How do you know you have broken your toe?

Picture this, you’re walking down the street, minding your own business when BAM! You slam your poor little piggies right into the sharp corner of a coffee table. After feeling like you want to scream for a bit, maybe cry just a tad from the pain and hop around for a while holding onto anything that will support your weight, you start wondering: Did I break my toe? Or did I just stub it?

Don’t fret my friend (we all know fretting aggravates any possible injury) because in this article we will guide through how to distinguish between those two scenarios.

The anatomy of toes

Before diving in deep let’s understand some basics about our beloved phalanges.

Each foot has five digits: four toes and one big toe; they have three bones each except the big toe that only has two. The joints where these bones come together are wrapped tightly with ligaments which provide stability to them. Additionally, tendons attach muscles to the bones allowing us control over them by regulating their movement.

In other words (yes we love rephrasing) our toes are quite complex anatomical structures that handle an immense amount of loading during activities such as running or jumping.
It should come as no surprise then that breaking them is not impossible but actually quite common!

Let’s make distinctions

Now let’s get back on track: is it broken or just bruised?
Here are some points which can help serve as hints:

Bruises

  • A bruise might develop immediately after bumping into something hard.
  • They could cause swelling and redness lasting up to few days.
  • Touching bruises usually doesn’t hurt much.

Fractures

You cannot say definitively whether they’re fractured without visiting an expert medical practitioner but here are some general signs pointing towards fractures-

The pain

We know it already hurts but the pain of a broken toe will be more intense and disabling than that of a bruise. If you can’t stand or walk properly, this may indicate some kind of fracture.

Swelling & Bruising

If swelling is still present after 1-2 days past the injury (it takes time to heal) then there’s a strong chance you’ve suffered from an actual breakage. In severe fractures, bones might come out through your skin (and that’s something we don’t wanna imagine).

Change in Toe Shape / Movement Limitation

Broken toes look different from healthy ones. Look for any change in shape and compare it with other digits; see if they are moving abnormally.

While dealing with Pain – keep calm

Yesyes we know how tempting it is to take over-the-counter medications when everything else fails due to unbearable toe pain but let’s get one thing straight: Don’t self-medicate!

Taking anything without consulting professionals first could lead you down paths unknown! Thus consult medical personnel before taking any further steps!

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