AIBU to ignore doctors advice re broken toe!

[Moonraker37]

Apologies, posting here to reach more people who may of had a broken toe! Broke it two days ago. I've been told not to drive for 6-8 weeks. It's my right foot, toe next to big toe if that makes any difference. it does hurt but I can hobble. I'm thinking two weeks then I'll drive... anyone had experience of this situation?

If they've said 6 - 8 weeks then it's for a reason. Why would you blatantly disregard medical advice like that.

Sorry to clarify, the issue is really, how long will it take to heal rather than a desire to rush into driving.

I broke my toe a couple of years ago, it took more than a couple of weeks to get back to normality.

If it stops you doing an emergency stop then you cannot drive.

Drive when you feel able.

go back to doctors after a couple of weeks to check perhaps?

What do you suppose is going to happen if you have to brake suddenly? At best you'll be in so much pain that you can't carry on driving. At worst, you might not brake hard enough and will either crash into someone or cause someone to crash into you. And don't waste your doctors time if you're not going to take their advice.

I'm pretty sure if you had an accident you wouldn't be covered by insurance, if you disregarded medical advice. Even if it wasn't your fault.

If you have been advised not to drive then it is very likely that ignoring that advice would invalidate your insurance should you have an accident.
That has massive implications for you and anyone else involved.

I broke my big toe a few years ago. It was a "straight break" in that the two ends of the break were still aligned. They strapped my big toe to the next toe. But told me that if the break moved out of alignment, I would need to be in a pot for up to 8 weeks.

I was very, very careful, no driving etc. I suggest you do the same

I've broken my three small toes in my right foot and in a separate accident my left big toe. On both occasions I never stopped driving but do think I could have done an emergency stop. Nobody ever told me not to drive.

Not a good idea to ignore medical advice. There are good reasons why you have been told not to drive for 6-8 weeks, some of them already outlined above.

I have broken toes in the past and I have tried to carry on as close to normal as possible

Go back to the docs after a couple of weeks and get it reassessed if you are that desperate to get driving again. I understand it can be difficult without a car but its a really bad idea to ignore the advice from a doctor.

Please don't ignore your doctor's advice. I did 20 years ago and now have arthritis in my toe joint which stops me doing much more than drive, and for a lot longer.

I broke/hairline fractured my right big toe on a Saturday, had to walk about 3 miles on it that night and then had to drive a short distance on a Monday.

It really bloody hurt and I had to brake using more of the sole of my shoe than my toe.

But by Wednesday/Thursday, it was already improving and I could drive quite well. I did make a point of wearing shoes like this which gave me both toe room and sole support too: www.jjbsports.com/images/products/24208740_l.jpg

(I didn't get medical attention as I looked online and it said there is pretty much sod-all they can do apart from strap it up and I'd already done that, so what use in taking up NHS resource for that?)

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post. I'm taking all opinions on board. I certainly wouldn't drive if I couldn't do an emergency stop. Interested to read others stories of broken toes too! How can something so small and in my case, a silly accident cause such inconvenience. I'm a sahm to preschool twins. It's going to be a challenging few weeks! Thanks again.

Don't risk it. My friend fell off a night club banister in a night club in Camden back in 2015. They had immense pain the next day and never went to the doctors about it. They regret not acting on it sooner as they have all sorts of problems with that foot now.

I broke the same toe as you and it's bent now. It wasn't strapped up or anything. Went to the local small hospital and they sent me away. Couldn't be arsed going to a & e so now have a dodgy toe. Listen to what they're telling you or you may also end up with a bent one!

If you have a broken toe you might not be able to do emergency stops properly, which could cause an accident.

If you ignore your doctors' advice you might not be insured.

And if you ignore your doctors' advice your toe might not heal properly and you could be left with a life-long problem. Feet are intricate, delicate things that really take a hammering, and are very difficult to put right when things go wrong.

I would be very careful. I know it's inconvenient, but it's for a reason.

You won't be insured if you drive when you have been advised not to.

And toe next to big toe is important! It's what you walk on and are planning to walk on for the rest of your life.