Broken toes are extremely common and can be very painful.  The most common way to break a toe involves tripping over an object or accidentally kicking a piece of furniture.  Many patients present to my office with a broken toe that occurred by kicking the bedpost in the middle of the night while getting on to use the bathroom, or by catching their pinky toe on table or chair causing the toe to fracture and dislocate.

While many people think there is “nothing you can do for a broken toe”, this is not always true.  If one of the smaller toes is fractured and dislocated, it is important to have it reduced or put back into place to allow for proper healing and to maintain an anatomically straight toe.   The only way to accurately diagnose a toe fracture is by getting an x-ray.  Just because you are able to still ”walk” is not justification for the bone not being fractured!

If the toe is fracture and dislocated, it can be easily reduced in the office by numbing the toe and putting in back into place.  More severe toe fractures will sometimes need to be surgically aligned and repaired.

If the big toe is injured this can be more severe and should definitely be x-rayed and examined for a fracture.  Fractures of the big toe can lead to chronic pain and arthritis if left untreated.