Whether you’re dancing at a wedding or trying to tackle a running back on the football field, there are plenty of instances where your feet are in close proximity to other’s feet. If you’re not careful, you can get stepped on, and if a large portion of their weight is concentrated on your toe, you might suffer a toe injury. But how can you know if your toe is bruised or broken after someone steps on it? We share some tips for determining if you toe is broken in today’s blog.
Stepped on My Toe
In most cases where someone steps on your toe with a flat shoe, it’s probably not going to result in a break. Flat shoes and limited pressure being exerted on the foot means that it’s unlikely the the bones in your toe are going to become overloaded and break.
The odds of breaking a toe when someone steps on your foot increases if they are wearing specialized footwear. Cleats or heels, for example, exert more force through the pressure points of the shoe, so if they hit you with the wrong part of their shoe, it could cause extreme pain. Any person whose had their toe stepped on by someone with a high heel can tell you how much force a small woman can exert through that pressure point.
So if your toe gets stepped on, how can you tell if it’s broken or if it’s just bruised? Bruised toes generally heal on their own just fine, while broken toes sometimes need medical intervention, so it’s important to distinguish between the two. Some common symptoms that suggest you may be dealing with more than just a bruise include:
- Pain that does not decrease after 48 hours.
- Pain that intensifies after 24-48 hours.
- The discomfort affects your gait.
- Severe swelling and significant discoloration.
- Inability to bend the toe joint.
These aren’t a perfect barometer for determining if you have a broken toe, but if you’re dealing with one or more of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to schedule a visit with an orthopedic specialist. They’ll be able to conduct a physical exam and any imaging tests to pinpoint the problem and set you up with a course for rehabilitation.