  • If the toe fracture is a pocket-sized or small fracture in a bone of one of the small toes, the doctor may simply need to tape the injured toe to the toe side by side to it for support. This treatment is called buddy taping.
  • If the toe is buddy taped, it is commonly safe to bathe, and so supersede the tape afterward, just bank check with the medico to make sure it is OK.
  • If the tape is replaced by the person with the toe injury, information technology is recommended they put a small piece of cotton fiber or gauze between the toes that are taped together. This prevents the skin between the toes from developing sores or blisters.

Casting or booting for a broken toe

  • A bandage is usually not required for a simple toe fracture.
  • A hard-soled, stiff-bottomed, sturdy, and supportive shoe should be worn.
  • The medico may give a special shoe to wear if the pes or toes are very swollen.
  • A cast (or fifty-fifty surgery) may exist needed if the large toe is cleaved, the fracture involves a joint, or a lot of modest toe fractures occur at once.
  • A cast may also be needed if a bone in the human foot or leg is cleaved in addition to the toe.

In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a walking boot. This will allow you to conduct weight on your injured human foot, while protecting the toe so it can heal.

How Long Is the Recovery Time for a Cleaved Toe?

  • Broken toes usually accept about six weeks to heal. If bug terminal longer than half-dozen weeks, some other 10-ray may be needed, or the injury should be rechecked by the doctor to see how the bone is healing.
  • Unproblematic fractures commonly heal well with no issues. However, a very bad fracture or a fracture that goes into a joint is at risk for developing arthritis, pain, stiffness, and perhaps fifty-fifty a deformity.
  • Talk to the doctor to find out when to schedule an engagement to accept the injured toe evaluated to ensure it is healing properly. If any bug or complications develop, the appointment should be scheduled sooner.

When to Seek Medical Intendance for a Broken Toe

The injured toe should be examined every day. Call a medico if any of the following occur:

  • Worsening or new hurting not relieved by hurting medication, and the measures described in the treatment section.
  • Sores, redness, or open wounds near the injured toe
  • A bandage or splint is damaged or broken

Get to a hospital'south emergency department if the following signs or symptoms are present:

  • Cold, numb, or tingling toes
  • Blue or gray colored skin
  • Open wounds, bleeding, or drainage near the cleaved toe

Which specialties of doctors treat broken toes?

Y'all may initially run into a primary care provider (PCP) such as a family practitioner or a child's pediatrician when you first injure your toe. Y'all probable will be referred to an orthopedist or orthopedic surgeon for follow-up, who specializes in disorders of the musculoskeletal arrangement, or a podiatrist, a specialist in conditions of the pes, for handling of a toe fracture.

If you lot are diagnosed with a broken toe in a hospital'due south emergency department you will be treated by an emergency medicine specialist. Radiologists will read an X-ray or MRI, though they will commonly report back to your principal care physician or emergency medicine specialist and you will not directly consult with them.

Is It Possible to Forbid a Broken Toe?

To help prevent an injury resulting in a broken toe, wear sturdy and supportive shoes.

QUESTION

All ___________ take flat feet. Encounter Respond

From WebMD Logo

Signs and Symptoms of a Broken Human foot

Broken bones in the foot can be very painful. In addition to pain, other symptoms of a broken foot are:

  • Bruising
  • Redness
  • Inability to bear weight on the afflicted foot
  • Toes may be deformed or cleaved

Reviewed on 6/4/2020

References

REFERENCES:

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. "Toe and Forefoot Fractures." June 2016. <http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00165>.

Gravlee, J.R. "Toe fractures in adults." UpToDate. Apr. 4, 2019. <https://www.uptodate.com/contents/toe-fractures-in-adults>.

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