While running in the transition area at the Solana Beach Tri on Sunday…kicked a concrete parking block and fractured two bones in my left little toe. Finished the race…even posted my best time…now my foot is black and blue and trying to figure out creative ways to train without running. Down time before running again? How about riding? Bike shoes are pretty stiff and don’t flex much so I am thinking once the swelling is down and I can fit into my shoes…I will give it a try. Any ST’ers break one one of these toes?
I believe they are the toe used for balance. Cut one off and you will see what I mean. 
Well, to answer your thread title, I might offend some…
God made a mistake in his Intelligent Design of the human foot (forgive me God :)). And through evolution we will end up losing this little toe.
Chris
It takes forever to heal, especially if you’re like me and keep accidentally kicking things with it…kj
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KJ…How long before you were training on it after breaking it?
Why is it always the pinky toe???
I broke mine at a water park in Palm Springs. The concrete on the pool deck was that superfine kind that gets extra-slick when wet. A liittle brat - who probably should have known better - came running toward me to get into the wave pool. As I turned to avoid him, my foot skidded into a joint in the concrete that was about half an inch off flush. By the end of the day, it had turned black & blue and swelled to approx. egg-size. I iced it down with a bag of frozen peas when I got home. I spent the next day hobbling around Disneyland.
Back in January, my daughter Mariel and I were playing Hide & Seek just before bath time. I ran up stairs to hide in our master closet. As I looked down the steps, to see if she was gaining on me (because she cheats) I took the turn into the bedroom a little wide and smashed my foot into the gap between the door and the doorjamb. I dove onto the bed and assumed a fetal position, clutching my foot. I think my exact response was “Ow.” I’ve been bumped up so much and so often, that even excruciating pain rarely elicits strong language anymore.
Of course “The Apprentice” was about to start, so I hobbled downstairs, poured myself a pint of Flying Dog K9 Cruizer, and put me feet up. When I finally did look at the injury, my diagnosis was “It’s not swollen up enough already to be broken, probably just sprained, but you’re going to lose that nail.”
After a couple days, the bruising and swelling subsided.
There’s really nothing you can do but wait it out. Once the initial swelling comes down, don’t try to start pounding right where you left off … you could “re-inflate” the toe.
Oh, to answer your question: “Little toes…what good are they?”
Without them, we could only hang eight … and that just doesn’t sound right.
I didn’t run for about 2 weeks. Once I could fit it in my shoes I was at it again. I size up a full size for my running shoes, so it wasn’t too bad. Cycling shoes are another story altogether though. Every once in a while I catch that bastrad on a coffee table and it puffs up agai like a little marshmallow…kj
the little one is the only one that can go WHEE WHEE WHEE all the way home!
A similar thing happened to me in the beginning of June. I was walking out of my bathroom barefoot and walked straight into my trainer (with bike mounted). I basically walk past it every day upwards of 20+ times, so I have no idea how that happened.
In any event, I broke my pinky toe. I didn’t train at all for three days, but was swimming with a pull buoy on the third day. On the fifth day I loosened up the toe box of my bike shoe and realized I could ride on the trainer since the shoe itself is so stiff. I waited to get back out on the road for 12 days. I was swimming normal after two weeks. I ended up not running for a total of 20 days to make sure it was healed.
All in all, it was a completely retarded injury, and I too wondered what the point of the pinky toe is. My personal belief is that my pinky toes exist to be broken so that I’ll have no choice but to spend time on my bike.
Good luck with healing.
How else do you propose we find the corner of the dresser in the middle of the night?
Tigerchik…(Laughing while reading your post)my kids are all teenagers…years ago I would have remembered that one!
Broken both of my multiple times (kickboxing). I found it difficult to wear a shoe for a couple of weeks, but could run/exercise barefoot after a couple of days. Tried to land on the inside of my foot-not great biomechanics, but it worked. Took a long time to heal and neither one bends now. Good luck. I think the little toe is one of the worst to break as it is on the outside, nearest the shoe.
Rulon Gardner (Olympic Greco Roman Wrestler) had that toe removed due to frostbite and he said it took him almost two years to adjust to not having it because it aided in his balance so much.
Toes!!! hu yeah …what are they good for… absolutely nothin
Toes!!! hu yeah …what are they good for… absolutely nothin…say it again
y’all.
Toes!!! hu good god what are they good for absolutely nothin listen to
me
You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don’t wanna know about it, believe me. Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon… with nail polish.
Tiggerchic,
That officially cemented you as “O-TAY!” in my book.
That is unusual. I have amputated over 100 toes (even the entire forefoot). Most people don’t loose much balance without the 5th digit gone (although these are rarely any type of athletes that I’m doing this on). Missing the big toe - definitely an issue for an athlete, although these people walk pretty normally as well.
"the little one is the only one that can go WHEE WHEE WHEE all the way home! "
Crap, I have a 6 month old and I’ve been telling her that is the one that goes to the market. Talk about starting your kid out with two strikes against her. I’m pretty sure its not to late to change the story, although she will probably be a little confused the first few times.
You’ll go to hell for saying that. And you will fall down all along the path to hell without the balance that your little toes provide.
You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don’t wanna know about it, believe me. Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon… with nail polish.
You’re out of your element!!!