# What should I do about a potentially broken toe **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846 "2024-10-15T19:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/21 "2024-10-16T21:38:30Z")
I injured my left big toe back in June (don’t know if it was broken). Over the course of the next two months, the toenail turned purple, then white, then became loose, then fell off. I’m now about halfway through growing a new toenail. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/22 "2024-10-16T22:30:29Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That’s definitely changed in the last 35 years or so. Yeah - well that’s before the medical profession fell in thrall with big CAM boot money! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/23 "2024-10-16T23:03:09Z")
Taping is more common with an undisplsced. fracture of the proximal phalanx of the big toe, or the smaller toes. If the toe is displaced or rotated you yank it back into place, and if it is an unstable fracture it may need a Kirschner wire. It isn’t uncommon for there to be blood below the nail if you drop something on your foot, which is painful since there is very little space there. Things can be complicated by the details of the fracture extends into the joint - higher complexity is less benign. These can be more complicated than they look. Nail bed injury can hide an open fracture, and imperfect healing can result in chronic big toe pain and rigidity. Taping may be reasonable but might hurt more. It is not optimal for every fracture of this description and since the break was missed and possibly not treated it merits another look. If not possible for whatever reason, taping it is better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/24 "2024-10-16T23:18:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I stubbed it badly against a piece of furniture. Guidance was to tape it to its neighboring toe with medical tape for a few weeks, for support, and to keep it straight. When I kicked a furniture leg, the doctor didn’t take an x-ray. He said he was going to tape it to the next toe anyway, so why bother. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Buddy taping Is that a real phrase? That’s so cute. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/25 "2024-10-16T23:19:16Z")
That’s the common name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/26 "2024-10-17T14:50:40Z")
I saw an orthopedist today. He said the fracture was extremely minor and as long as I tape my toes together, avoid excess activity and wear my medical shoe for the next 1-2 months while the toe heals, I should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/27 "2024-10-17T15:11:09Z")
Glad to hear it! ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/28 "2024-10-17T16:52:27Z")
I am not a doctor, and my medical advice is sketchy at best… When I suspected a broken toe I simply duck-taped to the next toe as a splint. Then took lots of painkillers. Then climbed an 800m peak on a really steep track with a heavy pack, and spent the next five days kloofing, a form of hiking that involves walking down in and next to a river, with lots of rock-hopping. Whisky and painkillers. Both regularly. I was NOT going to miss that hike. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/29 "2024-10-17T16:53:43Z")
The toe-taping part of that sounds horribly irresponsible. The rest, however, I heartily endorse 😉 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/30 "2024-10-17T17:01:45Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I’ve broken multiple toes over the years, and pretty much every finger, some multiple times. Holy crap, sweetie, is everything, like, okay at home … ? Have you considered less violent hobbies? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846/31 "2024-10-18T07:36:17Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Holy crap, sweetie, is everything, like, okay at home … ? > > Have you considered less violent hobbies? I’m not @Happy_Lendervedder but I’ve had numerous foot injuries…doing exciting stuff like walking on level ground. Hopefully H\_L’s injuries have been from something more fun! (I have, oddly, NOT yet broken a finger. But there’s plenty of time left for that). My own foot injuries have, luckily, never required surgery or anything more than a surgical shoe / boot. The confirmed broken toe involved several breaks in the same part (medial phalanx or some such), so I did a thorough job, but luckily still got by with just buddy / surgical shoe. The doc told me not to to stuff like swimming at the beach (because of walking on sand and uncontrolled flexing of the area). Which made sense… but I went in anyway. Wearing the boot - and for about 5 seconds, as this was in Maine and it’s COOOOOLD in that ocean. But we couldn’t be by the ocean and not at least dip our toes in. I planned ahead, and brought a spare shoe to change into as soon as I did the toe-dip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-about-a-potentially-broken-toe/1008846.md?page=1)