Broken toe

A broken toe can be painful, but you do not usually need to go to hospital. There are things you can do to treat it at home.

Symptoms of a broken toe

You may have broken your toe if it's:

• red or bruised
• painful and swollen
• difficult to walk on

Do not worry if you're not sure if it's broken or just bruised, treatment is usually the same for both.

Go to A&E if:

• you think you have broken your big toe
• your toe is pointing out at an odd angle
• the bone is sticking out of your toe
• there was a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of injury
• you feel tingling in your toe or foot or it feels numb

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 112 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

What you can do about a broken toe

Doctors will usually suggest you treat a broken toe at home first if:

• it's not your big toe
• the bone is not sticking out of your foot
• your toe is not pointing at an odd angle
• there's no wound on your toe

Broken toes usually heal within 4 to 6 weeks, but it can sometimes take several months.

Do

• take ibuprofen or paracetamol for the pain and swelling

• rest your foot and keep it raised

• hold an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a towel on your toe for up to 20 minutes every few hours

• wear wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel

• avoid walking around as much as possible

• strap up your broken toe – put a small piece of cotton wool or gauze between your sore toe and the toe next to it, then tape them together to support the sore toe