Anyone had a broken big toe before? I have a question...

[Chirpy]

It appears that I broke my big toe a week ago. I know that unless the bone is actually sticking out (which it isn't) there's no real need to see a doctor as they don't do anything for it.

However, I've been walking around on it all week and it's not getting any better at this point (the pretty black, purple and blue colors are about gone now but it's still just as swollen).

My sweet hubby (who tends to try and 'baby' me if I get hurt/sick) wants me to be using crutches .... right! Like I'm going to hobble out to the chicken house and barn to do chores - I don't have time for crutches and I can walk fine, I just walk funny right now. My family would do chores for me but I love going out to do them myself and I'm not going to stop because of an injured toe.

Anyway -- my question for any of you who has been through this:
What did you do, if anything, to help your toe heal? Did you stay off it and keep it elevated? Did you not walk on it at all? Did you use crutches? How long did it take before it was healed and there was no more pain?

 

[chicknmania]

I don't know, I think it might be worth a doctor visit for a big toe. They can splint it. It's probably not healing correctly if you still have all that swelling, and if it heals wrong you are going to have some nasty foot problems when you get old. If it was a pinky toe, I'd say just ice it and stay off it as much as possible, but a big toe really contributes to the proper support of the foot. How did you break it? In the mean time, you know the RICE rule. (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I broke my collarbone two weeks ago and didn't want to go to the doctor either, but probably good thing that I did, for the same reasons I already mentioned.

 

[Chirpy]

chicknmania said:

I think it might be worth a doctor visit for a big toe.

I was hoping nobody would say that... hubby's been out of work for nine months so we have no insurance and no money to pay for a doctor's visit. (Good news: he starts a new job next week! But, it's straight commission so it will be awhile before we see cash.)

I broke it while carrying a bucket of soapy water outside to wash out a freezer. I stubbed my left foot on the car jack (one of those big ones), tried to compensate by throwing my right foot forward (that's the one I broke) but hit a box that was in the way (we were getting ready for a garage sale and had stuff everywhere!) and thus did a face plant to the cement floor. It was one of those "Hi grace... how's charm school?" type falls. It would have been a great video.​

 

[d.k]

* Oh, man!! I saw an episode of "House" a few months ago that positively freaked me out about broken toes!!! I WOULD go to the doctor now after seeing that!!! Yikes!

 

[OHChick]

oddly enough, i broke my big toe on thursday evening. at least we think its broken. i went to the doc yesterday, they didn't have an xray machine there.... offered to send me to the ER for one, i said 'will that change how you tell me to treat it?' and he said 'nope'. he told me rest, ice for the first 2-3 days, and elevation of the foot when you can.

good luck to you!

 

[Chickaree]

My dd broke her big toe when the horse stepped on her foot. It was a crush fracture so it took about 8 weeks to heal. The doctor gave her a boot (looked like an ugly shoe with velcro straps) that kept her from rotating on to her toes when she walked (walked flat footed). I'm sure you could get one somewhere. Basically for the first two weeks it was try not to be on it alot. Then if it started to hurt she was to get off of it. She found when she walked to much that day it would start to throb and she knew she had walked too much. When sitting she was suppose to elevate it. Motrin for the pain and ice packs. Anyway thats what happened with us. Good luck with it. I know it's not a fun experience.

 

[Oblio13]

I've fractured two toes (not big ones, though), two fingers, a nose and a rib, and they didn't really do anything for any of them but X-ray them and say "Yep".

 

[Poison Ivy]

I broke my big toe a couple years ago. I never went to the doctor they wouldn't do anything anyway. It took weeks before I could walk with out a limp. I would soak my foot in epsom salts to help easy the pain. I also would flex my toe a couple times a day to make sure it was in place. It healed fine and I have no problems now. Hope you get to feeling better.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

I had a broken big toe, and broken pinky toes. I never did go to the doctor for any of them, because they will just tell me it is broken but there is nothing they can do.

It took a couple of months for my toes to get back to normal. I didn't bandage them, or do anything special. For the 1st week or so, I walked around work without a shoe.

Good luck, your toe will heal, it just takes time.

 

[ams3651]

you could tape it up to splint it but as the general consesious says, elevate it and rest it. In general you can take up to 600mg of ibuprofen every 6-8 hours if your in good health but Im no Dr. Ibuprofen will help with the inflammation better than other things.