How To Tell If You Have A Fractured Toe

A fractured toe is often one of the more ‘undetected’ conditions a podiatrist has to deal with. Many people who fracture their toes tend to ignore the problem, or take the ‘wait and see’ approach and hope the issue goes away.
Of the 206 bones in your body, over one quarter of those are located in your feet. Of which, half are located in your toes. Considering your feet are the only part of the body that comes into contact with the ground, it’s no wonder foot/ toe fractures are so common!
A fracture that goes untreated my lead to a wide range of problems. The easiest thing you can do if you suspect a broken or fractured toe is to visit your local podiatrist today! That way the toe can be accurately diagnosed and treated without potential repercussions.

How to know if your toe is fractured

When it comes to fractured toes, there is a number of factors that distinguish it from a regular bruise/ painful ache. It’s not uncommon to think you may have broken a bone after stubbing your toe and feeling a snap, so here is a guide to have a more accurate diagnosis:

• Pain: It will often be tender immediately, and can be feel like a dull ache even at rest.
• Bruising and discolouraton: normally black or purple. This can take a few hours to a few days to develop
  Swelling. Similar to bruising, may take time to develop
• Pain when standing, exercising or wearing tight shoes
• Pain when wearing shoes.

Risks of a fractured toe

While adverse effects from a fractured toe are rare, they certainly can happen if not appropriately managed.
A common toe fracture complication we see at our clinic is an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis generally develops due to wear & tear overtime, but a fracture can create enough of a stress response to increase the speed of this process.
Osteoarthritis may then lead to increased pain and stiffness, loss of function and even deformity! Even more reason to get your toe checked out ASAP.

Treatment for fractured toes

If you suspect a fractured toe, the first thing you should do is book an appointment with a podiatrist. It’s a condition that can have serious side effects if not appropriately managed, so get on top of it as soon as you can.
Treatment options will vary depending on the severity of the injury, examples include:

• Taping and splinting to immobilise the toe. Minor cases often don’t require casting.
• Immobilisation with a cast or boot in severe cases
• Specialised footwear in chronic cases
• Physical therapy to retrain the soft tissue surrounding the bone

Surgery is very rarely required for broken toes, but our team has a large network with local surgeons if a second opinion was ever needed.
If you have recently dropped something or kicked your toe and are unsure if it is fractured, call The Movement Centre today. Our podiatrists are experts of all conditions of the foot and lower leg, and would be happy to get you back on your feet pain free.

This entry was posted in Pain, Sports Injuries, Uncategorized and tagged broken toe, Fractured Toe.

Angus McDonald

Angus is passionate about strength and conditioning and podiatry, not blogging. But being one of the youngest members of the team he does what he’s told and shares his knowledge on a variety of topics.

Broken Toe – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

THIS POST IS PART OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FOOT AND ANKLE INJURIES

A broken toe is a common occurrence that can be extremely painful.

The feet contain nearly one-fourth of all the bones in your body, which provide you with support and movement. There are 26 bones in one foot: 14 toe bones, five long metatarsal bones and seven tarsal bones. The metatarsals are the bones that connect your toes to your foot. The forefoot includes the 5 metatarsal bones and the 14 toe bones.

If your pain is located in the middle of your foot your toe may not be broken and you may have a broken foot (metatarsal).

Types of toe fractures

• Stress fracture: Develops after repetitive activity such as running
• Non-displaced: The bone is cracked or separated but the ends of the bones are together or line up
• Closed fractures: The skin is not broken but the bones are broken and out of line
• Open fracture: The skin is broken and the bone is extremely out of line

Cause

• A direct blow to the foot such as dropping a heavy object
• Overuse and repetitive stress
• Participating in high-impact sports like cross country or football

Symptoms of a broken toe

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising of the foot
• Pain with walking
• Pain with bearing weight

Physician examination

To determine whether you have a broken toe, your physician will ask you for a complete medical history, have you describe your symptoms and how the injury occurred, and conduct a physical examination. An X-ray may be necessary to rule out other problems.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH AN FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALIST AT ORTHOINDY

Broken toe treatment

Make an appointment to see an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist if you think you have a broken toe. A fracture that is not treated can lead to increased foot pain and arthritis, ultimately affecting your ability to walk.

