Dr for broken toe?

Triathlon Forum
1

playing soccer friday night I got kicked on my big toe.
now it is all kinds of color like red and blue, purple.
oh and it hurts to .
is this a Dr visit thing or just tape it ?

thanks Thom

2

I say just tape it and HTFU. But, I’m a nurse so you can probably find better advice elsewhere.

3

Unfortunately for you, a Dr. visit is in order. Most (say 90%) of lesser toe fractures, little to nothing needs to be done. But, many hallux fractures can heal very slowly and leave you with more long term sequelae, especially if the fracture is intra-articular. Also, severe 1st MTP joint capsulitis injuries (i.e. turf toe) can be VERY slow to heal. Seems like an innocent injury, but …

Skip the ED - if broke you get a sx shoe, ibuprofen and told to follow up.
PCP - same (if they have X-ray capability in their office)

See a Podiatrist or Foot/Ankle Orthopedist (not general). You can get an X-ray, shoe, boot, etc. AND (unlikely, but possible) a scheduled date for pinning, closed reduction after block, surgery, etc.

Good luck!

4

I broke my foot in 8th grade and never went to the doctor. It still cracks everytime I step on it to this day, you don’t want that happening! It’s hard to sneak into the kitchen at night without waking anybody up.

5

I recently went to a podiatrist for a broken toe and would recommend it. I didn’t go when I sprained my ankle a few months ago and when I finally went to the doctor 4 months after it happened, we discovered three badly healed fractures. A few days before I was going to start PT for the ankle, I jammed my fourth toe on the same foot as the messed up ankle. Not wanting to make the same mistake as I made with the ankle, I had the toe x-rayed by my podiatrist and discovered a spiral fracture and torn ligament. There’s not much they can do about it – I have it taped and I wore a boot for a short time – but I think it’s worth it just to make sure you don’t end up with a more complicated problem down the road.

Oh, and while running is out, biking and swimming and even skiing is okay.

Good luck.

6

wow

they got a x ray in the office

thanks for the help Thom.

7

"Oh, and while running is out, biking and swimming and even skiing is okay. "

oh you must mean snow boarding (-:

skiing is for old folks ha ha

8

LOL! Sure, I can have an X-ray in 3 mins in any of my offices, diagnostic ultrasound right there in a couple, MRI done (usually) and hot read by a musculoskeletal radiologist within a few hours, etc. Nerve block, closed reduction, re X-ray, etc. I even have GREAT looking nurses and MAs :wink:

One stop shopping man! :wink:

Good luck!

9

you got all that Dr. stuff and all I want is your iPod touch (-;

Thom