Oh No! I broke my toe!

Broken Toes

Oh No! I broke my Toe!

 

Many patients present to the office with suspected broken toes. Any toe can be broken but in my professional experience, the most commonly broken toes are the 4th or the 5th.  I'm not sure if it is because they are generally the smallest and therefore easier to break. But most patients state that they are the most bumped toes in the middle of the night.

Broken toes should not be confused with broken metatarsals which are the long bones of the foot that sit behind the toes.

 

 

Metatarsals

 

Toe

A broken toe is relatively quick to heal in a healthy patient. The standard protocol is rest, ice, compression and elevation. I also like to buddy splint the toes together (with a guaze in between prevent sweating between the toes, as shown in Pic 1), and the use of an offloading shoe.

There are times when a broken toe is very serious and that it when there is an open fracture (break in the skin). This type of fracture pushes the break through the skin which can allow bacteria to penetrate into the body.
This type of fracture usually requires a Tetanus shot, thorough cleaning of the wound, possible stitches (depending on the time frame of when the injury occurred and time of treatment) or surgical management.