Would you bother going to A&E with broken big toe?

[BigGreenCookieMonster]

Just that really. Dropped a something v heavy on my big toe. 6 hours later it is swollen, throbbing/pins and needles, painful and turning beautiful colours.

The NHS website says to go to A&E if you think you've broken your big toe, but that seems a bit of an overreaction to me. I think, given no protruding bones or deformity, this is one to muscle through with wine and ibuprofen.

However, thought I'd ask for a sense check here. How would those of you with a high pain/low A&E waiting threshold respond? And is there an obvious risk I'm overlooking? Thanks!

By no means a medic, but an episode of House MD had a patient with an undiagnosed broken big toe exhibiting other symptoms due to leeched bone marrow, I think.

Just mentioning it...

No. Ring 111 and they will arrange an appointment for you at a minor injuries unit in case you need x rays.

Big toe I'd say A&E as i imagine it'll need an Xray. Any other toe you just strap it.

Big toe - yes. Other toes - depends if pointing in right direction/any cuts/ professional sports player/ various other variables.

I think I broke mine once. Heavy chair toppled over onto it. It was excrutiating, very swollen, the bruising was spectacular extending onto the top if my foot and underneath.

I didn't go to A&E or the doctor. I survived with the help of a pair of wooden clogs with a deep toe box and happily had a desk job. It took about 6-8 weeks to stop aching.

Pins and needles could be a worrying symptom, maybe signifying nerve damage or vascular compromise. You should get it looked at ASAP in A&E

minor injuries, not A and E

Big toes matter, much more necessary for walking than the others.

I broke my big toe. A&E gave me a boot to wear for 4-6 weeks. It really matters that it heals in the right direction - big toes are more important than others in terms of balancing

With those symptoms I’d go to A&E. I’d want to know what kind of injury I was dealing with.

Even moderate injury to skin and bone can lead to blood clots and sepsis if not treated adequately at the start.

My mum broke her big toe and ended up.with a pin in it for.weeks with what looked like a Cork on the end of it! The joint was all mangled.and needed fixed , she ended up.with no movement in the joint.
You need to make sure it heals correctly and you dont end up.with fused joint in your toe etc ..you need at least an x Ray to determine what the problem is and how it will heal.
It might not actually be broken but by the sound of it you need it checked out.

Oh god, wished I hadn't asked now! Was much happier in my fool's paradise where a decent bottle of red and some OTC meds would suffice. Particularly concerned about the possible need for House MD - not sure my local hospital has that level of expertise 😅.

Thanks for your advice ladies. Will toddle off tomorrow morning if it's not magically healed overnight.

I had a similiar thing 30yrs ago, wasn't allowed to leave work or allowed time off to go to A&E (I was live-in with no transport). It was never quite right afterwards. Recently I had to have my foot x-rayed, I've got arthritis now where the badly healed break was, it can be quite painful, I can no longer go on long hikes and it will get worse. I wish I'd been more forceful about going to A&E when the accident happened.

I would go to the nearest place that can x-ray (which might be A&E or minor injuries, depending on what you have where you live)

So I think your decision to go tomorrow morning is a good one.

I powered on through by ‘buddy taping’ two toes together as a splint after dropping a wardrobe on my foot (long story). My foot did heal eventually but my middle toe doesn’t bend properly and is a slightly wonky shape now. It might be wise to check you’ve no nerve damage or compromised blood supply.

I'd say yes. A friend of mine broke her foot a couple of years ago when her horse stepped on it. She went to A&E and an x-ray showed a break. They gave her a boot. Months later she was still in significant pain. She went back. They re-read the x-ray and saw she had broken her big toe. She was told she'd have been given different exercises had they initially realised. Now she has a permanently sore foot when walking, which is unfortunately her main hobby.

I really would get it checked. I broke my toe 30 odd years ago and GP was dismissive and told me to "walk it off and stop making a fuss". I've never not had pain in that foot. Recently I had a flare of extreme pain that meant I had to go to urgent care. X-ray showed not only a badly set toe, but badly set metatarsal bones, three breaks in all and my foot is now riddled with arthritis. Had my GP not been such an arsehole I might have avoided this.

Almost identical to what happened to me. I'm so cross about it.

Of course. Big toes are important. The damage might be worse than you think.

Yes. I dropped a glass table top on my feet a few years ago. Had an xray which showed my big toe wasn't broken but I ended up needing surgery to repair the nail bed so worth getting it looked at

I’d go minor injuries

Yes. Go. I broke a finger and ignored it for months. It caused no end of issues and they said I should have gone at the time. Big toe is an important one - you get a lot more compensation for losing a big toe than any other (& we all know money talks).

For a big toe I would wany an x Ray. But I had similar with ds recently and contacted my GP and they ordered an x Ray and then we jusy popped down to local hospital for it. Can tou do that?

Yes - a relative had to wear a boot due to a broken big toe. So 100% go to A&E or minor injuries if you have one.

Thanks all. I've taken your advice and brought myself to the hospital. Here's hoping the wait won't be too bad!