Toe Fracture: The Importance of Urgent Care & Follow-Up Examination

Foot injuries can be difficult to diagnose due to the significant number of bones present in the foot, coupled with the small, subtle size of each. When fracture of breaks of the foot bones occur, often, the initial diagnosis is not one of accuracy.

Toe fractures are a prime example of a foot injury that is often misdiagnosed. Because of the size of the toe bones, coupled with inflammation and edema, it is not uncommon for x-ray, CT scan or MRI to miss the fracture or break when testing is performed in the first few hours after injury occurs.

Toe fractures, surprisingly, account for nearly 10 percent of all foot injuries. In most cases, toe fractures are very easy to treat; it is diagnosing the complication that presents great challenge to your physician. With as many as three phalanges in each toe, your physician must closely scrutinize each aspect of the foot to make the proper diagnosis. Consider, then, the size of these phalanges and the subtle appearance of a slight fracture and you will understand, most certainly, why the toe fracture can be hard to diagnose initially.

Symptoms of a toe fracture include bruising, swelling, and excruciating pain as the toe fracture is often accompanied by an incidental soft tissue injury involving tendons and ligaments. Of these, the tendon injury is most unusual, but still a risk when a toe or other foot injury occurs.

Of all of the toes, the large or "big" toe is considered the most important in treating toe fracture. Because the large toe carries the responsibility of weight bearing activity and balance, a consultation with an orthopedic specialist is usually required.

In most cases, treating your toe fracture will simply involve splinting with pain control using anti-inflammatory medications. Immediately after the injury occurs, your physician will recommend that you apply ice to the injured site regularly and elevate the foot to decrease swelling. Only in rare cases is surgery required to pin or surgically correct a toe fracture.

As with most complications involving toe fracture, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. While the x-ray may not reveal the presence of a fracture, erring on the side of caution is the route of most physician recommended treatment, with splinting, ice and elevation commonly prescribed. A follow-up x-ray or other diagnostic study should be done, within a few days of the injury, to ascertain the presence of toe fracture more easily. Always discuss follow-up care with your physician as, in most cases, the true diagnosis is made in the days and weeks after foot and toe injury.