Initial treatment for a broken toe

• Rest by putting no weight on the injured foot
• Ice to reduce swelling
• Compression by lightly wrapping your foot
• Elevate your foot as much as possible

Nonsurgical broken toe treatment options

Most broken toes are treated without surgery and include:

• Taping your broken toe to an adjacent toe
• Over the counter medication such as Advil or Tylenol
• A walking cast to limit toe movement
• Reduction: A physician will inject an anesthetic to numb your toe and manipulate the broken pieces back into their proper position

Surgery for a broken toe

In extreme cases, a surgeon may use surgery to position the toe bones into proper healing positions. This is extremely rare and uses pins, plates or screws to maintain bones during healing.

Recovery

Most broken toes will heal in four to eight weeks. You can begin weight bearing as soon as you can tolerate it; however, if you experience any pain you should stop your activity right away.

Schedule an appointment

Your well-being is important to us. Click the button below or call us to schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic specialists. If your injury or condition is recent, you can walk right into one of our OrthoIndy Urgent Care locations for immediate care. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed to see one of our physical therapists.

Pain in the toe, whom to contact

Choosing a doctor for pain in the toes

In many cases, the cause of pain in the toe is difficult to determine without diagnosis. Depending on the symptoms, you need to be examined by:

• rheumatologist,
• orthopedist,
• surgeon,
• podologist,
• dermatologist.

If at night pain in the joints of the big toe, redness, swelling appear, these are symptoms of gout, which should be addressed to a rheumatologist. This specialist will help if the pain is caused by arthritis, other neuralgic diseases.

In case of periodical pain that appears after physical exertion and disappears after rest, it is necessary to visit an orthopedist. Diseases of this category are characterized by limited movement of the foot after waking up, the appearance of a crunch during movements. Possible deformation of the finger, in which pain is felt. An orthopedic traumatologist also treats diseases of the ligaments and joints, which also cause pain in the finger. Such symptoms are manifested in bursitis, tendonitis, etc.

The cause of the pain may be hallux valgus, in which there is a protrusion of the bone in the lateral part of the foot. A common pathology is hammertoe deformity, characterized by bent fingers, strongly protruding joints. With such diseases, you also need to contact an orthopedist.

If there is an injury that causes pain in the finger, a surgeon should be consulted. It is necessary to determine whether the sensations are caused by a bruise or there is a fracture. This specialist also deals with the treatment of osteomyelitis, in which there is a sharp increase in temperature, the appearance of fistulas, and other dangerous symptoms.

Dermatological causes of pain in the toe

Pain in the toe is not always the result of diseases of the joints, ligaments. The reason may be dermatological in nature. This symptom is accompanied by an ingrown toenail. The plate grows into the skin roller, which causes severe pain. With such a problem, you need to contact a dermatologist or podologist. After the diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe an effective treatment to eliminate the pathology. Podiatrists also treat Morton’s neuroma, in which there is constant pain under 2-4 toes. It intensifies during compression of the foot, walking.

Pain can also occur with fungal diseases. In addition to it, other symptoms are observed:

• burning;
• itching;
• change in shape, shade of nails;
• atypical coloration of the skin around the plates.

If these signs appear, you should immediately consult a dermatologist. A qualified specialist will select a comprehensive treatment for the effective elimination of the disease.

Diagnosis and treatment

If the symptoms are vague, do not allow to understand the cause of pain in the toes, to determine which specialist should be contacted, you should go to see a general practitioner. The doctor will prescribe an examination to diagnose the type of disease. It may include:

• hormonal, biochemical blood test;
• radiography;
• magnetic resonance imaging.

