Broken toe — advice for you
How to look after a broken toe at home, and the signs that mean you should be checked again.
You have broken a toe. The good news is that most broken toes mend on their own within 4 to 6 weeks and do not need a plaster. Follow the simple steps below to help it heal.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
These need an ambulance.
- Bone is showing through the skin, or there is bleeding you cannot stop
- The foot is numb, pale, blue or cold
- You cannot get to hospital safely
Go to the ED or the urgent treatment centre named above.
- A badly broken or crooked big toe, or any toe pointing the wrong way
- A deep cut or wound over the broken toe, or a nail torn off
- The toe becomes more red, hot or swollen, or oozes
- Severe pain that will not settle
- You have diabetes, poor circulation, or numbness in your feet and you have hurt your toe
- A child has hurt a toe and is limping or will not put weight on it
Children: injuries near the growing part of the bone can look minor on an X-ray but still need follow-up, so keep any appointment you are given. Diabetes or poor circulation: a toe injury carries a higher risk of infection and slow healing — check the toe daily, keep it clean and dry, and get it seen early rather than waiting. Open wounds or a lost nail: these need proper cleaning and may need antibiotics or a tetanus booster — do not manage these at home.
Caring for it
- Buddy strap the broken toe to the toe next to it, with a little padding in between. Do not strap a big toe — see below.
- Wear sturdy, flat, roomy shoes, or the shoe you were given.
- Rest and raise your foot up when you can.
- Put ice wrapped in a cloth on it to ease swelling.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, if you can take them.
- Walk as much as feels comfortable.
What to expect while it heals
These are normal and usually settle over the first few weeks:
Most toes are mended by 6 weeks. See your GP if pain is no better by then.
Why we don't strap the big toe
The big toe takes most of your weight, so a break there is treated differently. Do not buddy strap it. If you think your big toe is broken, or it looks crooked, come back so we can check it and decide on the best care for you.