Would you "know" if your toe was broken?

chucknorris11

This may seem like a stupidarse question, but I walked into a wall last night and stubbed my pinkie toe. It hurts like hell and is all purple and bruised today and I am limping because of it

Question is: Would you know if you had broken your toe? Is it something I should get looked at or just let it go? I don't want to call my PCP and have them tell me it's probably just stobed considering their office is 45 mins from my work.

Just wondering. I know people hate "Should I call my doctor" posts, but this doesn't effect LO so I am hoping I am outside that realm

browneyes_24b

I am confident that I broke my toe once when I hit it against my suit case that was laying on the floor.  It bruised all green and purple and I limped on it for about a week.  There isn't much they can "splint" when it comes to toes, so I never went in for it.  It healed just fine and I haven't had any problems with it since!

criticalmass

Ouch! Unless you are concerned about infection or losing your toe, I don't think there is much they can do about it anyway. I would ice it, and if it is still swollen and throbbing tomorrow call the doc.

lidleybosch

I think I broke mine about a month and a half ago.  Sorry nothing can be done except buddy taping it.  It is where you tape your pinkie toe to the neighboring toe and just let time heal it.  Hurt like he** when I injured it though.  Sorry, that sucks!!

4realyo

I dont think you would definately know, but from what I understand there isnt anything they can really do for a broken toe. So I would just try to ignore it. ha

Lizzerd13

They won't/can't do anything for it so just live with it.  It sucks, I know because I did it once and I wasted a trip to the ER (I was away at college and didn't have a regular doctor).

barefootbride2008

It's pretty easy to break one of your little toes and there isn't much to be done for it.  Just tape it to the toe next to it for some support (well, have someone do it for you, gently of course!).  And then be careful b/c it will hurt if you hit it into anything else.   

adharper2615

I've broken all of my toes on both feet at some point or another.  The doctor won't do much except possibly tape them to the toe next to them to help it heal straight.  Most likely, if it swells, bruises and you aren't able to walk without limping, it's broken.

MrsPatterson

I broke my pinkie toe twice and it hurt like hell when it happened - I almost passed out both times.  It got all bruised and swollen and I limped and couldn't get a shoe on over it.  But, your doctor can't really do anything about it, apart from telling you to take it easy and stay off it.  But, if your actual foot around your toe is bruised and swollen too, I would go get it checked out because if your foot is broken they might want to do something to stabilize it. 

Brooke208

You would know.

I've broken plenty of toes and there isn't anything they can do about it.  You can see someone if you want but it would probably be a waste of money.  They would just tape it up anyway.   The good news is that they heal fast!

lovesazzie

IMO, broken toes don't need medical attention. Yours sounds broken to me. I just wrap it up with waterproof tape for some support and let it heal...

sunnydays99

I broke the toe beside my big toe once and I definitely knew because it broke at the "knuckle" and looked like an upside down "L" with the top half hanging to the side!!!  It was soooo disgusting! LOL

If you can't bend it with your fingers without it hurting really bad I'd probably get it checked.

wingsfan524

Most likely if it's purple it's broken.  Honestly, if you go to a doc all they are going to do is possibly x-ray it and tape it up.  Since you are pregnant they may even forget the x-ray and just tape it.  Honestly, you can do that on your own and save yourself a trip.  I'm normally not an advocate for skipping doctors, but I have had this happen a few times and they really can't do much for a toe.  Feel better!

chucknorris11

Thanks ladies! I didn't know if it was something I should have looked at or not. I won't worry about it, then

jmfote09

I agree with PP. Also you want to keep an eye out for fever or any signs of infection. My horse broke my big toe a couple years ago and I got a bone marrow infection because it didn't heal properly. (Not trying to scare you.. sorry) Most likely it'll be fine. Just buddy tape it, if you can, and ice it and take it easy.  Now you have an excuse for DH to do everything for you and pamper you (as if being in your third tri wasn't enough lol)

snowflake19

ooo broken toes hurt so bad! There isn't much that can be done for them but they seem to take a while to heal. Hope you feel better soon!

grace&ricky

I broke my toe in college.  But I didn't know.  I handled the pain for a good 6hrs before I decided it might be broken and went to the ER.  Get it checked out!  BTW, love the dog pic!  Is your dog a westie?  I've always wanted a westie.

Brooke208

grace&ricky:

I broke my toe in college.  But I didn't know.  I handled the pain for a good 6hrs before I decided it might be broken and went to the ER.  Get it checked out!  BTW, love the dog pic!  Is your dog a westie?  I've always wanted a westie.

Just curious... but what exactly did the ER do for your toe?

DrDPM

I'm a foot doctor, so just thought I'd throw in my two cents. Broken pinkie toes happen quite often, and there isn't anything to do with them. We don't even xray 5th toe fractures initially, only if the pain persists over time. You can buddy tape it to your 4th toe, with a piece of gauze in between for comfort. It takes 6-8 weeks for a broken bone to heal. Most toes go on to heal without any complications. On occasion, there will be a bone chip that does not heal and remains painful, that can be surgically removed later on. But for now -  tape the two toes together, ice and elevation to reduce pain and swelling, and Tylenol for pain. If the swelling/bruising extends to the top or bottom of your foot, you could have fractured the metatarsal (the long bones in your foot); that's something that should be checked out by a podiatrist. Hope you feel better!