The obtained results will help the therapist to determine which doctor should be contacted to select and prescribe treatment. An orthopedist, a rheumatologist can refer you for an additional examination to make an accurate diagnosis.

The most obvious symptoms that allow you to independently determine which doctor you need to go to appear after injuries and with dermatological diseases. If these factors are the causes of pain in the finger, you should immediately go to the surgeon or dermatologist.

All types of dermatological diseases of the feet are effectively treated at the Podology Center in St. Petersburg. Qualified doctors use innovative techniques in the treatment of ingrown nails, non-infectious nail diseases, calluses, corns, etc.

how to identify a fracture, features of treatment and recovery, is it possible to accelerate bone healing

Alexandra Mitrofanova

treated a fracture in a child

Author’s profile

It happened when we lived in the country with our parents.

My son Artem was then a year and three months old. I put the baby to sleep in a crib and went to the garden to pick strawberries. My son woke up and I was not around. When I came to the sounds of crying, Artyom was already sitting on the floor and could not get up. I didn’t suspect then that he had broken his leg.

I’ll tell you how we treated the fracture and how we coped with the difficulties while wearing the cast and after.

Go see a doctor

Our articles are written with love for evidence-based medicine. We refer to authoritative sources and go to doctors with a good reputation for comments. But remember: the responsibility for your health lies with you and your doctor. We don’t write prescriptions, we make recommendations. Relying on our point of view or not is up to you.

Peculiarities of fractures in children

Children have more elastic and softer bones than adults. They contain more water and less mineral salts. Even in children, the periosteum, the surface layer of the bone, is thicker and stronger. This limits the displacement of the fracture and makes it more stable.

Fracture Patterns in Children – Uptodate

Due to the structure of bones in children under 10 years of age, green stick fractures often occur – when the bone bends and cracks, rather than completely breaks into two pieces.

General principles for the treatment of fractures – Update

Even on children’s bones, there are growth zones near the articular cartilage. Cells are actively dividing here, providing a constant lengthening of the bones. This is a weak area, about 30% of fractures occur in this zone.

Most often, children break their arms because they lean on them when they fall. On the legs, children often break the tibia – this is one of the bones of the lower leg.

In childhood, the fusion of bone fragments occurs faster. Children wear a cast one and a half to two times less than adults with a similar injury. My son had a fracture of the middle part of the femur. They put a plaster cast on us for two weeks. An adult with the same injury is put in a cast for a month and a half.

Children’s fractures – Children’s Rehabilitation magazine

A green stick fracture where the bone does not break into two pieces. Source: researchgate.net Fracture of the radius and plastic deformity of the ulna: due to increased flexibility, children’s bones often bend, but do not break. Source: learningradiology.com

What to do if a child has a fracture

Any fracture requires medical attention. A fracture can be suspected if the child feels pain in the limb, cannot use it: stand on the leg or move the arm. There may be swelling, bruising, deformities at the site of injury.

General principles for the treatment of acute fractures – Uptodate

In some types of fractures, the injury looks like a normal bruise: there is only a large bruise or swelling. The limb can be in a normal position and even move. In such cases, the child still needs to be shown to the doctor and contact the nearest emergency room.

Fracture Guidelines – NICE

You should also see a doctor if pain persists for a long time after any injury or fall or if any movement restrictions persist.

Typical fractures in children – Medscape

It is better not to move the broken limb until the visit to the doctor, you need to keep it in one position. Do not try to align the bones yourself.

The traumatologist must examine the injured limb, take an x-ray. Then he puts a splint or plaster so that the bone does not move and can heal properly. This is called immobilization.

In some cases, for example, if the fracture was displaced, surgical treatment will be required, in particular, the installation of special plates or screws that hold parts of the bone in the correct position.

The most dangerous fractures are open ones. In this case, bone fragments damage the soft tissues and skin on top. An open wound can become infected, so a doctor will usually prescribe antibiotics and give a tetanus shot if it is not done on time. In children, open fractures are rare; ordinary closed ones are more common.

