Broken Toe

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Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Broken Toe Overview
• Broken Toe Causes
• Broken Toe Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Broken Toe Diagnosis
• Broken Toe Treatment
• Broken Toe Self-Care at Home
• Broken Toe Medical Treatment
• Broken Toe Medications
• Other Therapy for Broken Toe
• Broken Toe Follow-up
• Broken Toe Prevention
• Broken Toe Prognosis
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• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor
• Read more on Broken Toe from Healthwise
• Viewer Comments: Broken Toe - Healing
• Viewer Comments: Broken Toe - Describe Your Experience

Each toe is made up of several bones. One or more of these bones may be broken (fractured) after an injury to the foot or toes.

Broken toes usually result from trauma or injury to the foot or toe. Injuries such as stubbing a toe or dropping a heavy object on a toe may cause a fracture. A broken toe may result from prolonged repetitive stress or movements, as in certain sports activities. This is called a stress fracture.

After the injury, pain, swelling, or stiffness will occur. Bruising of the skin around the toe may also be noticeable. The toe may not look normal, and it may even look bent or deformed if the broken bone is out of place. It may be difficult to walk due to pain, especially if the big toe is fractured.

Shoes may be painful to wear or feel tight.

Some other complications may develop as a result of the fracture. Complications can occur immediately after the injury (minutes to days), or can occur much later (weeks to years).

• Nail injury: A collection of blood may develop underneath the toenail called a subungual hematoma. If it is large, it may need to be drained. To drain a subungual hematoma a doctor will make a small hole in the toenail to drain the blood out. If the hematoma is very large or painful, the entire toenail may need to be removed.
• Open fracture: Rarely, the broken bone in a toe fracture may protrude through the skin. This is called an open or compound fracture. Careful cleansing of the wound and possibly antibiotic medication will be needed to prevent the bone from becoming infected. Sometimes surgery may be necessary.

• After the toe fracture heals, the person may still be left with arthritis, pain, stiffness, or even a deformity.
• Sometimes, the fractured bone will not heal completely (called a nonunion), or will heal improperly (called a malunion). Rarely, surgery may be necessary to fix this problem.

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