A toe fracture is a fairly common injury, especially when it affects the "little finger" (which in the medical field is defined as the fifth toe), which is the most exposed to crushing and bumps. Although big toe fractures often require a cast or splint to heal properly, those affecting the little finger are typically treated with a supportive bandage, which can be done at home, wrapping the fourth and fifth toes together. However, if your finger is very deformed, flattened, or if the bone has pierced the skin, you should go to the emergency room immediately.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Bandage the Broken Finger
Step 1. Assess if the bandage is right for the situation
Most toe fractures, including the little toe, are actually a "stress microfracture," a slight superficial crack in the bone. However, this does not mean that it is not very painful; this type of injury is often accompanied by swelling and / or bruising of the forefoot, but the bone does not appear deformed, crooked and does not protrude from the skin. For this reason, you can easily bandage a finger that has undergone a simple stress microfracture, even if in more complex cases it is necessary to proceed with different medical actions, such as surgery, a cast or the application of a splint.
- If the pain does not significantly subside within a few days, see your doctor for a foot x-ray. if the limb is very swollen, it is difficult to see the microfractures in the plates.
- If so, your doctor may recommend a bone scan.
- Stress fractures on the little finger are caused by vigorous physical activity (for example, doing a lot of aerobic exercises or a lot of jogging), improper training techniques in the gym, trauma (involuntarily hitting an object with the foot or the fall of something heavy on the finger) and severe ankle sprains.
Step 2. Clean your foot and toes
Whenever you are dealing with trauma using medical tape, it is always best to wash the area first. This precaution allows you to eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms that could cause an infection (such as fungi), as well as get rid of the dirt and residues that prevent the tape from adhering well to the skin; water and normal soap are sufficient.
- If you really want to sanitize your toes and feet by removing most of the oil, use an alcohol-based gel or ointment.
- Before applying the bandage or tape, check that the skin is completely dry, paying particular attention to the spaces between one finger and the other.
Step 3. Put some gauze or felt between your fingers
Once you have ensured that the little finger is fractured, but not too badly, the first thing to do is insert some "cushion" material between the fifth and fourth fingers. This simple precaution avoids skin irritation and blistering after bandaging, thereby reducing the risk of infection.
- Use a sufficient amount of sterile gauze, cotton wool, or felt, making sure it cannot slip off until you have bandaged your fingers with tape.
- If your skin is quite sensitive to medical tape (it becomes itchy and irritated on contact with the adhesive), wrap the gauze completely around your fingers, trying to protect as large a surface as possible before applying the tape.
Step 4. Bandage the little finger together with the fourth finger
After inserting the wadding, sterile gauze or felt, wrap your fingers with medical and surgical tape, taking care not to over-tighten; this technique allows to stabilize, support and protect the fractured little finger with the fourth finger. Start wrapping starting from the base of the fingers up to about 6 mm from the tip; apply two separate strips of tape to prevent the bandage from being too constricting.
- If the bandage is too tight, it can impede blood circulation, causing the fingertips to turn blue. if they are numb or you feel tingling, you have wrapped the tape too tightly.
- Poor blood circulation extends healing times; then check that the bandage is stable and secure, but loose enough to allow blood to flow normally.
- If you don't have medical or surgical tape (available from pharmacies), you can use duct tape, insulation, or thin Velcro strips.
- Most simple stress microfractures involving the toes heal completely in 4 weeks, so make sure you keep the bandage on for this time.
Step 5. Change the padding and tape daily
This bandaging technique, which promotes healing and supports the finger, must be practiced for some time and is not an occasional treatment. If you take a bath or shower every day, you need to bandage your fingers daily, because wet felt or gauze does not protect against blisters and water slowly dissolves the adhesive of the tape. For this reason, remove the pad and old tape after the bath and apply a new bandage to dry, clean fingers.
- If you wash every other day, you can wait until you shower before changing the bandage, unless the bandage gets wet for some other reason, such as a storm or a flood.
