I did it just the other day. I was in my home office working and got up to go get something. There was an extra chair in my office and in an effort to move around it, I ran into it. It is embarrassing to admit this but I was not only clumsy but I wasn’t wearing shoes. That’s right my bare toes went right into the leg of the chair. I hate doing that. First of all because I know that I should not be in my bare feet and it was once again another clumsy moment. I didn’t actually hit my toes that hard and they felt fine in just a few minutes.
But that is not always the case. You can do the same thing I did and with just a change in position or a little more speed and you can break a toe.
But nothing can be done about a broken toe, right?
Wrong!
It is actually important to take care of a broken toe correctly. This probably goes against everything you have ever heard. Think about it, there are lots of bones in your foot and they are all in a relatively small area. If you stubbed your toe hard enough to break it, you may also have broken surrounding bones. Or the bone may have not only been broken but it could have been become misaligned. It is important to get your foot x-rayed so you know the extent of the damage. After the x-ray, the doctor can show you the damage and talk to you about your options.
It may be that if your foot is swollen that you will be fitted with an orthopedic shoe to wear for a few weeks to help your recovery. While clumsy (and it leads others to know what you did…) the boot will enable you to get around especially if you cannot wear your shoes because your foot is too swollen. Depending upon how extensive the break is, you may have to use crutches to aid in the healing of the bones.
If you are diabetic, it is particularly important that you have your friendly local podiatrist check your foot. Unfortunately, the disease will hinder your healing and you should not use some of the remedies for broken toes.
If you read last week’s post about arthritis, you may remember that even when treated, the joint around a broken bone is more likely to develop arthritis. By going to the doctor and making sure that you have treated all the involved joints, you may be able to avoid arthritis from settling into the joints.
What to do before you get to your friendly local podiatrist
1. Elevate your foot above your heart. This elevation will help alieve the swelling which is the source of some of your pain.
2. Ice the affected area for 15-20 minutes every 1-2 hours. Make sure there is a cloth between your skin and the ice pack.
3. Rest your foot by not exercising or walking too much until you are healed.
The next time you stub your toe, please have the toe checked to make sure you are alright.
Your Pal,
The Foot Blogger Chick