![]() Broken pinky toes are to blame in 45% of individuals complaining of loss of balance. īroken toes are one of the most common types of fracture seen in doctor's offices, and make up just under 10% of fractures in some offices. These cases may take longer (six to eight weeks) to heal fully. More serious broken toes may need to be re-aligned or put in a cast surgery is rarely needed. In high-force crushing and shearing injuries, especially those with open wounds, blood circulation (tested by capillary refill) can be impaired, which needs urgent professional treatment. Broken toes can usually be cared for at home, unless the break is in the big toe, there is an open wound, or the broken ends of the bone are displaced. If the bone heals crooked, it may be relocated with or without surgery. As activity is slowly increased to normal levels, the toe may be a bit sore and stiff. Pain usually decreases significantly within a week, but the toe may take 4–6 weeks to heal fully. For pain and swelling of all toes, rest, icing, elevation and pain medication are used. įractures of the smaller toes are usually treated with rest, buddy taping (taping the toe to the nearest toe, with some absorbent padding in-between), and wearing a stiff-soled shoe. Diagnosis can be based on symptoms and X-rays. More rarely, over-extending a toe joint can break off a portion of the bone, and stress fractures are possible, especially just after a sudden increase in activity. Crushing breaks are often caused by dropping something on the toe. Toes usually break because they have been stubbed or crushed. There may be bruising, swelling, stiffness, or displacement of the broken bone ends from their normal position. Symptoms include pain when the toe is touched near the break point, or compressed along its length (as if gently stubbing the toe). Stubbing or crushing over-extending a toe joint, stress fracture įor pain and swelling, rest, icing, elevation and pain medication wearing a stiff-soled shoe for smaller toes, buddy wrapping (taping the toe to the nearest toe, with some absorbent padding in-between) rarely, a cast or surgery Ĥ to 8 weeks for full healing pain lessens within days Ī broken toe is a type of bone fracture. Ĭompromised blood circulation malunion, long-term pain, degenerative joint disease, infection Pain, tenderness, bruising, swelling, displacement of the bones. And if one of the contestants is bouncing around on an injured digit, leave the judging to the dance competition and the podiatry to the professionals.X-rays of fractures of the proximal ( left) and distal ( right) phalanges in the little toe. So, if you suspect a fracture, and you can still move the foot or toes, don’t assume – even if you’re a contestant on whatever that show is. And some injuries that appear quite swollen and bruised, with limited motion of the extremity, are revealed to be non-fractured on X-ray. A severe fracture will limit motion due to swelling and pain, but a non-displaced single fracture of most bones of the foot and ankle will allow full motion of the extremity, and this is certainly the case in stress fractures. Many patients are able to move their foot or toes, and the X-ray tells no lie – some are fractured, some are not. X-ray, available in the office, settles the debate. I’ve seen many types of fractures in my NYC podiatry office, and they usually follow a predictable pattern and present with a characteristic appearance, so much so that a fracture can be predicted with a pretty good degree of accuracy from the clinical appearance. ![]() Now that we’ve covered all that, let’s get back to the original question. More complex foot fractures, such as those of the heel bone, as well as ankle fractures, may require surgical treatment. Most fractures heal very well with rest and splinting or protected weightbearing in the case of metatarsal fractures. Of course other bones of the foot and ankle are also commonly fractured, especially the ankle, which is the most commonly injured joint in the body. Generally, the mechanism of injury is either blunt force, as in knocking a poor digit into the bedpost in the middle of the night, or a twisting injury, especially in metatarsal fractures. Toe and metatarsal fractures are very prevalent, and one of the more common complaints in any NYC podiatry office. This got me thinking about an oft-heard maxim in my NYC podiatry office (pun intended- gotta read the article to get it), and that is, “It’s not broken, because I can move it.” Anyway, I came across an article last week in which a contestant on Dancing was accused of faking a toe injury. For the record, The Price is Right might be the most entertaining show on TV. I’ve also never seen American Idol or The Voice. I have a little confession to make: I don’t watch Dancing with the Stars.
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