Comment from: kickenit, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: May 05
I broke my pinky toe on my right foot on 02/15. It was obviously broken and sticking out to the side of my foot. X-rays revealed the break and I had to have surgery to place a pin in the toe to straighten it. The pin was removed on 03/19 but the break has not healed. My foot stays swollen all the time and my toe turns a blue sometimes. I just want it to heal. I have to immediately get off the foot as soon as I get home.
Comment from: Goaliechic, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: January 20
Seven months ago I collided with another player during a soccer game and injured my big toe on my right foot. Knowing that the doctors do nothing for this I opted to ignore it and just tape it until it started to feel better. After about 4-5 months I started to get frustrated and consulted a doctor about it. He sent me for x-rays which showed a shadow but he wasn't sure so he sent me for a CT scan. Seven months later I have found out I have a non-union fracture of the joint where the big toe attaches to the foot. He told me this will require surgery to repair. This really scares me. It seems a little extreme since doctors normally don't do anything for toes anyway. Lesson learned from this; see a doctor no matter how silly it seems at the time. If anyone has experienced this and had surgery or any other option please let me know. I'd like to know your story and if there are any other options.
Comment from: dgreen, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: November 24
I broke my big left toe at work. I dropped a 150-plus pound piece of machinery on it and fractured the bone in three places. I not only broke it, but hit it so hard that it blew my toe open, and that required about 20 stitches to repair it. I lucked out and didn't have to have surgery because it was above my joint.
I can tell you that I have had four kids and the shot they gave me to numb it was worse than having it injured in the first place. I have a lot of pain and my toe looks terrible, but each day it is getting better.
The doctor says it will take at least six months for all the pain to go away. I have been on crutches for a month now and will continue to use them and start walking on the foot a little at a time, but that hurts at this point as well. The thing that helped me the most was just staying off of it as much as possible and keeping it elevated. Ibuprofen worked the best for pain. Good luck to anyone who has to deal with a broken big toe.
Comment from: JJ, 55-64 FemalePublished: September 02
In March, while on holiday, I broke my left baby toe. The very same day the eyesight in my left eye became extremely cloudy. However, I thought these two things were totally unrelated. When I returned home I sought out an ophthalmologist and all was well as far as he was concerned with my eyesight. However, I still continued to have bouts of cloudy vision. The other day watching a doctor on TV brought it all to light. He said that the baby toe is connected to the part of the brain in the back of your head that affects the optic nerve. Eureka! I now know the cause of my cloudy vision in my left eye, which, by the way, is starting to clear up now that my toe is healing.
Comment from: injured, 45-54 Female (Patient)Published: August 17
Can anyone advise me or direct me on what to do as far as treatment in decreasing pain and swelling. In short I was in a car accident and my ankle was crushed and I suffered 3 broken toes. I have had an external fixator, a cast, permanent hardware in my ankle, physical therapy and 11 months later my toes are stiff and will not bend completely which makes it awkward/painful when walking. There is soreness (toes) from the inside out and sore to the touch. My ankle still swells and my toes (tip) burn at times. The hardware pokes at my skin and my foot is sore and tight quite often. I am still under the doctor's care, but he offers little direction on remedies or treatment.
Comment from: intrepid, 65-74 Male (Patient)Published: June 05
I dropped a 45 lb weight on my left big toe and shattered the bone below the nail. X-rays revealed an open longitudinal crack in the bone and dislocated bone fragments consistent with a shatter injury. I had surgery 3 days after the injury. The surgeon used one metal screw to fixate the longitudinal crack in the bone and two bio-degradable screws for the other bone fragments. He also removed some small bone chips. The latest x-rays (3 weeks post surgery) reveal that the longitudinal crack is now closed but that some displacement of the other bone fractures remains. No further intervention appears necessary. The bone will eventually heal in another 3-5 weeks with some residual bone deformity. The surgical wound has essentially healed. There was considerable swelling and some blistering of the skin after surgery. I've felt little or no pain throughout this experience. My only concern is how the bone will eventually heal and if there will be lasting effects.
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Foot pain may be caused by injuries (sprains, strains, bruises, and fractures), diseases (diabetes, Hansen disease, and gout), viruses, fungi, and bacteria (plantar warts and athlete's foot), or even ingrown toenails. Pain and tenderness may be accompanied by joint looseness, swelling, weakness, discoloration, and loss of function. Minor foot pain can usually be treated with rest, ice, compression, and elevation and OTC medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Severe pain should be treated by a medical professional.
A hematoma is a collection of blood that is outside a blood vessel. There are different areas where hematomas occur including the inside the skull, scalp, ear, septum, bones, finger and toenails, and intra-abdominal. Treatment for hematomas depend on the type and location of the hematoma.
Fractures occur when bone cannot withstand the outside forces applied to the bone. Fractures can be open or closed. Types of fractures include: greenstick, spiral, comminuted, transverse, compound, or vertebral compression. Common fractures include: stress fracture, compression fracture, rib fracture, and skull fracture. Treatment depends upon the type of fracture.
A bruise, or contusion, is caused when blood vessels are damaged or broken as the result of a blow to the skin. The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured blood vessels into the tissues as well as from the body's response to the injury. Treatments include applying an ice pack and pressure to the area by hand.
An injury to a ligament is called a sprain, and an injury to muscle or tendon is called a strain. Sprains and strains may be caused by repetitive movements or a single stressful incident. Symptoms include pain and swelling. Though treatment depends upon the extent and location of the injury, rest, ice, compression, and elevation are key elements of treatment.
There are several bones in the foot, and these bones can be broken (fractured) in a variety of ways. Falling from heights, dropping heavy objects on the foot, or stress fractures from running or walking. Treatment of a broken foot depends on what bone in the foot is broken.
First aid is a complicated subject and it is situation-specific. First aid is the help and medical assistance that someone gives, not only to an injured person, but to a person who is sick. Preparedness is a key element of first aid, like having basic medical emergency kits in your home, car, boat, or RV. Cuts, puncture wounds, sprains, strains, nosebleeds are one type of injury that may require first aid; heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and heat stroke are examples of more critical first aid emergencies.
You fall off your bike, bang your shin on the coffee table
(that you swore you would move months ago) or run into a wall and wake up with a
wallop of a bruise. What is a bruise, and
what can you do about it? A bruise (medically referred to as a contusion) is caused
when tiny blood vessels are damaged or broken as the result of a blow to the
skin (be it bumping against something or hitting yourself with a hammer). The
raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured
blood vessels into the tissues as well as from the body's response to the
injury. A purplish,
flat bruise that occurs when blood leaks out into the top layers
of skin is referred to as an ecchymosis.
Why do bruises occur more frequently in some
people than in others?
The injury required to produce a bruise varies with
age. While it may take quite a bit of force to cause a bruise
in a young child, even minor ...
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I broke my pinky toe on my right foot on 02/15. It was obviously broken and sticking out to the side of my foot. X-rays revealed the break and I had to have surgery to place a pin in the toe to straighten it. The pin was removed on 03/19 but the break has not healed. My foot stays swollen all the time and my toe turns a blue sometimes. I just want it to heal. I have to immediately get off the foot as soon as I get home.