Things that go bump in the night…

2_15 newsletterThings that go bump in the night

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and hit your toe against a piece of furniture in a dark room? After uttering a few choice words because your toe is throbbing you inspect the toe and figure there’s nothing you can do about a broken toe. This is actually a common myth many people believe, and unfortunately they wait until it’s too late to
get the proper care for their toe. Another myth is “if you can walk on it, it’s not broken.” Left untreated, a fractured toe can end up healing misaligned which will cause arthritis. Long term pain and difficulty when wearing dress shoes will forever remind you of that broken toe you did not seek care for.

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2_15 newsletter2While waiting for your podiatry appointment, remember RICE. REST the area, apply ICE, COMPRESS with an ace wrap, and ELEVATE the foot. Once you have an appointment, your Podiatrist will start by X-raying your foot in order to determine the severity of the broken bone. A simple fracture can be treated with “buddy splinting” the toe to the adjacent toe and placing the foot in a stiff sole shoe for 6 weeks.
Some people confuse the term broken and fractured which are actually the same thing. A fracture is a break in the bone. The fractured bone can be displaced or non displaced. If the fracture is displaced the bone is broken in a a direction that it has changed position (dislocated).

2_15 newsletter3Your podiatrist may need to numb your toe and realign (manipulate) the bone so that it heals in the correct position. Some toes are severely displaced and broken in multiple pieces and require surgery.

Diabetics or anyone with numbness in their feet called neuropathy may have decreased sensation in their feet. At the Gentle Foot Care Center, diabetics have walked in with severely broken toes experiencing hardly any pain due to severe chronic numbness in their feet. Additionally, anyone who suffers from poor circulation called peripheral artery disease (PAD)
can be at risk of forming a sore at the broken bone due to lack of adequate blood supply at the area. So next time you bang your toe against the refrigerator while reaching for the ice-cream, remember as you let out those choice words that your podiatrist can treat your broken toe.
Dr. Olga Garcia Luepschen and the Gentle Foot Foot Care Center are located on U.S. 27. If you have any questions call (863)-314-9255 or go to



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