Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel shared a picture of her bruised, red, purple and swollen toe, which she revealed she broke while “jumping out of bed.” In a questionably-related tagline, she captioned the injury photo: #toesbeforehoes.
Bethenny’s toe injury did not leave her in a boot or walking cast—in the image she shared, the broken appendage was merely taped to its two neighboring toes. But just because broken toes aren’t casted doesn’t mean they don’t need to be treated by a trained podiatrist.
Before taping a broken toe and leaving it to heal, it’s crucial to make sure it has been placed in a good position. If left in a bad position, even a healed fracture can continue to cause you pain, while also making you more likely to develop a corn between the fractured toe and its neighbor. A podiatrist can help you get a broken toe back in alignment, usually without surgery, right after an injury, but if a break has already healed in the wrong position, treatment will probably have to be more invasive.
If you have sustained any kind of toe injury that results in lasting pain, it’s very important to see your Houston podiatrist—even if you can walk on the problem foot, you may have sustained a fracture. Schedule an immediate appointment with Dr. Andrew Schneider to make sure that your toe heals properly the first time around.