what exactly is "turf toe"?

Answer 1

I won't insult you by copy/pasting the wikipedia answer that you could have looked up yourself.

"Turf toe" is NOT just an American Football anomaly, however it started when American football went to "astro turf" in the NFL (National Football League) and normally "fit" guys started spraining their big toe....

ouch

An American football cleat is different from a Euro football cleat.
More posts on the bottom for one - and they are a little longer...and a little more broad.

We use our feet to make very tight cuts, to explode from a jog to a sprint, and to stop quickly...this puts a lot of pressure on the toes...especially the big toe.

Try this on a hardened surface...and you will eventually sprain that big toe....this is NOT turf toe...this is a sprain at the joint.

The therapy is to ice it and stay off it for a week or two.

Sprain it again, and NOW you've developed a chronic condition commonly referred to as turf tow.

Answer 2

Turf toe, more properly known as a metatarsalphalangeal joint sprain, is an injury to the joint and connective tissue between the foot and one of the toes, usually the great toe. Turf toe is named from the injury being associated with playing sports on rigid surfaces such as artificial turf and is a fairly common injury among professional football players.

Often, the injury occurs when someone or something falls on the back of the calf while that leg's knee and tips of the toes are touching the ground. The toe is hyperextended and thus the joint is injured. Additionally, athletic shoes that tend to have very flexible soles combined with cleats that "grab" the turf will cause overextension of the big toe. It should be noted that this can occur on the lesser toes as well.

The injury can be debilitating for athletes who need to accelerate or 'cut' quickly. Use of the toes is not possible during the healing process. Since the toes are necessary for proper push-off when accelerating, those sorts of athletic activities can be almost completely curtailed. A healing period of one or more months is often required.

Because of the anatomy of the distal foot and the unique use of foot, it is often impossible to properly tape or brace the joint. Although difficult it is not impossible to tape the toe to limit dorsiflexion (upward bend of toe). Additionally, wearing a shoe with a rigid sole and cushioned innersole will help. Anti-inflammatory medication as well as physical therapy is indicated.

Turf toe can often progress into a chronic problem, in which the joint(s) never really heals or heals too slowly to return to usual physical activities.
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