Therapy
Due to the painful and movement-restricting symptoms, therapy should definitely be started early. In the acute situation, the toe fracture can be relieved somewhat by cooling, holding the toe in a gentle position and elevating it. Painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen or an ointment treatment with diclofenac can also help to relieve the pain.
In order to avoid late effects and further complications, medical help should be sought immediately afterwards. Depending on the type of fracture, there are various treatment options. If it is a simple fracture, the bone fragments are usually not displaced against each other and the toe fracture can be treated conservatively.
Conservative treatment is a non-surgical therapeutic procedure. This is usually done with a stabilizing bandage and a special shoe inlay, which should be worn for two to three weeks. The injured toe is usually connected to the neighboring toe and should thus be fixed in its position.
The insole serves to stabilize the toe while walking. If the fragments are shifted against each other, they are brought back into the correct position manually by the physician under local anesthesia. This is followed by another X-ray examination to ensure that the bones are in their physiological starting position.
Once the original position is reached, the further procedure is identical to that for a simple fracture. This type of toe fracture is also known as a dislocated fracture. A certain exception is the open toe fracture, in which the soft tissue mantle is broken through.
If it is present, surgical treatment should be performed.First the wound must be rinsed and possibly cleaned of foreign bodies and the fragments should be returned. A wire is often used to bring the ends of the fractures together so that they can grow together again. This is a so-called osteosynthesis procedure.
For fractures of the big toe, screws or plates are often used instead of the wire for stabilization. In addition, a lower leg cast is used for four to six weeks for additional fixation in big toe fractures. The operation can generally be performed under local anesthesia and has relatively few complications.
Possible complications are infections with subsequent wound healing disturbances, injuries to neighboring structures or postoperative bleeding. Prophylactically, this operation is therefore usually performed under antibiosis and tetanus protection. Fractures of the toes can be very painful and usually occur due to minor accidents in the household.
The first symptoms are severe pain and a strong swelling or even a blue discoloration of the toe. Many affected people walk around on the broken toe for a long time until they go to the doctor, who will then take an X-ray. If a fracture of a toe is diagnosed, treatment consists of cooling and applying a fixative bandage.
The bandage usually consists only of a stabilizing plaster wrapped around the affected toe and applied to the neighboring toe. If pain is experienced, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or Voltaren can be administered at the same time. The bandage should be worn for 1-2 weeks. A follow-up X-ray is usually not necessary and is only performed if there is permanent pain or if the toe is seen to be crooked.
