Suggest Treatment For Painful Toe

Posted on Sat, 29 Mar 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 29 Mar 2014 Answered on

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I kicked my second toe hard on the leg of the lounge three weeks ago .. It is still painful in some positions and quite swollen so many shoes will not fit. I can walk okay but am wondering if it is broken and can anything be done if it is? how long does it take to heal a broken toe?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (52 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Can be due to broken toe. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query. Since the pain is persistent even after 3 weeks of injury a broken toe is likely. For this it is important to get an x-ray foot and an MRI scan of the area done. X-rays are very sensitive for picking up any fracture and MRI is one of the best tests for ruling out and identifying soft tissue injuries in the area of injury. I suggest you to apply hot compresses on your toe and take some anti inflammatory pain killers like Ibuprofen or Tylenol after prescription from your doctor. If it is a broken toe then it can take 5-6 weeks for healing if complete rest is provided. You can also do strapping of the injured toe to the next toe. You can also follow certain lifestyle measures which can help you with this pain. These include: 1) Give complete rest to the foot. 2) Avoid bearing weight on the limb(standing, walking, etc.) 3) You may use a walker to avoid putting a direct pressure on the foot. I hope this answers your query. In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Praveen Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar