Children are active creatures, and with all that energy and lack of coordination comes a higher risk for injury. Since their feet are the main source of contact with the ground, and the toes are on the front of the foot, it’s not uncommon for children to suffer a number of different types of toe injuries. Below, we take a closer look at some of the more common toe injuries that kids suffer, and we help explain how they can be treated.
Common Types of Toe Injuries
Here’s a closer look at a number of different toe injuries commonly suffered by children.
- Cuts, scrapes or lacerations
- Bruises and bone bruises
- Jammed toes
- Toe fractures
- Toenail breaks or damage
- Subungual hematoma (blood clots on the nail)
- Toe dislocations
Diagnosing and Treating Toe Injuries
Some of these injuries can be treated at home by Mom and Dad, while other ones require a doctor’s attention. If you’re questioning whether you should bring them in, it’s probably a good idea to have them looked over by a professional. If pain is intense, doesn’t fade after 24 hours or gets worse, or if the cut may require stitches, have a foot specialist take a closer look.
Your specialist has a number of tools in their arsenal to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. They’ll begin with a physical exam and by asking you or your child about the injury and the symptoms. That may be all they need in order to come up with a diagnosis and a care plan, but for more serious injuries, or ones that can’t be fully diagnosed with a physical exam, imaging tests may be ordered. If a fracture or dislocation is suspected, or if they want to rule out these conditions, an X-ray might be ordered. An MRI or CT scan may also be ordered, but these tests for toe injuries are rare.
Once your doctor has come up with a diagnosis, they’ll walk you through a treatment plan. Some common treatment options include:
- Rest
- Ice
- Bracing
- Casts
- Elevation
- Activity Modification
- Stitching and Bandaging
- Surgery
Your doctor will walk your through the specifics of your treatment based on your specific diagnosis. Many minor or mild toe injuries have great treatment success with conservative care and a little time to recover. For more serious injuries, a more hands-on approach and increased recovery time may be needed, but these also often yield great results.