How to Recover From a Bruised Toe
Kicking is more than just physical pain – it can hurt your ego as you grab the leg in agony like a cartoon character knowing you did it to yourself. Fortunately, in most cases, this is not a serious injury, and you will probably feel better soon. But since it can really hurt a lot , you can make sure that walking on the edge of the couch didn’t do any major damage. Here’s what you need to know about injured toes and how to treat them.
Why are bruised toes so painful?
It turns out that we do something all the time that can lead to a bruised toe, except that when we wear shoes, we don’t actually feel it, according to Dr. Michael Trepel, a podiatrist based in New York City. In fact, a bruised toe means “while walking, you bump the front of your foot against an object, barefoot or with open-toed shoes, “ he told The Healthy in an interview .
So it makes sense that our toes are more likely to hurt at home, especially if we suddenly wake up at night and cannot make out our surroundings. The most common toe pricks are the big toe (also called the “big”) toe (big toe) and the little toe (fifth toe).
But why does the pain inflicted seem so much more intense than the injury itself?
“There are denser nerve endings around the toes because you need touch,” Trepel continues. “So injury to the tip of the toe is more painful than it would be on the heel.”
How to treat a bruised toe
This can cause severe pain, but wait a few minutes and wait to see if the pain subsides. If this is the case and you don’t see any signs of damage to your toe, skin, nail, or nail bed, then you are probably fine and you don’t need to do anything else.
But if the pain persists, Dr. Grace Torres-Hodges, an orthopedist practicing in Pensacola, Florida, recommends the classic RICE method – which means you rest, ice, squeeze and lift your foot with your injured toe, and then take – over-the-counter pain relievers if needed, ”she tells The Healthy.
Your toe may immediately start swelling or bruising, or it may happen overnight and the next day. It may also take a few days for your toe to turn black and blue, but a lapse of time does not mean that your toe is broken or something is seriously wrong.
If you strike your toenail during the impact, bleeding under the nail may occur – also called a subungual hematoma. “There is a lot of bacteria around the nails, so there is a risk of injury to the nail bed,” explains Trepel, noting that in this case, care must be taken to keep the area clean.
When to see a doctor
If your toe looks crooked or misshapen after the injection, you may need to seek medical attention. And to determine if a toe has been broken, the doctor may order an x-ray.
If your toe is broken, twisted, or misshapen, your doctor may give you a local anesthetic and then return the toe to its original position. Then it will either be glued to the adjacent toe, or surgical shoes will be fitted to keep the foot in place.
In cases where no bone has been broken, but the toe continues to be very painful after a few days, your doctor will likely recommend that you stick to the RICE method until you recover.
If the injury involves a deep cut in the skin, the doctor will clean the wound, which in some cases may mean stitches. In situations where the nail or nail bed is injured and a blood blister forms under the nail, Trepel advises the orthopedic surgeon to drain it to reduce the risk of complete nail loss.