Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 23:54:42 GMT
I think someone is my life has a broken toe. I won't mention any names but he sleeps in the same bed I do.
It's the toe right beside his little toe. He jammed it up against the doorframe when goofing around with the kids. It is bruised and swollen. And painful. He has hobbled around since yesterday. We put ice on it and he's taken some ibuprofen.
My friend who's a nurse checked it and she said she's pretty sure it's broken. It doesn't appear to be dislocated. She taped it to the toe next to it for stability.
DH, uh, I mean the person whose toe I think is broken, doesn't want to go to a doctor and pay to be told what he think he already knows. He's content to keep it taped up and take it easy for a while.
So, have you ever broken a toe? What treatment did you get? My understanding of standard treatment is that they usually just tape it unless there's more extensive damage - which we don't think there is because he can still bend his toe and he still has feeling in it.
Or, like the person I know, did you just tough it out and treat it at home? Did you regret doing that? Any complications?
UPDATE 9/7 - The toe looks much, much better this morning. He was able to wear a loose slip-on shoe to church and putting weight on it wasn't as painful. For now, he's still refusing to see a doctor. He's not worried about the toe being crooked since his feet weren't pretty anyway. Ha! Anyway, thanks for all of your replies.
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Post by Pahina722 on Sept 7, 2014 0:01:49 GMT
Yes, I have broken a toe. I didn't even get it taped. I spent several weeks wearing only open-toed shoes, and it turned a most delightful purple-green-yellow color. Today I can tell which one was broken just because it has a slightly more pronounced bump at the last joint.
Like your DH . . . uh, friend . . . I kicked a doorframe, in my case in the middle of the night, getting up half asleep to stumble to the bathroom.
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Post by quinlove on Sept 7, 2014 0:07:37 GMT
A few years ago I broke my big toe. I wasn't sure if it was broken or not, so I really didn't even do anything special to it.
A month or so later I went to my doctor for another reason. I had sandals on and he said " how long ago did you break your toe ?" I was very surprised he even mentioned it because it didn't look that different to me.
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perumbula
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Posts: 3,439 
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Sept 7, 2014 0:09:43 GMT
As long as the break isn't in the foot itself, your dh is right. There isn't more they can do except tape it and give him pain meds. I've broken toes a couple of times in my life. It's painful but it pretty much heals fine without outside interference. Have him stay off of it as much as possible and take some kind of NSAID if his stomach can handle them. Ibuprofen/Aleve will reduce inflammation but only if he takes it for several days as a continuous thing. So twice a day for the Aleve, four to six for the ibuprofen.
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trollie
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Post by trollie on Sept 7, 2014 0:10:11 GMT
I've broken my pinky toe several times. It's my understanding that the dr won't do anything anyway. I never went to the doc and it's just fine now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 0:12:28 GMT
Yes, I've broken two or three. Hurts like hell, but there's not much they can do for it unless it's really mangled.
Never gone to the doc for it-nurses in the family told me the same thing that you were told. I never even taped mine. No complications and no regrets. Hope his toe feels better soon!
I agree with perumbula about the foot itself. I've also broken a metatarsal, and that required a few days of crutches and an air cast for about 8 weeks. If it's just his toe, no doc. If it's the foot, seek medical attention.
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Post by mama2three on Sept 7, 2014 0:14:08 GMT
I broke a toe when I was a teenager. Doctor said there was nothing that could be done except tape it to the other toe, so that's all I remember doing. It healed crooked, but I don't care. When I was in college, a doctor mentioned that it could be re-broken and set straight, but I'd have to be in a splint or cast for 8 weeks and would have to keep it dry. I was a competitive swimmer and couldn't justify taking that much time off from training, so I never did it.
When a friend broke a toe recently, she called her doctor's office who said there was not much they could really do for it except splint it/tape to another toe, so no need to come in. If I broke a toe today, that's all I'd do.
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Dani-Mani
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Post by Dani-Mani on Sept 7, 2014 0:14:31 GMT
Big toe--twice.