- Use waterproof medical / surgical tape to reduce the frequency of new bandages, but remember to change the material whenever the gauze or wadding between your fingers gets damp or wet.
- Do not use excessive amounts of tape (even if you don't tighten it too much), otherwise you may have difficulty putting your shoes on or run the risk of overheating your foot, triggering excessive sweating.
Part 2 of 2: Using other Home Remedies
Step 1. Apply ice pack or cold therapy
You should use ice or some other cold pack to treat any musculoskeletal injury even before you go to the doctor and confirm the fracture; by doing so, you reduce the inflammation and soothe the painful sensation. Put a bag of crushed ice wrapped in a thin cloth (to avoid chilblains) or a cold gel pack on the front of the foot; a pack of frozen vegetables is also fine.
- Keep the compress on the outer foot area for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Use cold therapy 3-5 times a day in the first few days after injury.
- Secure the ice pack to your foot with an elastic bandage for better results, even compression reduces swelling.
Step 2. Lift your foot to minimize inflammation
While holding the ice on the front and side of the foot to combat edema, it is worthwhile to lift the limb; in this way, you reduce blood flow to the area and manage inflammation. Try to bring your foot up whenever possible (before, during and after cold therapy sessions), making sure to keep it higher than your heart.
- If you are on the sofa, grab a stool or some pillows to keep your leg raised above heart level.
- When you lie down in bed, use a pillow, folded blanket, or foam roller to raise your foot a few inches.
- Try to always lift both feet at the same time to avoid irritation in your hips, pelvis, or lower back.
Step 3. Limit the time you spend walking, running, and exercising that involves your feet
Another important element of home care for a toe fracture is rest; in fact, the first advice and treatment for this kind of injury is to rest without exerting pressure on the limb. Therefore, stay away from activities that caused the injury and from all exercises that involve loading the body weight on the toes and the lateral portion of the foot (walking, running, hiking) for at least 3-4 weeks.
- If you can only rest the heel area on the pedal, cycling is a great alternative to keep yourself moving and in good physical shape.
- Swimming is another sport that does not transfer body weight to the feet and is suitable during convalescence, after swelling and pain have subsided; don't forget to rewrap your fingers after being in the pool.
Step 4. Take over-the-counter pain relievers for a short time
Breaking a toe, even if it is a microfracture, causes a lot of pain and pain management is an important part of treatment. In addition to using cold therapy to numb sensitivity, consider taking over-the-counter medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or pain relievers, such as acetaminophen. To minimize side effects, such as stomach irritation, do not take these drugs continuously for more than two weeks; in the case of simple fractures, 3-5 days of pain relief therapy is sufficient.
- The group of NSAIDs includes ibuprofen (Moment, Brufen), naproxen sodium (Aleve, Momendol) and aspirin; they are perfect for this type of injury because they inhibit swelling, while analgesics only act on pain.
- Do not give aspirin to babies and ibuprofen to infants; in their case, give only acetaminophen to manage the pain.
Advice
- If you go to the hospital to have x-rays and confirm that it is a stress microfracture, your doctor is likely to show you how to bandage your little finger with your fourth finger for support before you leave the surgery.
- If you have advanced diabetes or peripheral arterial disease, you should not bandage the fractured finger with the adjacent one, because the reduced blood supply caused by the compression increases the risk of tissue necrosis or death.
- While you are healing from the fracture and the toe is bandaged, wear shoes with a stiff, wide sole to allow more space for the toes and protect them; do not wear sandals and running shoes for at least 4 weeks.
- As symptoms subside within a week or so, your doctor may request another X-ray to check the healing process.
- A simple fracture takes 4-6 weeks to heal, depending on the person's health condition and age.
- Once the pain and swelling have subsided (after 1-2 weeks), gradually increase the weight you transfer to the injured limb by standing and walking a little more each day.
