…what a jackass - stubbed my big toe last night. Don’t think anything is broken and I iced it immediately but today it’s swollen and purple. Hurts to put weight on it so walking is a chore let alone running. Doesn’t look like I’ll do anything this weekend except go for a swim.
I’m guessing that running will likely be out for about a week. At least I hope not any longer than that. Any other estimates from any one else who ever had this injury?
I am not sure if it is the same type of injury but I was playing football on the beach a few years and while trying to make a cut back my big toe “folded” under me (hyperflexion or hyperextention?)…oh my god that is one the most painful things. The injury was at the joint that makes up the ball of the foot which was very tender and took months to heal. It was not long before I could run on it but it made itself know for a long, long time. Come to think of it though I just treated it with beer so you may have a better out come than me.
I broke my little toe at a water park in Palm Springs. I thought I just stubbed it really bad, but it turned black and blue like yours and swelled up to the size of my big toe. I went to an orthopod when we got back to NJ and he basically said, “Yep, it’s broke but we can’t really do anything since it’s the little toe. Just ride it out.”
Yup, just 2 weeks ago. Not much to do. Mine only took a few days to get all better. If yours doesn’t get better in a week, probably xray time.
Good luck.
Yeah - try dropping a 25lb. concrete block on it by accident. Did that a few days before Sea Otter last year building a retaining wall in my backyard, but still raced anyway. It was bruised pretty bad but not broken. I’d have to dig up my log, but I think I took a week off from running. As long as it is not broken you get a good exercise in mental toughness.
I kicked my volley ball partner hard enough to break mine by stubbing it. He deserved it too for such a bad set.
(the foot doc laid it out for me this way)
If you stub it hard enough, as I did, the trauma of the compression causes the tendons to pop the end bone away which can pull off a small section of second bone off when the rebound happens.
I was out for months and I still can’t bend that toe (2 years later). It is fine for running but if I decide to take up platform diving it could be a problem. Since I usually don’t enjoy heights without a harness I should be o.k…
Folding the toe under is called turf-toe in the football world, since players have such good traction that their foot stops and their momentum folds their toe over. It sucks. We used to call it “sand-toe” playing beach volleyball, I used to do it 2-3 times a summer to each foot & could hardly run with shoes on at one point.
After switching to triathlon 3 years ago my toes are almost back to normal, although I can make a loud cracking noise at will by bending either of them. Ice & rest are all that will help.
So are you saying beer doesn’t work?
My apologies - Ice & rest AND BEER!
“My advice to you is to drink heavily.”
IRB therapy…has a nice ring to it.
To stub your toe is to hit something with your foot and the forward movement keeps going. To staub your toe is to hit something where the foot stops in its tracks and it really really hurts.
Either way the IRB therapy sounds like a winner.
"Ice & rest AND BEER!
Problem is, that I was already on the beer when I stubbed it. The ice and rest came later.
The ice does double-duty & keeps the beer cold - the perfect recovery plan
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“what a jackass - stubbed my big toe last night”
Fortunately, no one had a mic on at the time?
I kicked a rock at a sprint tri in June, and cracked the knuckle where the matatarsal and phallange meet. We started on a rocky bottom in thigh deep water, and like a complete moron, I tried to take a couple of steps before diving in. I managed to get my head under water before I started cussing, but after the race one of the guys next to me at the start said he heard me!! Couldn’t make out the words, but he knew I was unhappy…
It’s a pisser, because I STILL have discomfort there. It feels like I have a pebble in my shoe right under the end of the metatarsal. It led to a stride change of some sort, and now I can’t get more than 15 miles in a week without my Achilles getting inflamed.
I stubbed a toe once (running around in a swamp - paintball), ignored it, it got black and blue, and eventually it got infected. The last bone in the toe was amputated, I was on crutches for 6 weeks and it ached for weeks afterwards. If something doesn’t heal, go see a doctor!
Not sure if this counts but it sure did hurt. Many years ago I was opening my front door and was not paying attention, opened the door right over my big toe, peeled the nail all the way back. It took a month to finally lose the nail.
On a side note as a kid a friend was running through his front yard, kicked a sprinkler, split his big toe right down the center.
Both of these are bad cases so you should be ready much sooner. A good time to work on your swim.
be careful on flip turns and push offs from the wall. I’m sorry this happened to you, it’s a bog down if anything. your best bet is to stay in the water until you can walk well and have no inflamation. most don’t want to hear this, but aqua jogging will keep your running up to speed. when you bike shoes fit go for it as long as it doesn’t hurt and stay in your saddle until all inflamation is gone. i’d say it’s going to be about 3 weeks. patience. patience. you’ll be fine. if you’re not better in 2 weeks, go to the doc and have it cut off.
(kidding)
kitty
i really wish I hadn’t read that. the kid and the sprin…god, i can’t even say it.
how awful!
kitty
Get an x-ray. If it’s not broke, no biggie.
If it is broke and you don’t get it fixed, it might never be right.
Get an x-ray.
Folding the toe under is called turf-toe in the football world, since players have such good traction that their foot stops and their momentum folds their toe over.
Our mat in the martial arts studio is like that. We have actually had people break their toes by folding it under. We however, do not call it Tae Kwan Do Toe, that is reserved for the god awful nasty callouses we get on our feet from spending 6-8 hours a day barefoot on that mat.