I would never, ever listen to the "the doctors won't do anything about it" advice. The first time I broke it, I took that advice, and they had to RE-BREAK it because it wasn't healing right. I ended up in a fracture shoe for six weeks.
The second time, I went in right away, and again, a fracture shoe for three weeks. I also ended up with a subungual hematoma, and I had to have a small hole burned in my toenail to relieve the pressure and release the blood.
Even if the only thing your doctor does is buddy tape them, for me, it's worth the visit. A break is a break.
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 18:48:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 0:15:33 GMT
Thanks for sharing your insight, y'all. I am breathing easier!
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MorningPerson
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Location: Central Pennsylvania
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Post by MorningPerson on Sept 7, 2014 0:33:41 GMT
My right foot is beautiful and could be used in any foot modeling capacity anywhere. My left foot though? First of all, I was born with my second toe trying to get all the attention away from its neighboring two toes by sticking up above them. (I'm sure my footprint must show only 4 toes.) Add to that the fact that i'm sure I've broken at least 2 or 3 toes on that foot over the years. When I bend my toes on my left foot they're all jacked up. And just last week I dropped my iPad on my left foot -- corner down, directly on my middle toe. The pain went away after the first day, but I have a bruise from hell, and I'm pretty sure that another toe is broken. The difference between my two feet is hilarious and an endless source of entertainment for my family. ETA: Oops, didn't address your question. With all my (assumed) broken toes, I've never seen a doctor for them, or taped them, or done anything other than laugh at what they end up looking like. No lingering effects or problems with pain, walking, etc. Hope the guy you're currently sleeping with has a similar outcome!  |
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PLurker
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Jun 28, 2014 3:48:49 GMT
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Post by PLurker on Sept 7, 2014 0:39:43 GMT
I am pretty sure I did but just taped to next door neighbor toe.
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Post by honeyb on Sept 7, 2014 0:42:52 GMT
My husband currently has a fractured 5th metatarsal- the long bone that connects to the toe bone (pinky toe).
He had swelling, bruising, and sensitivity to the touch. He hobbled around for TWO weeks because he was convinced they wouldn't do anything for it. He final broke down and went to Urgent Care. Turns out when you break the 5th metatarsal? You get to wear a tall boot for an unspecified period of time.
Re check with a podiatrist next week to figure out final prognosis.
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Post by epeanymous on Sept 7, 2014 0:43:05 GMT
I've broken more than one toe in my life and never did more than tape it.
When my oldest broke her big toe, we did take her in, because Dr. Google said that big toe fractures should be seen by a doctor, and it was hard for her to walk. They gave her a boot to use for walking, and that did help a lot.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 0:45:21 GMT
My husband currently has a fractured 5th metatarsal- the long bone that connects to the toe bone (pinky toe). He had swelling, bruising, and sensitivity to the touch. He hobbled around for TWO weeks because he was convinced they wouldn't do anything for it. Turns out when you break the 5th metatarsal? You get to wear a tall boot for an unspecified period of time. Re check with a podiatrist next week to figure out final prognosis. Hmmm, that is good to know. |
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MrsDepp
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Jun 30, 2014 18:36:02 GMT
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Post by MrsDepp on Sept 7, 2014 0:54:35 GMT
broken a toe and a tailbone...did nothing for either other than take pain med for the tail
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Post by ToniW on Sept 7, 2014 0:56:30 GMT
I've also fractured the same toe as OP's "friend"  Luckily, the podiatrist happened to have the office next door, so he checked it out for me. Yep, just taped it to the next toe.
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Post by salem on Sept 7, 2014 1:13:46 GMT
I broke my pinkie toe when I smacked it against the side of the tub getting into the shower. It hurt a ton, but we just taped it to the toe next to it. No doctor visit. I spent the next week at a softball camp and besides being pretty bruised up, the pain was ok with Advil.
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Post by Miss Ang on Sept 7, 2014 1:15:21 GMT
I broke my pinky toe. I didn't tape it and I didn't go to the dr. It was bruised something awful, but after time, it healed up just fine.
