Urgent Advice on Broken Toe Required

[Paul_L]

Hi,

If anyone can give me advice I would be extremely grateful. I am from the UK but currently conducting fieldwork in Mauritius on the Mauritian Kestrel. This involve rock climbing, abseiling, walking up and down steep mountains through dense vegetation and boulder hopping down rivers. 3 weeks ago I was playing football, got stamped on with football boots and fractured my big toe.

I have kept off it for 3 weeks but it is still sensitive and i can not flex it downwards. I visited the local hospital yesterday and the doctor said it was ok to go back to work, he also bent the toe downwards sharply which produced a crack (he said he was just loosening the joint.) I don't think he grasped the concept of what I do for work which involves putting large amounts of stress on the feet for many hours a day and it is a worry how long I wait to go back into the mountains.

I am not sure what do, is it ok for their to be no movement in the toe and will that just come back with time? When i do weight the toe heavily it cracks which is rather worrying, is this just normal? I am trying to decide if its worth going back to the UK for proper treatment and physio as I can't afford to cause any long term damage. However this would mean sacrificing the season of field work which unless it was totally necessary for my health, I would be reluctant to do.

Many Thanks for anyone who can offer advice, i really appreciate it.

Paul

[sonu78]

Hi,
Sorry to hear about a toe injury in a relatively new atmosphere.
The reason for sustaining the toe injury was being stamped with football boots. Duration of injury - 3 weeks. This is the information given by you in brief.
Can you be more descriptive about your toe injury Did you have any skin wound, fractures.....?
With all the possibilities, you could have sustained some fracture. Whether there is fracture or not, the management remains same in the event of no other injury.
You would now require good physiotherapy. and can start working but should be careful .

[lynn1964]

I have broken many toes, always, my pinky, and now its deformed. Docs allways said, there is nothing to be done with toes, but if your on your feet like that, and in im guessing heavy boots, you may have nerve damage, if it were me, I would have it checked out.. Wish i had for mine.
Good Luck,
Lynn1964