It's a very common story....
You get out of bed in the middle of the night, you're not wearing any shoes, and BAM! you smack your toe into a chair or a piece of furniture. All that happens is you lose your breath and see stars.
How do I know this?
Besides it being described to me by many, many patients, it happened to me just the other day and, man, did it hurt! The next time I went into the office I took an x-ray of my foot and, fortunately, I did not break my toe.
But what if I did break my toe? Is there anything I could have done for it? Well, the answer is yes and...yes.
It is important for us to x-ray a toe, even if you think there's nothing that can be done for it. If the bones of the toe are broken, and become displaced, they will not heal in a good position and it can lead to arthritis, the formation of corns or calluses, and other things that can be ongoing and painful. If we are able to see that the toe is displaced, we usually can treat it in the office with simple manipulation that we can do in the office.
It is rare that we need to treat a broken toe with surgery, but it is possible. It is important that should you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, with an injured toe, that you contact us in the office, have a quick x-ray and get piece of mind.