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Dani-Mani
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Post by Dani-Mani on Sept 7, 2014 1:27:33 GMT
I don't mean to be rude, but how many people who didn't go to the doctor actually broke their toe? There's absolutely no way to know for sure, because without an x-ray, you can't confirm a break. The pain from the subungual hemotoma was actually worse than the pain at the site of the break, so using pain or bruising as a gauge isn't always a reliable gauge if something is broken or not.
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MorningPerson
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Post by MorningPerson on Sept 7, 2014 1:34:17 GMT
I don't mean to be rude, but how many people who didn't go to the doctor actually broke their toe? There's absolutely no way to know for sure, because without an x-ray, you can't confirm a break. The pain from the subungual hemotoma was actually worse than the pain at the site of the break, so using pain or bruising as a gauge isn't always a reliable gauge if something is broken or not. That's a good question. In my case, I don't know for sure that I've had all those breaks, but from the looks of my crooked toes they've been broken. |
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MrsDepp
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Post by MrsDepp on Sept 7, 2014 2:07:23 GMT
""I don't mean to be rude, but how many people who didn't go to the doctor actually broke their toe? There's absolutely no way to know for sure, because without an x-ray, you can't confirm a break.""
I didn't go to the doctor at the time of my break because I was sure from the swelling, bruising and pain. But I have had my foot x-rayed several times since and have been told there was a break at one time. |
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eleezybeth
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Jun 28, 2014 20:42:01 GMT
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Post by eleezybeth on Sept 7, 2014 2:25:03 GMT
Yep. I thought I'll suck it up but then I couldn't walk. Swelling was massive, pain simply unbearable, but hey "just a toe." End up at urgent care. I'm not a pansy by any means but I couldn't do anything as every step dropped me in pain.
I ended up in a fracture shoe which DID help along with the buddy tape. Then, it wouldn't heel (read non compliant patient wasn't going to give up hiking the Grand Canyon and rebroke said toe) so I was in a boot for 9 weeks. Good times, but dang that boot made a huge difference! If he can at least get a post-op shoe make him wear the stiffest shoe he can find. I preferred the boot because you rock through your step.
And now I don't even utter the word "just a toe." A bone is a bone in my book.
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Post by christaw on Sept 7, 2014 2:35:57 GMT
Yep just taped it to the other one and was fine. Didn't figure the dr. would do anything about it and it healed up fine.
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eastcoastpea
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Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Sept 7, 2014 2:41:40 GMT
Yes I did. I thought you couldn't do anything for it so I did nothing. I didn't know that it should have been taped to another toe. It is no longer a cute toe. It should have been taped.
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Anita
Drama Llama
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Post by Anita on Sept 7, 2014 2:46:32 GMT
I did. I know it was broken because of the unusual angle. Pain! I didn't seek treatment. I taped it to another toe. It took almost three years to regain full feeling in that toe.
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Nink
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Post by Nink on Sept 7, 2014 2:54:58 GMT
I've had two broken toes. One of them the same as your DH. I work in Radiology and they were confirmed with X-ray. One of the Ortho docs came to my office and taped it to the neighbor toe. It healed fine.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 3:01:45 GMT
I completely fractured a toe years ago. Bumped it on a box. Went to the doctor, X-rays, etc. In the end, all that was done was tape it to another toe.
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Post by eversograceful1 on Sept 7, 2014 12:06:37 GMT
Yes, I broke my big toe when I tripped in the rain. Side note: I no longer wear flip flops in the rain. After a few days I went to a podiatrist. Although it does have to heal on its own, he gave me a "shoe", which helped tremendously.
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Post by Really Red on Sept 7, 2014 12:24:11 GMT
I broke my toe twice. I do not know this for a fact as I did not have an x-ray, but it was agonizingly painful. There really isn't anything you can do for it, other than taping it, so I did not. One toe took 3-4 months to move again and the other was the pinky and it took about 2 months. I don't think that person sleeping in your bed needs to see the doctor |
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Post by Daikon on Sept 7, 2014 16:29:44 GMT
I have broken a toe and well they did nothing for it either. It was buddy taped and that was it.
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Luckily, the podiatrist happened to have the office next door, so he checked it out for me. Yep, just taped it to the next toe.
