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Definition and Cause
Few injuries to the foot
produce more pain than that of a fractured or broken toe. The mechanism or
cause of a toe fracture seems embarrassingly obvious yet seemingly
unavoidable. A sudden blow or stubbing of a toe against a heavy non-yielding
object, an impact injury involving something dropping on top of a toe or
that common injury of catching a small toe on the leg of a piece of
furniture in your bedroom can each cause a fracture. The toe hurts high on
the pain scale, swells and turns reddish pink, and after a day or so takes
on a bluish bruised type of discoloration. If these signs are present and
you just don't want to move that toe, then the chances are that you have a
fracture.
Treatment
It is at this point
that we frequently find an area of public confusion regarding the treatment
of toe fractures. Many of our patients and those not seeking medical care
believe that toe fractures will heal by themselves and do not really need
supervised medical attention. They tell us that there is nothing to do about
a broken toe except tape it to the next toe. We disagree and would like to
point out several facts on this issue.
1: Fractures of the toe should
be seen professionally in order to evaluate the extent of the injury. In
other words, not all fractures are the same and some will heal much faster
then others while certain ones may not heal at all. A proper evaluation and
management are necessary to insure the best possible result.
2: Certain fractures may
involve deviations or crooked positioning of the involved toe after the
injury. These need to be set in proper alignment. Little toes that are
angled outward can develop severe and painful corns. These should be treated
early on by a specialist in order to prevent future disability and possible
problems.
3: Proper treatment
of a fractured toe should involve some level of immobilization splinting and
support. Ignoring the injury and enduring the pain do not create an optimal
environment for fracture healing.
In closing, these
injuries occur with sudden onset, extreme pain, and obvious shoe wear
difficulties. Proper evaluation, management, and periodic monitoring are
recommended procedures for this problem.
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