My foot is turning blue. How do I know if its broken?

[crid]

I'm a 16-yr old female. Yesterday I was so involved in playing my new video game that I lost my balance going down the stairs. I completely wiped out, my foot got smashed and my toe practically bent in half. I just put it off at first, kinda like when you stub your toe and the pain will go away after a while. But it didn't. I had a constant ache all day yesterday, then my foot became swollen, then it turned blue. This all happened Saturday around 11am. It is now Sunday 1pm. My big toe on my right foot is still very swollen, it is partially blue and there is bruising. It doesn't hurt at all, but if I try walking on it, it hurts. I can move it, but very minimal because of the swelling.

What should I do?

My parents know but I don't think they think its that serious. My mom actually laughed at me and gave me a sarcastic "You poor baby." So if its still bad by tomorrow, should I get someone to take me to the doctors? If my parents STILL won't take me, should I get a friend to take me to my doctors? And even if it isn't broken, shouldn't I still get it wrapped up and take some kind of effort to treat it?

Thanks for any help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

It sounds like muscle strain due to injury.Apply cold compresses ,give complete rest to the foot ,compress the foot by using a bandage and take some over the counter anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or diclofenac.Also apply some anti-inflammatory muscle relaxant on the foot.

Also as soon as possible pls get an x-ray or MRI foot(shows soft tissue injuries) done. There are 26 bones in the foot.Without an x-ray it is very difficult to say if there is any bone involved even a hair line fracture.Depending on the bone involved in fracture (which is shown in the x-ray) and the severity of fracture,treatment is different.Like for example,toe fractures generally heal well with little or no therapy while first metatarsal bone may require open reduction and internal fixation by surgery. Some of them may require immobilization with or without weight bearing and some may require compression dressings and elastic support bandages.It all depends on the bone involved and the severity of fracture.Pls consult an orthopedician.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing and if you have any additional queries.

[crid]

I think it might be getting worse, but I'm not sure. I tried moving it around just to see what I could do and it kills to try to move it. My big toe is also stuck pointing downwards. I also just asked my mom how much long I'm gonna have to put up with my foot being like this--I've been limping all day and the other side of my foot almost hurts more than the sprained area because of the limping. She said "It's not broken", and that was it. I'm just mad because whenever something like this happens my parents don't care. Unless its still bad in the middle of the week, they most likely won't take me even to my pediatrician. So I really don't know what to do.

[Carol in PA]

It sounds like you sprained your foot, as you have swelling and bruising.
Are the nailbeds pink?  That indicates good blood flow.

First aid for an injury like this would be rest, ice, compression, elevation.
Rest:  Stop walking on it.
Ice:  Ice packs to chill the injured tissue will reduce swelling and inflammation.
Compression:  Wrap with Ace wrap, but not too tightly.
Elevation:  Whenever you sit down, the foot should be elevated.  If you sit on the sofa, put your leg up on the sofa too.  If you are in bed, put a pillow under the ankle and calf.  This will help the extra fluid to drain back to the heart.
If you sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, the swelling will increase.
An Xray may or may not show a fracture.  For a broken toe, I think they use a special shoe, hard like a board, so that the foot doesn't flex.  (Kind of annoying to wear.)

If you can't sleep due to pain, Tylenol should help somewhat.
Sprains can take several weeks to heal.  Ankle sprains may take longer.

So....sit with your foot elevated.  Use ice packs as frequently as possible to reduce swelling and pain.  Wrap with compression bandage, but not too tightly, to support foot.  Tylenol for pain.

If you go to the Emergency Room, be prepared to wait a while.  An Xray might not show a fracture the first couple days.  Whether a sprain or a fracture, they will advise rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  And they will tell you to see your family doctor.

I will check back to see how you're doing.
Wishing you the best,
Carol