/fractured-heel/

How to cure a fractured heel

After examination by a traumatologist, the fracture should be observed. As a rule, the first visit to the doctor after applying the plaster is prescribed in a week, then every two weeks. The frequency of appointments and the duration of observation by a doctor depends on the complexity of the fracture and how it grows together.

Nutrition influences the rate of fracture healing. It is important that the child receives sufficient amounts of vitamin D and calcium from food – the doctor may prescribe an additional intake of vitamin D.

This is how a cast is applied. At first it is liquid, and then it freezes on the leg. Source: Leestudio / Shutterstock

How my child broke his leg and we went to the emergency room

For a year and three months, my son slept twice a day for two hours. On this day, as always, I put him to sleep in a crib for the first sleep. At this time, I usually do household chores, periodically go into his room and check whether he is sleeping or not.

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Having gone to the garden for strawberries that day, every two or three minutes I went to the house and checked on Artyom. While I was picking berries, everything was in order.

When I got a full bucket of berries, I went home. Going to the window of our room, she heard crying and did not see her son in the crib. She opened the door and found him on the floor. I took my son in my arms and began to calm him down.

But Artyom didn’t stop crying, he kept pointing at his leg. I tried to put him down, but he couldn’t get up. I realized that something had happened to the leg: either he had received a severe bruise, or he had broken it, although it looked the same as usual. There were no bruises or swelling.

We bought a crib for our son at Avito, it had a rocking base. Most likely, when Artyom woke up, he got up and leaned against the wall. The crib rocked and he fell out. Source: ozon.ru

Gradually, my son calmed down and fell asleep, lying on top of me. I tried not to move so as not to hurt his leg: when she moved, it hurt him. I understood that I needed to go to the doctor, but we were alone at the dacha. My husband called hospitals from work. It turned out that the nearest traumatology center would not accept us, because small children are not treated there. I had to go to the children’s department of the regional hospital, I asked grandfather Artem to take us.

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While I was waiting for my grandfather, I tried to get ready, but my son was on me all the time, and we went to the hospital almost as is, I took only a few things. In the car, the child was driving reclining, I put him on my stomach and held his legs. I couldn’t put him in a child seat, because I didn’t want to move my sore leg.

We arrived at the hospital without documents, because we did not take them with us to the dacha. At the reception, they asked me for our data and they found the child in the database, accepted us according to compulsory medical insurance.

How the fracture was treated

At the hospital, my son was examined by a pediatric traumatologist and sent for X-ray. It is not easy to take an x-ray for a small child with an injury, since the leg needs to be removed from different angles, and it hurts when moving.

Plaster cast – Uptodate

When we returned to the doctor’s appointment, we were very frightened. They began to tell grandfather and me that we had overlooked and that we should have looked after the child better. I understand that we were to blame for what happened, but listening to the condemnation of strangers was not easy.

At that moment, all my hopes for a simple bruise were dashed. My son had a fracture of the middle part of the thigh without displacement.

The doctor said that a plaster splint should be applied for two weeks. A week later, you will need a second x-ray to see how the bone grows together. If there is a shift, you will have to do an operation. To prevent the bone from shifting, it is better for the child to just lie down or you can hold him in your arms in a straight position.

A plaster splint was placed on us from the very toes to the beginning of the back, it almost rested on the ribs so that the child could not sit down. It was strictly forbidden to wet plaster.

As a son, he walked in a cast for two weeks after a fracture

Visits to the doctor. Now we had a two-week treatment at home. On the same day, after the hospital, we arrived in the city. The next day we went to our children’s clinic to register with a local surgeon. Our doctor reassured me and said that children almost never have further displacements during a fracture.

We were booked in for another X-ray in a week. It was necessary to take two pictures, the child had to lie still, but the son was crying and moving all the time. It’s good that the picture turned out in the end. A repeat x-ray showed that the leg was fused correctly and without displacement.

The third time we came to the doctor a week later to remove the cast.

