# I Think I Broke Something **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 28, 1999, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238 "1999-08-28T04:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/1 "1999-08-28T04:04:00Z")
I tripped & smushed the little toe on my left foot earlier this evening. It’s kind of puffy, but not really bad. It hurts, but it’s not excruciating (haven’t even felt the need to take an Advil). It’s not bruised, but it’s tender. It hurts more when I’m walking, but I don’t need to limp. Did I break it? It’s been about 5 hours since this happened, and an ordinary old toe-stubbing usually doesn’t hurt for this long. And if it is broken, is there anything that can be done? I mean, it’s my little toe. I hate my feet anyway, and think that if they get hurt, it’s because they’ve done something wrong and have it coming. ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/2 "1999-08-28T04:42:00Z")
Just cut it off. You don’t really need it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/3 "1999-08-28T05:45:00Z")
It’s probably not broken, just bruised. Maybe dislocated. If it were broken, you would KNOW. Even if it were broken, all the doc would do is tape it to the toe next to it and give you some Motrin. So, if you can handle the pain, you can do the rest at home. ---
**Author:** ![timmar68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@timmar68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timmar68)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 1999, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/4 "1999-08-29T04:00:00Z")
That happened to me once. It hurt like the dickens so I went to the emergency room. Nothing showed up on the x-ray. The doctor taped it up and gave me one of the shoes with the rigid sole and I used it for a few days. It was so sore, red, and puffy, I don’t understand how it could NOT have been broken! * * * MaryAnn Sometimes life is so great you just gotta muss up your hair and quack like a duck! ---
**Author:** ![AuraSeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AuraSeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuraSeer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/5 "1999-08-30T13:35:00Z")
People often say “If it were broken, you’d KNOW”, but that’s not really true. There’s no magic indicator that automatically goes on in your head as soon as a bone breaks. If you can move the two parts of the bone independently-- like, say, bending your arm midway between shoulder and elbow-- then you’ve definitely broken something. But many breaks don’t separate the bone completely. (In any case, if you even think you’ve broken something, you probably don’t want to injure yourself more by trying to find out.) Pain level isn’t a sure sign either. Once I broke a finger in 4th-grade gym class, and didn’t even notice until dinner that evening. By contrast, I’ve had bruises and dislocations that hurt so much as to be almost incapacitating. Anyway, **Cristi** , I hope you did get to a doctor over the weekend. How’s the toe doing? * * * I’m not a warlock. I’m a witch with a Y chromosome. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/6 "1999-08-30T13:53:00Z")
Christi, sorry about the toe! Never know how much you use a part until it hurts, do you? How’s it feeling now? ---
**Author:** ![GregAtlanta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb9ed0/32.png) [@GregAtlanta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregAtlanta)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/7 "1999-08-30T15:21:00Z")
Whenever I broke something as a kid, I’d just carefully place the pieces back together and quietly leave the room. I thought that my parents would assume it just spontaneously broke all by itself. I think you should try that. – Greg, Atlanta ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/8 "1999-08-30T16:12:00Z")
Just tape it securely to the next toe with some Band-Aids, and forget about it. That’s basically all they’d do at the hospital anyway, so save yourself the money. Hope it feels better soon! ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-broke-something/7238/9 "1999-08-30T16:13:00Z")
I can sympathize–hope your toe feels better. Gotta concur with AuraSeer, though; you don’t always “know.” When I busted my ankle, I heard no snap, and had no reason to believe it was anything more than a severe twist/sprain until I got the X-rays, and found out it was broken enough to require surgery. Always better safe than sorry.