Facts about Toe Fractures

At Goldsmith Podiatry, one injury that we find patients are often not very knowledgeable about is a broken toe. Like any other fracture in your foot, a broken toe requires prompt evaluation and treatment in order to heal properly. Below are some facts about this injury:

FACT: Broken toes can occur due to a sudden injury or as the result of an extended period of stress. Acute injuries are usually pretty obvious because there is a trauma associated with them such as stubbing your really hard on a piece of furniture or dropping a heavy object on your foot. In the case of a stress fracture, however, the break may be less evident because the pain may only be present when doing an activity that puts strain or pressure on the broken bone, but it then subsides when your foot is resting.

FACT: You can walk on a broken toe. Many patients assume after an injury that if they can walk on the foot the toe must not be broken. This is false. Depending on the site of the break you may be able to walk but you will end up doing more damage to your toe.

FACT: Just because the pain goes away doesn’t mean the toe isn’t broken. Typically, with an acute broken toe there will be a pain, possibly even severe pain, at the time of the break but it is not unusual for the pain to decrease or go away after several hours. Other symptoms of a broken toe include: bruising or swelling of the toe (especially the day after the incident) and an abnormal or crooked appearance.

FACT: Delaying treatment can result in long-term complications and problems. If a broken toe is not rehabilitated promptly or fully, it can lead to chronic foot pain and even permanent deformity which can make it difficult to walk and find comfortable shoes. In some cases, the bone will not re-knit and get further out of alignment requiring surgery to repair.

If you believe you may have broken a toe, contact our Upper West Side, New York City office immediately by calling: 212-877-1002 and let one of our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith or Dr. Rosanna Troia examine it and determine the best treatment to get you safely on your feet again.