Broken toe?

Question

I think I broke my smallest toe (left foot) a couple of nights ago. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow morning, but is there anything else I should do for now?

Answer 1

Try to stay off your feet and keep the foot with the broken toe elevated. I hate to say it but if it is broken there isn't going to be much the doctor is going to be able to do. You can't cast a foot just for the toe and unfortunately there is not splint for it. One thing that may help you is take Aleve and try putting ice on it for only 15 minutes at a time.

Answer 2

Try icing it for 15 minutes at a time and keeping it elevated to keep the swelling down. Tylenol or ibuprofen can help with the pain as well. Also, if you can wear a shoe that doesn't press against it that would be good too-although watch out for flip flops and sandals because they also offer no protection for your sore toe.

If it really is your small toe that was broken, the doc will not be able to do much for you other than tell you to wait for it to heal and possibly taping it to the toe next to it. However, they should definitely x-ray it. I learned this the hard way! I broke my little toe a few times and after the second time I didn't go to the doctor because "they don't do anything for a broken toe anyway". But it turned out I had actually broken a bone in my foot right under the toe, and to make a long story short I had to have it re-broken and was in a cast for muh of my senior year in high school. Not fun! If you are going to an actual podiatrist (foot doctor) they should know enough to x-ray it and then go from there. But definitely ask for an x-ray. Hopefully it is just your little toe and it will heal quickly...when I break mine (yes, I am way clumsy) it usually starts to feel better after about 2 weeks. Good luck!

Answer 3

The only a doctor can do about a broken toe is set it back in place. I use to play soccer and we broke our toes all the time. They hurt really bad.

RICE it, Rest Ice Comress Elevate. And then Like rice, it take 20 min. put the Ice on for 20 min, then take it off 20 min. do that 3 times. Tylonol ever 4 hours you can take up to 3, you may just want to start ith 2 though. If the tylonal doesnt kill the pain you can also take any IB profine based med 2 hours after the tylonal.

good luck!

Answer 4

Ouch! I do entirely sympathize 'cuz I did the same years ago. I did not go to the doctor though. A few others that I'd told that had done the same thing said you can't do much about the smaller toes. Elevation, and ice if needed. Pain and swelling does recede in just a few days. Everybody's different though and if you believe a Dr. visit is for you, it is a personal choice. Anyway, keep the weight off and I hope it's better soon.

Answer 5

I broke my smallest toe also once and the doctor taped it to the toe next to it and that made it feel kind of better. Just stay off of it, and the doctor should give you some pain killers or something

Answer 6

Ouch. I have done that twice. The radiologist was a friend of mine and he teased me about it, and then told me to quit kicking people, but it isn't funny because it hurts. There is not a whole lot you can do other than soak in epsom salt to relieve swelling. Take a couple of ibuprofen every four hours for pain, but make sure you are not allergic to it. The toe will heal fast. The metatarsal phalanges heal fast. As I stated previously, there is nothing the doctor can do other than find out if it is broken.

The doctor will take an x-ray to make sure, so don't worry.

Answer 7

Broken toes are tough to treat but if we stick to some fracture care principles we know we're going to help. First, it is a good idea to get an X-ray. The key to healing is to insure that the fracture is aligned and shows good apposition. Without good alignment and good apposition the fracture will not only take longer to heal but may heal incorrectly and be crooked.

Second, rest is imperative. Rest can be many things from bed rest to a walking cast. Rest will allow the body to begin the process of healing.

Buddy splinting of the toes works for some and not for others. Toes are difficult to wrap therefore they're tough to splint. Self adherent wrap such as Co-Flex works well for buddy splinting of the toes. Fracture shoes are also helpful to allow for ambulation while offering enough room for the sore toe.

Ice, elevation and an anti-inflammatory medication helps ease the pain. Fractured toes may take up to 10 weeks to heal.

Answer 8

A broken littlest toe is kind of like a broken rib. There isn't much that can be done for it, but healing and time. My doctor told me to take ibuprofen or Tylenol, and if the pain was awful she could prescribe pain meds. Good luck at your appointment and I hope you aren't in a lot of pain, either!

Answer 9

I broke my big toe in October, but i didn't do anything about it. Everyone told me that the doctor couldn't do anything about it so I didn't go. It has healed and now it is crooked. So, go to the doctor and tape it to your other toe to keep it straight.

Answer 10

nope. Just walk as flat footed as possible and try not to bend it. Don't be surprised if they don't do too much to treat it. They usually don't do anything for broken toes. Once I had to have a special shoe that has a wooden soul, so I wouldn't keep bending my toe to walk, but usually they do nothing for it. Weird huh?