How to Identify a Broken Toe

Do you feel like your toe is broken but unsure? A broken toe is a fairly common injury when something heavy falls on your foot, when you have an accident, or you stumble across your toe. Most broken toes heal easily, but sometimes you need to go to the hospital for treatment. You need to learn to recognize when your toe is broken to decide whether to see a doctor.

Table of Contents

Toe Test

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Assess pain level. If your toe is broken you will feel pain when you put your weight on your leg, or when you press on it. You may still be able to walk, but if you try, the pain becomes worse. When you have pain, it is not necessarily a broken toe, but if the pain persists, it is likely that the bone has broken or broken. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you feel terrible pain every time you put your weight on your toe, the fracture may be quite severe, then you should see a doctor immediately. Small fractures don’t hurt much, and you don’t necessarily need to go to the hospital.
Pain combined with a tingling sensation is a sign of a broken bone, and you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Check toe size. You need to determine if the toe is swollen, as this is a common sign of a fracture. If it’s simply stumbling, the pain only lasts for a while and the toe doesn’t swell. But if the bone breaks, the toe will almost certainly swell.

Place the injured toe next to the normal toe in the same position on the other foot. If it is much larger than a healthy finger, it is likely to have a fracture. ^{[2] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

Observe the toe shape. When you compare the injured toe with the normal toe on the other leg, do you find it deformed or misaligned? If this happens, it is very likely that the broken toe is quite severe and you must go to the hospital immediately. Small stretch marks do not change the shape of the toe.

Check the color change. When a toe breaks a bone, unlike a typical fall, a bruise often appears and changes the color of the toe, turning it red, yellow, blue, or black. Besides, the toe is bleeding, and all these signs indicate that the toe is broken.

If you can see through the skin and see a broken bone inside your toe, that’s the surest sign and you should see a doctor right away.

Check by palpation. If you can feel the bones moving inside, or there’s unusual movement inside your toe (and it hurts!), there’s a good chance the toe is broken.

Know when to see a doctor. If your toe is painful, discolored, and swollen for several days, you should see a doctor. You may need an x-ray to make sure there’s a break, but there are times when your doctor will advise you not to touch it and let the toe heal on its own. But if the fracture is severe, additional treatment is required.

If the pain is too much for you to walk on your own, you should see a doctor immediately.
If your toe appears to be misaligned or excessively misshapen, seek medical attention immediately.
Get emergency help if your toes become cold or tingling, or when they turn blue from lack of oxygen. ^{[3] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

Broken Toe Care

Take care of your toes regularly until you see a doctor. Put ice cubes in a plastic bag and wrap a piece of cloth around the ice pack, then place the ice pack on top of the injured toe. Apply each compress for 20 minutes and do it until you are examined by a doctor. Ice helps to reduce swelling and stabilize the condition of the toe. Elevate your foot whenever possible and don’t walk far on your injured leg. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Do not apply ice continuously for more than 20 minutes because you can injure the skin of your toes if you leave it on for too long.
If you want, you should take a pain reliever such as ibuprofen or aspirin.

Follow your doctor’s instructions. During the exam, your doctor will take x-rays and teach you how to care for your toe. In some cases, the doctor has to straighten the bone, and if the fracture is too severe, they have to operate to put pins or screws into the toe, to fix the bone inside.

Let your toes rest. First, you must not participate in the activity that caused the injury, and avoid doing jobs that put pressure on the toe. Light walking, swimming, or cycling is possible, but you should not run or play contact sports for weeks afterward. In general, you should rest your toes for the amount of time your doctor recommends.

When at home, you should elevate your legs to reduce swelling.
After several weeks of convalescence, slowly begin to use your toe again. If you feel pain, you should reduce the intensity to give your toes time to rest.

Change the dressing if necessary. Most fractures or fractures do not require a cast, instead your doctor will show you how to “bandage” the broken toe with the next toe. This is a way to keep the broken toe from swinging and avoid re-injury. Ask your doctor or nurse to show you how to change the bandages and gauze every few days to keep the area clean.

If after the dressing, the toe loses feeling or changes color, it may be because the tape is tied too tightly. If so, you must remove it immediately and ask your doctor for instructions on how to tie it back.
People with diabetes should not bandage their toes, instead they should follow their doctor’s instructions by wearing special orthopedic shoes with flat soles. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Things you need

Ice bag
Adhesive bandages and medical gauze

Steps

Toe Test

Broken Toe Care

Things you need

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