Medicines. My son had a pain in his leg, for the first two days we gave him Nurofen, which was recommended by a traumatologist, but it hardly helped. I had to constantly carry him in my arms and calm him down. Our surgeon at the polyclinic also prescribed children’s vitamins and vitamin D so that the leg heals better.

What to do? 07/02/20

The doctor prescribed dietary supplement along with the usual medicine. This is fine?

Repeat X-ray one week after fracture

Dressings. The plaster splint had to be bandaged frequently to keep it snug against the leg. Due to movements, the bandage weakened over time and did not hold it well. This was hard. First, it was necessary to carefully remove the old bandage, keep the leg motionless in order to properly fix the splint, and bandage it again tighter.

For the first time, my husband and I bandaged our son’s leg. Artyom kept moving and crying. As a result, the dressing did not last long, the next day it had to be repeated.

All subsequent times we bandaged the leg when the son was sleeping. At first, I myself took off the old bandage, then I called my husband to hold my leg, and I bandaged it. We tried to do everything carefully so as not to wake him up. However, the dressings still did not last long: three or four days – and it was necessary to redo it. In two weeks, we used almost six bandages, they cost 900 R.

Husband’s help. My husband and I wanted him to go on sick leave and help me: it was difficult with my son, who could not sit and walk. But, as it turned out, in this case, dad is not given sick leave, because I am on maternity leave and can take care of the child myself. Then the husband agreed to work with the management and began to work remotely from home. This saved us a lot.

Guilt. My husband and I blamed only ourselves for everything that happened. I always regretted that I went to pick berries.

My husband regretted that he had not remade the crib earlier so that Artyom could get in and out himself. For example, it was possible to lower the base of the crib, pull out a couple of boards from the side for the child to freely enter and exit, or remove one of the sides. It was better to fix a bed with unstable legs, like ours, by placing something under the legs for stable support.

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However, we were unable to change what had happened and eventually put up with the situation, directing attention to caring for our son.

Feeding. We fed Artyom only reclining or standing. We did this with my husband in turn, because it was hard to keep him in my arms all the time, feed him and correct his leg.

Hygiene. We couldn’t wash our son, the plaster couldn’t be wetted. We only washed it, and washed it with napkins and wet rags. They bought regular diapers, although they used to use panties that they wore only for a walk and at night. Now I had to wear diapers all the time and change them after every trip to the toilet.

A couple of times we tried to wash Artyom only the upper part of his body, because it was hot, but it didn’t work, water got on the cast.

Sleep. It was difficult to sleep, especially the first two days, when my son’s leg hurt with every movement. He fell asleep exclusively in my arms, resting his head on my shoulder. Then I had to carefully lie down on the bed with him on my back so as not to move his legs and wake him up.

After some time, if I was lucky, I could put him on my back and go about my business. And if it was not possible to put him on the bed so that he would not wake up, then I went to bed with him. Artyom slept on my stomach.

Walks. The weather in early June was cool at first, it was raining. We were even a little glad that we would stay at home for these two weeks, wait out the cloudy weather. Then the heat returned. Sitting at home all the time was impossible.

There was a problem with the clothes. Pants did not fit on the leg with plaster. When it was cool, I put on a half of warm tights on my healthy leg. I cut them in half for convenience. And I always put on a sock on the second leg.

From above, we wrapped Artyom with either a warm baby blanket or a thin diaper. The blanket was constantly rising, tangled and in the way, I had to adjust it every five minutes. It was also necessary to put a small diaper between the upper edge of the cast and the back, so that the cast would not rest against the ribs, would not press or rub.

Artyom and I walked mostly at lunch time before going to bed, 30-40 minutes. We kept him in our arms all the time, because of this our hands got tired, and we couldn’t walk for a long time. We tried to walk in a stroller lying down, but Artyom did not like it.

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Movement. Artyom eventually got tired of just lying down. He tried to crawl, sit down and even stand up. He moved especially briskly before removing the cast. The gypsum was already cracked towards the end and broken in places of the fold.

