Toes are very small body parts that play a crucial role in many of your daily activities. Your toes help you balance, and they're necessary to allow you to walk and run. Unfortunately, it's easy to injure your toes accidentally. It's easy to stub your toe through carelessness. In many cases, stubbed toes are no big deal, but sometimes you may experience lingering pain and complications. Here are four steps you should take if you hurt one of your toes:
1. Apply ice to the area.
You may experience immediate pain and swelling after injuring your toe. Applying ice to the affected area can have a numbing effect that will alleviate some of your pain. Ice will also work to reduce swelling, which will allow you to better assess the extent of your injury. Wrap ice in a washcloth or paper towel before applying it to your foot, since a direct application of ice to skin tissue can cause cold burns.
2. Visit a doctor if your toe is crooked or punctured.
Broken toes can happen as a result of stubbing your toe. In most cases, broken toes will heal on their own without medical intervention. However, if your bone is crooked, it will need to be reset before it can heal properly. Compare your injured toe with your other toe. If it looks different or malformed, you should pay a visit to a foot specialist. You'll also need to see a specialist if your broken bone is protruding from your skin. A specialist will take x-rays to determine the extent of the damage, and they may splint your toe or perform surgery to put your bones back where they belong.
3. Stabilize your toe.
When treating a fractured toe, your main goal should be promoting healing and preventing further injury. Stabilizing your toe will allow it to heal. You may tape your injured toe to the toe beside it to stabilize it. You may want to place a piece of cotton between the two toes to wipe away sweat. Wear supportive shoes to protect your feet from additional impact while your toe heals.
4. Rest whenever possible.
Try to rest your foot as much as you can. Stop walking whenever you experience pain, and take the opportunity to elevate your foot whenever possible. Staying off your foot while your toe heals will speed up your recovery. The goal should be minimizing stress as much as you can.
