It’s ok to drive 4 weeks after a broken big toe

[Heathofhares]

So DH has broken a big toe and our planned holiday has had to be postponed. We are now looking at going in about 4 weeks time by which time I am expecting him to be pretty well recovered. He’s currently in a shoe boot and hobbling about ok.

He is being very dubious about this and thinks I will have to do all the driving etc ( it’s a road trip kind of holiday). AIBU to expect him to be able to do most everyday things. If not a load of hiking in a month?

Does anyone have experience of this injury and the prognosis?

which foot is it on? If it’s his left could you hire an automatic

I think you have unrealistic expectations of healing time.

I wouldn’t have been able to. I got told 12 weeks for total healing. Personally found after 6-8 weeks I could do most things but not after 4.

Mine took 6 weeks to heal to the point of no support / boot, but a bit longer to be able to get full use (e.g driving / walking back to totally normal). I think lots of hiking in 4 weeks could really really be pushing it!

It'll depend on his recovery time and how badly it was broken / what treatment he's had. I think YWBU to bank on that all being okay in 4 weeks!

Sorry to clarify it would be a bit of driving. No hiking at all!

The decision making process for this one is:

• can I maintain acceleration/clutch control for the length of time needed and safely to get us to destination
• can I apply the pressure needed to the brake as quickly as it would be needed to stop the car in an emergency situation

If the answer to either of those is no then he can't drive.

We are now looking at going in about 4 weeks time by which time I am expecting him to be pretty well recovered. He’s currently in a shoe boot and hobbling about ok.

Interesting that you've estimated 4 weeks healing time. What advice was your DH given at the hospital when being discharged.

@Nc830 alas it’s the right. Which is frustrating as we already have an automatic

IME it's not unrealistic that he'd be driving easily within 4 weeks. Depends on the break, depends how he heals

DH was only see in A&E and his referral to the fracture clinic resulted in a phone call saying no further treatment would be needed. And that it’ll be fine in 4-6 weeks.

So I am trying to work out if he will be a bit mobile/ able to drive at the lower end of the estimate

The four week deadline is arbitrarily imposed by the school holidays …

Will his insurance cover it if he's in accident and they find out he's still recovering from a broken toe?

I'm on week 3 and have been driving daily except the first 2 days.

It hurts loads for 3 days and then chills right out IME and you can do quite a bit of stuff with it.

I couldn't go hiking though

You'll just have to see how he feels, but I would plan on you doing the vast majority of the driving, to be honest.

I would also make sure you check whether his car insurance will cover him if he crashes and they find out he's got a broken toe!

You need to check with the car insurance company!

What is it with women on this forum being obsessed with their DH’s capability to do exactly half of all the driving, on every holiday?

This comes up so many times, often due to the sheer effrontery that a male partner might not drive at all and then “what on Earth happens on holidays? No way I’m ferrying him around the CF” etc

He could have broken it while out there you know. He could catch COVID and be rendered unable to drive too.

be flexible. Plan other things. Take up the driving yourself. Things happen.

for reference, how long is your daily driving time on this holiday? I have regularly driven 7 or 8 hours in a day with breaks. If that’s your idea of a holiday then I can’t really help you.

Wow. I broke and dislocated my big toe on my right foot and never stopped driving.

That's good, that's not the experience for everyone though.