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Broken Toe / Foot
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Suffering from a broken big toe, or broken little toe can be difficult and frustrating. Often there is nothing a doctor can do for the toe. Many people have had success treating a broken toe fracture or simple foot fracture wearing a medical boot or a post-op shoe that takes the pressure off the injured area. Below you will find our medical boots and post-op shoes that will help protect your broken toe or metatarsal fracture and allow it time to heal on its own. Often keeping weight off it, and allowing room for it to heal will help the patient get back to normal quickly. Plus keeping it protected with a medical boot will keep you from bumping or reinjuring it again.
You can also use a post-op shoe to treat a simple foot fracture or broken toe. These types of shoes such as the APB boot or the SlimLine boot provide a wide foot base and adequate protection of the big toe or metatarsal bones.
Broken Big Toe, Pinky / Little Toe Fracture Management
A broken toe can be painful and it usually occurs when you stub yourself while
walking barefooted, or when you drop something heavy on your toes. The injury
is usually not that serious and is a mild sprain only. This condition is
painful, but the bone remains intact. If the bone breaks then you have a
fractured toe. Normally, it takes a lot to break a bone but the toes are very
fragile. They are also more likely to be injured as they are located at the peripheral
extremities of your body and are more exposed to the dangers of the external
environment.
Prolonged, repetitive, and forceful foot movements can also result in
this problem and the fracture of this type is called “stress” or “hairline”
fracture. It is a common finding among athletes who take part in high-intensity
contact sports i.e. hockey, soccer, and football.
Common Causes of Broken Toe
The following are the most common causes of broken toes:
1.Dropping a heavy object on your feet
2.Stubbing
your toe against the sides of the furniture
3.Wearing
poor quality shoes
4.Compromised
bone health (e.g., in osteoporosis)
5.Rolling
your toes
6.Trauma due
to unforeseen accidents
Symptoms or Signs of a Broken Toe
It is quite common to ignore an injured toe and if this happens, you are
at risk of improper healing that can hinder the performance of your daily
activities. So, it is best to know what a broken toe looks like and how the
problem can be resolved. The symptoms of a broken toe are similar to a sprain
and include the following:
1.Difficulty
to ambulate
2.Swelling
and bruising around the affected toes
3.Toe
discoloration
4.Visible deformity
in the toes, such as a bone exposed outside the skin
5.Intense
throbbing pain
6.Redness
(erythema) of the toe
7.Profuse
bleeding
8.Tingling
of the affected area
9.Injury of
the involved nail beds
Fractures of Big Toe
Big toe fractures are often found in athletes due to their highly active
and demanding routine. The fractures are often due to repetitive movements while
running, jumping, or sprinting. These breaks are called “turf toes”. They vary
from fractures to avulsed ligaments. These fractures occur several months or
years after actively starting a new activity such as running since they are usually
due to joint overuse.
Fractures of Little Pinky Toe
The pinky toe is the most commonly injured of all toes. It is highly
prone to injury as it is positioned most laterally in the foot. The fracture
mostly occurs at its base. This is most often a result of stubbing the toe
against the furniture when walking barefooted in your home.
Treatment of Broken Toe
1.First Aid
The first thing to do when you face an injury to your toes is to follow
the “RICE protocol”. It is a universal rule in the first-line treatment of
every fracture. The steps include the following:
a.Rest. Avoid
putting stress on the fractured foot and limit the movements.
b.Ice Packing. Place ice
packs on the swollen area which will effectively reduce the pain and prevent
any further inflammation.
c.Compression. External
pressure is applied on the toe by wrapping it tightly with a cloth or a bandage.
d.Elevation. Raise the
foot higher than the chest to decrease the blood perfusion of the foot and minimize
the toe swelling.
Also, the patient can take over-the-counter
anti-inflammatory medications if they are not already contraindicated according
to the health status of the individual. The use of crutches is also advocated
to prevent any undue stress on the broken foot.
2.Buddy Taping
The most common non-surgical treatment of a broken toe involves splinting
it with the adjacent non-broken toe. This technique is called “buddy taping”.
The fractured toe is stabilized as the non-broken toe serves as a splint. This
gives ample support to the healing toe and remarkably lessens the recovery time.
3.Walking Shoes
Using walking or medical boots help to offset any pressure on the injured
area. They provide a cushion against subsequent injury from bumping into
different objects and keep the fractured toe in a stabilized position. They are
mostly advised by physicians when surgical intervention is not needed as they
can hasten the recovery process efficiently.
4.Surgical Intervention
If the fracture is severe and involves dislocation and breaks at multiple
points then surgery is the last resort. Surgery is also needed for metatarsal
fractures. The technique involves manually putting the bone back into position with
the help of screws, nails, or wires. This is called “closed reduction” of the
fracture. The injured toe usually takes 6-8 weeks to heal properly, and the
patient can freely return to work after this period.
Complications if the Broken Toe is left Unattended
It is necessary to take adequate care of the fracture with the advice of
a physician as soon as possible. If not then the following complications are
bound to occur:
1.Osteomyelitis. The breaks in the overlying skin may allow
the entry of bacterial pathogens which can infect the bone. These infections
can be life-threatening and need a strong anti-bacterial cover for treatment.
2.Permanent Deformation. A deformity can change the appearance of
the toe as a whole, and may even cause difficulty and discomfort while wearing
shoes and walking.
3.Chronic Pain. Improper healing disturbs the anatomy of
the whole foot and may cause awkward fusion of the broken segments. The pieces
may impinge on the local neurovascular structures and maybe a source of
continuous pain for years after the injury.
Preventing Damage to the Toes
Following strategies should be adopted to prevent any harmful toe injury:
1.Wearing proper and quality shoes.
2.Ensuring a proper diet replete with
calcium and vitamin D.
3.Performing regular physical activity and
exercises strengthening the muscles of the feet.
4.Avoid walking barefooted and instead, use
non-protective shoes such as sandals and flip flops.
5.Replacing the footwear when they begin to
wear out. This should be especially followed by athletes who need to change
their shoes after every 6-8 months.
6.Keeping diabetes in check as it leads to a
loss of sensory innervation in the feet and may result in unintentional damage
to the toes.
costs 3x more than the mostly useless alternatives, but works 10x better! durable and shapeable, and functionally much more stabilizing than any other brace I've ever used.