When Artyom tried to get up and couldn’t, he was sad. We had to explain to a small child that his leg was broken and it had to be immobile. It’s good that now Artyom remembers almost nothing about those moments when he was in a cast.

We mainly played with my son lying on the bed Our walks on the arms

Is it possible to speed up bone healing

Asya Dobrozhanskaya

rehabilitation specialist

Bone fusion is provided by normal physiological processes of the body. Immobilization – gypsum or other methods – ensures proper bone fusion exactly where it is needed. At the same time, the body itself forms a new bone tissue.

If the formation of new bone tissue is disturbed, this is a consequence of a serious illness, doctors deal with such issues. Home methods will not help here.

How the cast was removed for a child

Every day I counted how much was left before the cast was removed. The gypsum was removed for my son on my birthday, it was the best gift for me. X-rays were not done before. The plaster was removed by a surgeon in our children’s clinic. In the lower part of the leg, he rubbed the skin a little, so it was treated with brilliant green. Back home, my son and I went in a wheelchair.

When we returned, I thought that my life would be much easier in many ways. However, Artyom’s leg began to hurt again when he tried to stand on it. The leg muscles were very weak. He could not stand as before, he cried and asked to be held.

This worried me a lot, but I looked for information and found out that this often happens: the muscles weaken due to immobility and it will take some time for the child to learn to walk again.

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Going home after the cast was removed

How did the child recover after the cast was removed

Main recommendations. Movement in the injured limb is important: in children, muscles, as a rule, are restored during play and movement, they are usually not prescribed special exercises. The skin after the plaster can be dry and flaky, if this is the case, it is worth using a moisturizer.

Fracture Review – MSD Handbook

If the child has been involved in sports, the timing of return to normal activities should be discussed with the physician.

Baths and wraps. When the cast was removed, no special rehabilitation was recommended. But they advised this:

1. Smear the leg with sunflower oil for three to four days and wrap it with a film with a towel for 15 minutes. The doctor said that this is necessary to restore the leg, although the oil does not penetrate further than the skin and is unlikely to affect the fracture.
2. Take baths with sea salt.
3. Take a massage course of your choice.

Before the holidays, we did all this for about a week, and then we went to the sea.

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Vacation at sea. The doctor at the last appointment said that a sea holiday is not contraindicated for her son. During the holidays, he gradually got stronger. At first, he walked holding our hand and limping heavily. The son almost did not step on his sore leg, and his left leg was very clubfoot.

However, gradually, day by day, he walked better and better, and then began to move as before. It happened in just ten days of vacation. Of course, he did not run yet, sometimes he held on to a support, but then he began to step on his foot correctly and stopped clubfoot.

Massage course. Having returned home, we still decided to do a massage course. We had a good friend of a masseuse, to whom we used to go before. By that time, Artyom’s leg muscles had already grown stronger and were in good shape. At least that’s what our masseuse said.

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Do children need massage?

Since we had a massage course with her for the third time, she gave us a big discount. The massage cost 600 R per session, in total we spent 6000 R.

What should be done after removing the cast, if the muscles have weakened during the treatment

Asya Dobrozhanskaya

rehabilitation specialist

Weakened muscles are restored only by physical activity. If special exercises are needed, they are recommended and selected by the exercise therapy instructor. The main thing is not to remain immobile.

Massage is a passive movement, it only slightly replaces the motor function. It can be used, but massage is not enough for recovery, it cannot replace movement.

Lubrication of the skin of the limb with oil, salt and other substances does not affect movement and recovery in any way. With the help of such manipulations, it is impossible to restore muscle strength, muscle volume, their contractility, and so on.

We spent 8740 R for the treatment of a broken leg in a child

Massage

6000 R

Diapers

900 R

Bandages

900 R

Vitamins

630 R

Wet wipes

160 R

Sea salt

150 R

Remember

1. Young children fall a lot and may break an arm or leg.