2 Myths About Broken Toes

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about how to treat injured and broken toes, so it’s in your best interest to have any toe injury checked out by your podiatrist to ensure proper treatment.

Two prominent myths about broken toes include:

1)    It can’t be broken if you can walk on it!—A hairline fracture may not cause severe pain and is a frequent injury that affects the toes. That means you can have a broken toe without really knowing about it and make it progressively worse by continuing to walk on it. So if you stub your toe or drop something on your foot and just try to walk it off, you could be causing more damage.

2)    Broken toes will heal by themselves—This is actually a total fallacy and it’s more likely that you will create a bigger problem by ignoring a broken toe. When you first notice that your toe is in distress, take the weight off your foot and apply the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method. This will help reduce swelling so that you can inspect the damage more accurately. If it looks extremely swollen or worse after a few hours or by the next day, then you should definitely have it looked at by your foot doctor. In severe cases, surgery may be required.

If you suspect that you have a broken toe, we highly recommend that you consult our board-certified podiatrists, Andrew Shapiro, DPM and Michael Barkin, DPM. The foot doctors have access to advanced technologies, along with years of experience to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems. We can assist you with heel pain, ankle sprains, diabetic foot care, toe deformities, nail fungus, and skin problems, among many other conditions. Our podiatry practice is conveniently located in Valley Stream in Long Island to accommodate all of your foot care needs. Call our office at (516) 825-3860 or book an appointment online today!