Broken toe
definition
The toe fracture, also known as a toe fracture, describes the breakage of a big or small toe bone on the foot, which is usually caused by a traumatic accident mechanism.
In the case of external violence, one speaks of an impact trauma. This can happen, for example, when you hit hard objects or when a heavy object falls on your foot. Broken toes can also occur during sporting activities.
Overall, men are more often affected than women with this clinical picture.
Due to the tendons attached to the toe bones, it often occurs as part of a toe fracture Misalignments of the Toesbecause this pulls on the broken toe bone.
Therapy is usually conservative by applying a Association or one Shoe insert, surgery is rarely performed.
causes
In most cases, the toe fracture is trauma-related.
This can happen, for example, if the foot hits a hard object or a sharp edge. A typical example of this is overlooking a table or chair leg.
Another cause could be a falling object if the foot is not withdrawn quickly enough.
But also in accidents and especially sports accidents, toes are often broken. Football is a typical sport for this.
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Athletes (joggers, soccer players, etc.) are particularly often affected by diseases of the foot. In some cases, the cause of the foot discomfort cannot be identified at first.
Therefore, the treatment of the foot (e.g. Achilles tendonitis, heel spurs, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I focus on a wide variety of foot diseases.
The aim of every treatment is treatment without surgery with a complete recovery of performance.
Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.
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Symptoms
The toe fracture can affect one or more toes, and the severity of the symptoms can vary accordingly.
Of the big toe consists of two, the other four toes of three bones each. Often one speaks of so-called limbs instead of bones.
The broken toe is most often found on the base phalanx.
First of all, those affected feel very severe pain in the area of the injured toe, followed by swelling and possibly a bluish discoloration that is due to a bruise.
In addition, the attaching tendons can cause the toe to be misaligned and a Protection of the affected foot due to the pain and the Restriction of movement come.
diagnosis
The diagnosis is usually made clinically Patient talk and within the clinical examination.
It is noticeable that the site of the injury is mostly pressure painful and swollen is, there is often a bruise and a Misalignment.
In addition, the mobility of the toes is limited.
In order to finally secure the diagnosis and to be able to describe the fracture gap precisely, a X-ray of the forefoot.
This is of great importance for further therapy planning.
A possible differential diagnosis of a broken toe is this Toe dislocationwhere the bones dislocate from the joint. This can be treated relatively easily by manual repositioning.
therapy
Because of the painful symptoms that restrict movement, therapy should definitely be started early.
In an acute situation, you can break your toe Cooling, restraint and elevation relieve something.
Also pain medication like aspirin or Ibuprofen or an ointment treatment with Diclofenac can provide acute pain relief.
In order to avoid long-term effects and further complications, medical help should be sought immediately afterwards. There are various therapy options depending on the type of fracture.
In the case of a simple fracture, the bone fragments are usually not offset against each other and the toe fracture can be treated conservatively.
Under conservative treatment one understands a non-operative therapy procedure.
This is usually done by a stabilizing bandage and a special shoe insert that should be worn for two to three weeks. The injured toe is usually connected to the neighboring toe and should thereby be fixed in its position.
The shoe insert is used to stabilize when walking.
If the fragments are displaced against each other, they are manually moved by the doctor in local anesthesia brought back into position. Then another takes place X-ray examinationto ensure that the bones are in their physiological starting position.
Once the original position has been reached, the further procedure is identical to that of the simple fracture. This type of toe fracture is also called dislocated fracture designated.
A certain exception is that open toe fracturein which the soft tissue jacket is broken through. If it is there, one should operative care occur.
First, the wound must be rinsed and possibly cleaned of foreign bodies and the broken pieces should be returned.
A wire is often used to bring the broken ends together so that they can grow together again. It is a so-called Osteosynthesis procedure.
When the big toe is broken, instead of the wire are common Screws or plates used for stabilization. Additionally comes with Big toe fractures a Lower leg cast for four to six weeks for use for additional fixation.
The operation can in principle be carried out under local anesthesia and has relatively few complications. Infections with the following are possible Wound healing disorder, Injuries to adjacent structures or bleeding.
As a prophylactic, this procedure is therefore usually carried out under antibiosis and tetanus protection.
Bandage for a broken toe
Toe fractures can be very painful and usually occur as a result of minor household accidents. The first symptoms are severe pain and a strong swelling or blue discoloration of the toe. Many sufferers walk around on their broken toes for a long time before they go to the doctor, who then does an X-ray.
If a Fracture of a toe the treatment consists of one cooling and from the Apply a fixative bandage. The association usually consists of only one stabilizing plaster, which is wrapped around the affected toe and applied to the adjacent toe to hold it in place.
In addition, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or Voltaren can be given in the event of pain. The bandage should 1-2 weeks be worn.
A follow-up check by means of x-rays is usually not necessary and is only carried out if there is persistent pain or if the toe is tilted.
Duration of a broken toe
After a little toe fracture, discomfort can last for a long time. Although the bones can be expected to grow together within 2-3 weeks, the irritated nerves in the area of the toe can lead to long-lasting pain.
Movement impairments and pain when moving are reported by some patients up to 4-6 weeks after the accident.
Most of the time the pain disappears with a toe fracture after about 2-3 days with consistent cooling and pain relieving treatment. But it is important that if the toe fractures, the bandage is used to fix it.
If there are prolonged episodes of pain with a broken toe, further imaging must be considered. An X-ray image of the affected toe would then be performed again. If no clear cause of the pain can be seen, you should think again about performing an MRI, which can show muscles and nerves better in addition to the bones.
forecast
The broken toe usually heals completely within a few weeks and no further follow-up care is necessary. The foot is then fully resilient again and the original state of mobility is achieved again.
However, if complications arise, the healing process can be delayed.
In order to avoid this as much as possible, you should break your toe medical help as early as possible to be visited.
