# I think I just broke my toe... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110 "2004-01-26T05:20:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/1 "2004-01-26T05:20:59Z")
Ouchy, that was painfull; I should be more careful when walking barefoot around the house. The fourth toe, the one next to the little one, is turning purple on top of the second falange; the nail seems to be broken at the base, bellow the skin; and the whole business hurts like hell if I move or touch it. I think I´ll have to wait untill tomorrow and see if it´s really broken or not. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/2 "2004-01-26T05:57:24Z")
There’s not too much that one can do with a toe injury. Ice and elevation for the first 48 hours will help reduce swelling, a broken nail will eventually grow out. What I can help you fix is spelling: phalange is the term you seek, and in your sig line, criticize is correct. Hope your toe feels better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/3 "2004-01-26T06:16:51Z")
Yep, sounds broken… levitate it and when the swelling goes down tape it to the toe next to it with a little gauze in between, it’ll help it to heal more or less straight. (That’s all a doctor will do for it if you go to see them anyway… I know I’ve done it) ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/4 "2004-01-26T06:47:00Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > There’s not too much that one can do with a toe injury. Ice and elevation for the first 48 hours will help reduce swelling, a broken nail will eventually grow out. What I can help you fix is spelling: phalange is the term you seek, and in your sig line, criticize is correct. Hope your toe feels better. 🙂 Falange, hehe… that was a Spanish lapsus. I didn´t know my signature was appearing, actually, I had completely forgotten about it; but in any case I already fixed it. Now, back to the toe, it´s turning deep purple now. :eek: I got some ice, and **danceswithcats** I hope you´re right that this will help in the long term ´cause the cold feels like I´m squeezing the toe with a vice. ☹ **Obsidian Flutterby** The toe is not bent; so I´m not sure if it´s broken or not; in any case, if it doesn´t get better by next morning I´ll see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/5 "2004-01-26T07:09:25Z")
When I was a paramedic, and working in the ER, injuries such as yours were treated with cold and elevation. I don’t know why **obsidian** wants to make your foot float, but it could be an amusing way to entertain your friends. Advice about using an adjacent sound toe as a proximal splint is good-I should have included that. Oddly enough, I was exiting the bathroom a month or so ago in a hasty manner to reach the ringing phone and introduced two toes of my right foot to the interior door casing and wall frame. Advice for betting: smart money is on the wall structure. After much swearing which did naught but amuse the parrot, I iced and elevated the abused digits. Not to be trite, but not unlike most other issues of life, it gets better. 😃 You’ll gimp around for a week or so, putting on shoes will test your pain tolerance, and it will pass. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-broke-my-toe/226110/6 "2004-01-26T13:56:23Z")
My best friend broke the same toe 2 weeks ago. She called me and asked if I could take her to the hospital. When I got there, her toe was at a right handle angle :eek: 3 hours at the hospital, 1 x-ray later, the doctor taped her 3 last toes together with gauze in between and told her to ice it, keep it elevated and stay off it as much as possible (which is impossible with 2 kids) That’s it. Not much more they can do. Two weeks later and it barely hurts her. Good luck!