How to know if you broke a toe

Throbbing pain in the toe is the first sign that it may be broken. You may also hear the bone break at the time of injury. A broken bone, also called a fracture, may also cause swelling at the break. If you’ve broken your toe, the skin near the injury may looked bruised or temporarily change color.

A broken toe can be painful, but you do not usually need to go to hospital.

Most broken toes will heal on their own with proper care at home. It can take 4 to 6 weeks for complete healing. Most pain and swelling will go away within a few days to a week.

Usually, you can treat a broken toe by taping it to a neighboring toe. But if the fracture is severe — particularly if it involves your big toe — you may need a cast or even surgery to ensure proper healing.

Stubbing a toe can even cause breaks, sprains, broken nails, and infections. The pain of a stubbed toe usually subsides after a few minutes. In some cases, however, the impact could break the toe or the toenail, causing intense pain that may get worse over hours or days.

A fractured toe that’s left untreated can lead to infection

You‘re at increased risk of developing a bone infection if you have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or a compromised or weakened immune system. Symptoms that suggest your toe has developed a bone infection include: Fatigue. Fever.

Broken toes usually take about six weeks to heal. If problems last longer than six weeks, another X-ray may be needed, or the injury should be rechecked by the doctor to see how the bone is healing. Simple fractures usually heal well with no problems.

Broken Toe Symptoms

Bruising of the skin around the toe may also be noticeable. The toe may not look normal, and it may even look bent or deformed if the broken bone is out of place. It may be difficult to walk because of the pain, especially if the big toe is fractured. Shoes may be painful to wear or feel too tight.

Use ice to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling as soon as possible after sustaining a toe injury. This will help to speed up the healing process. Keep off your affected foot as much as possible and avoid putting pressure on it. Elevating the affected foot is also helpful to reduce swelling.

Although it may be possible to move and walk on your broken toe, you should avoid doing so as this can lead to even greater damage and prolonged healing time.

Help your toe heal right

If the break is a simple fracture, in which the parts of your bone are still lined up properly, your doctor will probably put you in a walking boot for about three weeks, Dr. King says. The walking boot keeps your toes immobile so the bones can knit back together in alignment.

Your injured toe may need to be buddy-taped for 2 to 4 weeks to heal. If your injured toe hurts more after buddy taping it, remove the tape. In rare cases, other treatment may be needed, including: Protecting the toe from additional injury.

Bone stress injuries occur because of an unfamiliar increase in physical activity and is related to overuse, under recovery and several considerations that result in the bone not being able to keep up with the required adaptations. A fracture can result and this will cause pain at night time.

Protect the skin by putting something soft, such as felt or foam, between your toes before you tape them together. Never tape the toes together skin-to-skin. Your broken toe may need to be buddy-taped for 2 to 4 weeks to heal. Rest and protect your toe.

The most common symptoms of a broken pinky toe include: a snapping, grinding, or popping noise at the time of the break. pain at the place of impact at the time the fracture occurs. the toe appearing to be crooked.

You can manage a fractured toe very safely yourself as long as it isn’t your big toe, isn’t crooked or out of line and there is no skin wound over or near the fracture. You should, however, see a doctor for your broken toe if: The pain becomes worse and isn’t relieved by normal painkillers.

A stubbed toe is simply a toe that’s been badly slammed, and may show signs of swelling or bruising, but there is no serious injury under the surface. However, a broken toe is a more severe injury with harsher symptoms and greater consequences: prolonged pain, stiffness, infection, and deformity.