Howard Stern Breaks His Toe And Treats It The Right Way!

On the air this morning on Sirius Satellite Radio, Howard Stern revealed that he has done what so many people do every day...he broke his toe. He stubbed his toe on the corner of his desk and broke his left fifth toe, one of the most common accidents I see in my Houston podiatry practice.

For some reason, people think there is nothing you can do for a broken toe.  For that reason, they don't go into the doctor to get it checked out.  Howard, however, is doing everything right with his broken toe.  He went to the doctor to get it evaluated, x-rayed, and treated.  He is taping his 5th toe to the 4th, called a buddy splint.  He is also wearing a fracture walker boot, which will help to prevent the affected bones from moving and causing pain.  In truth, the boot may be overkill, but offers maximum protection.  Your podiatrist may instead have you wear a surgical shoe, which will offer less immobilization but will reduce the pressure on the toe.

Howard Stern is also lamenting the fact that his running will take a hit with a broken toe.  He's right.  The truth is that running puts extra pressure on the foot and he runs the risk of worsening the break and causing the bones to displace.  If that happens then surgery may be required to correct it.  It typically takes bones 6-8 weeks to completely heal.  He can ease back in to running shortly after that.

If Howard did what most do and ignore the problem, he would be putting himself at risk.  If the bones were displaced, he could suffer from chronic swelling and pain that could only be corrected with surgery.  The treatment has been prescribed, while a nuisance, is the absolutely correct one to ensure he is back to full strength and activity in the shortest period of time.