Broken or stubbed toe?

[Anonymous]

I was rushing, ran into a wall, and did something bad to my pinky toe. CRAP. I think I heard a sound (like a popped knuckle sound), and an hour later, it still hurts a lot.

What are the chances I broke my toe? Is this going to get in the way of my half marathon training?

CRAP CRAP CRAP.

[Anonymous]

Tape it, that's all a doc will do anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tape it, that's all a doc will do anyway.

At this point I'm convinced it's broken. It hurts like hell. Stubbed toe pain doesn't last for more than a few minutes.

I don't have any medical tape, so used masking tape, fashioned a cardboard platform, taped that to my foot, and put socks around it. I can very mildly hobble around on my heel that way. Ice, elevation, ibprofun and all that. Should I still get it checked out? Is there anything they will do besides x-ray it, and tape it?

WHAT DID I DO?!

[Anonymous]

No, they won't do anything. I just broke my toe. The pain was intense, all the way up my leg.

They did an X-ray to confirm, then buddy taped it. Told me to keep it elevated. You might be want a boot, but that's about it.

Good luck. It hurts for awhile.

[Anonymous]

Hmm. Maybe I'll hold off on making an appointment. The pain doesn't seem to radiate beyond my toe much, but it hurts like a major mofo.

DH went out to get some proper tape from CVS.

Never broken a toe before, so would appreciate any thoughts on some kind of self-medicated course of action (or horror stories of poor healing, and why I should go to the doc)

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I broke my pinky toe a handful of years ago. Hurt so much when I did it, I actually saw stars, just like in the cartoons. Holy crap.

Went to the doc and got an X-ray. What a waste of my time and money, though. Yeah, it was broken. But they can't put a cast on it. The doc said I could wear a boot. Instead, I taped it and just wore a larger shoe and hobbled around for a while.

It did get better, OP. Glad your DH got you some good tape. Stay off it as much as you can; prop it up on a pillow if you're lying in bed reading or watching TV. Hope you feel better soon!

[Anonymous]

Broken pinky toe several years ago. They x rayed it. You could see the part of bone that had broken off. Ew. But in the end all the doctor did was tape it together and I wore one of those flat shoes for a while. Healed fine.

[Anonymous]

When will it get easier to walk? Having DH fetch me things is nice for a while, but my independent spirit is already driving me crazy.

I'm amazed how quickly it bruised - and spread into the surrounding area of my foot. Pain seems confined to the toe, but swelling/bruising is spreading. That's normal right??

[Anonymous]

Make sure you put cotton between the pinky toe and the toe to which you buddy tape it. If you don't you will risk blisters and cuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When will it get easier to walk? Having DH fetch me things is nice for a while, but my independent spirit is already driving me crazy.

I'm amazed how quickly it bruised - and spread into the surrounding area of my foot. Pain seems confined to the toe, but swelling/bruising is spreading. That's normal right??

Yep, normal. Honestly, it can take weeks to feel better. I broke mine 3 months ago and it still hurts to put a shoe on.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Does anyone know where I can get one of those orthopedic shoes, besides going to the doctor?

Walking around the house is ok, taped up barefoot or with socks. But even sneakers that are 1/2-1 size big are painful. Do drugstores carry them? Target/Walmart?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Does anyone know where I can get one of those orthopedic shoes, besides going to the doctor?

Walking around the house is ok, taped up barefoot or with socks. But even sneakers that are 1/2-1 size big are painful. Do drugstores carry them? Target/Walmart?

A place like Preston's Pharmacy in Arlington would probably have them. Target/Walmart probably won't have what you really need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Does anyone know where I can get one of those orthopedic shoes, besides going to the doctor?

Walking around the house is ok, taped up barefoot or with socks. But even sneakers that are 1/2-1 size big are painful. Do drugstores carry them? Target/Walmart?

Birkenstocks or any other sandal that doesn't bend when you walk will serve the same purpose. When I broke my pinky toe, the doc said my Birkenstocks were perfect.