A broken toe is not a major health condition as it is very common to bang the toe somewhere or make anything fall on it which results in a swollen and painful experience. The pain in such a case may increase as per the severity of the bone’s condition. However, sometimes it also heals on its own, or if required, you may need to follow some home remedies and medications. So, to inform and assist you more about the same, we compiled a complete health guide answering “How long does a broken toe take to heal” which will surely help you in faster recovery and better dealing with its discomfort.
Table of Contents
Symptoms of Broken Toe
Identifying whether your toe is broken or not is not very tricky as encountering some of the most common signs and symptoms of a broken toe can help you a lot in getting the confirmation. So, to know about them, read the below-shared points:
- Extreme swelling
- Redness or blueness
- Constant pain
- Stiffness
- Blood clotting under the toenail
- Deformed or abnormal appearance of the toe
- Tingling
- Bruises
- Bleeding from the toe’s wound
- Discomfort in walking
How Long Does A Broken Toe Take To Heal?
The healing time of a broken toe depends on several factors including the severity of the injury, the chosen treatment, and the size of the injured toe. For instance, a little toe with a minor injury can get completely healed within four to six weeks. Whereas, a big toe with the same level of injury can take around six to eight weeks to be healed completely.
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The reason behind the healing time is due to the extra work or pressure given to different toes. For instance, the bigger toe has the maximum level of force applied to it as it not only carries the body weight but also gives balance and support in walking. Apart from this, if the toe’s condition is extremely severe, it may also take a couple of months to be healed.
Complications of Broken Toe
Broken toes come with many other complications which not only take time to heal but also cause severe pain. So, to know about such issues, read the below-shared points:
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- Nail Injury: In medical terms, it is known as a subungual hematoma in which blood clotting takes place underneath the injured toenail. To heal this, either a small hole for draining the blood is done or the entire toenail needs to be removed.
- Open Fracture: In this, the broken toe bone basically tears up the skin and becomes a wound that requires antibiotic medication to be treated well. Moreover, it can also cause major infections in that area and demand surgery to be done on an urgent basis.
- Arthritis: There are times when a broken toe makes an individual suffer from its post-treatment symptoms as well. It may include anything from arthritis issues and deformity to stiffness and pain in that particular injured toe area. It requires proper consultation from a doctor as ignorance can lead to lifetime issues.
- Surgery: Most of the severely broken or fractured toes are treated by surgery only which may lead to the internal damage of nerves or infections.
- Cartilage Injury: A broken toe also has the tendency to enter into a joint which can affect the cartilage and may result in osteoarthritis or deformity of that joint.
Prevention From Broken Toe
Following the right prevention measures can help you a lot in keeping yourself away from broken toe situations to know about them specifically, read the below-shared points:
- Replace bad sole footwear: It is advised that when your shoes or slippers’ soles become smooth and worn, you must replace them as they increase the risk of slipping and can cause toe injury.
- Say no to certain footwear: Some of the footwear that are unsupportive such as flip flops have the tendency to put excessive strain on the bones and muscles of the toe which may lead to a broken toe. Not only this but they are also open from the front and can make the toe more prone to be banged.
- Maintain diabetes: People with diabetic issues are more prone to injure the toes as they suffer from neuropathic issues which make their feet nerves weaker to even balance the body and lead them to fall.
- Regular exercise: Doing exercise regularly helps every individual to stay healthy and also lower the risk of falling down and encountering any toe fracture as it gives more strength to the body.
Treatment of Broken Toe
There are multiple tried and tested ways that can help in treating a fractured, banged, or broken toe. So, to know about those healing methods, read the below-shared points:
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- Medicinal treatment: Broken toe gives extreme pain and to manage it a painkiller is the right option. Some of the most effective medicines for the same include ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen sodium which can be bought even without any prescription. Moreover, for severe conditions of the broken toe, you may need a high dosage of consulted medicines only which demands a proper prescription.
- Surgery: A broken toe can result in the breakage of bones into minor pieces, tearing of muscle, deformation, and more which demands a minor surgery to be done to treat the condition from its roots so that it doesn’t become a lifetime problem.
- Home remedies: If you have a very minor toe injury then you can also treat it by following some of the home remedies as well. It includes tapping the injured toe with the one next to it to give support, using an ice pack over the swollen or red toe, wearing stiff-bottomed post-surgical shoes, and so on.
FAQs
Q1. What are the symptoms of a broken toe?
Extreme swelling, redness or blueness, constant pain, stiffness, blood clotting under the toenail, deformed or abnormal appearance of the toe, tingling, bruises, bleeding from the wound, and discomfort in walking are some of the signs and symptoms of a broken toe.
Q3. What are the potential complications of a broken toe?
Nail injury, open fracture, surgery, arthritis, cartilage injuries, and so on are some potential complications of a broken toe that need proper care and consultation by a physician.
Q3. How long does a broken toe take to heal?
It depends on the factors of the injury as for a little toe it requires around four to six weeks whereas on the other hand, for a big toe, it takes around six to eight weeks for proper healing.
Q4. What are the factors on which broken toe healing time depends?
The severity of the injury, the treatment method you have chosen, and the type of injured toe are the three main factors on which the healing time of a broken toe depends.
Q5. Which are the best prevention measures for broken toes?
Wearing good quality sole footwear, maintaining insulin levels in the body, doing regular exercises, avoiding unsupportive open footwear, and walking attentively are a few prevention measures that should be followed to lower the chance of breaking a toe.
Conclusion
Above we shared a brief guide on “How long does a broken toe take to heal” along with its other aspects like precautions, treatment options, symptoms, causes, factors, and more which might have helped you acquire all the knowledge related to this topic. It is advised that an individual who has a broken toe should visit the doctor as soon as possible and make the tests like X-rays done for proper examination of the condition and prescriptions accordingly. I hope the data was enough but if you still want anything else to know or ask then feel free to connect with us through the box mentioned below.
