UKH

Been thinking about this for a couple of weeks and then suddenly it occurred to me, of course UKC is the solution to all problems!

About 2 or 3 weeks ago I walked into a solid table which hurt like hell. I thought I'd just stubbed my little toe, but as it turned out I had significant bruising on little toe and top and bottom of my foot. It's still painful and not great on short walks or bike rides. I have decent mobility so I don't think anything is broken but the base is sore so I feel like there may be some soft tissue damage or internal bruising. 

Any suggestions on best ways to promote healing and how long it might take etc. Doing nothing isn't really an option as I have 2 little kids to look after. I guess it feels now like I've jumped off a boulder problem and had a bad landing. Lockdown frustration setting in! 

Ibuprofen gel twice a day.

Elevate and ice.  Can you keep the small children in one room (or the garden) with you for a while and supervise them from a chair with your foot up? 

Could be a fractured metatarsal. Wear your stiffest boots if you can get them on. 

Thanks will give it a try, that stuff seems to work miracles. A few years ago I got my finger stuck in a jeep door on the Turkey Iran border in the mountains. I thought my holiday was screwed but it took the swelling down in minutes. 

Thanks guys I definitely underestimated, should have stuck with the rest/ice strategy from the start. 

I sympathise.

In February I caught my bare foot on a wooden chair and wrenched the little toe back. 

Cue severe pain and after 3 weeks I finally went for an x-ray. Not broken but horribly painful to wear shoes/trainers/boots or walk although curiously after about 20 minutes walking it warmed up and hurt less. 

I had some physio ultrasound treatment that helped and she recommended ice 3x a day..

Its taken almost 4 months for the toe to heal completely so keep iicng and stay patient.

Good luck!

Probably an old wives tale, but I knew someone who swore by eating pineapple to get rid of bruising. If you like pineapple, it wouldn't do any harm and there is a chance it might help! 

I broke my middle toe but only realised when the bruise/swelling had gone down, "that bend in my toe doesn't look right" says I. Too late to do anything by then, can't remember if I even then went to see Dr about it. No problems with it since but maybe there will be if I manage to get to elderly.

Anyway, moral is to not wait if you're at all worried about it, or if you think that "ignoring" it will do further harm.

With the added benefit of bringing on labour (the only other thing I associate with pineapple). I have cravings now!  

Thanks! 

Broken toes and broken noses don't really count, anyway (at least in my main sport judo).

Just tape the little toe to its neighbour (or tape the basal joint stiff), and wear stiff shoes when hiking. Otherwise, as you were....

If you went to hospital and a break were confirmed, that is exactly what would happen anyway.

CB

That was exactly my thinking for the last couple of weeks but it still seemed to be niggling. I assumed plenty of climbers might have had the same kind of issues so thought I'd ask. Thanks guys. 

Spot on - that's exactly what I did a few years ago when I broke my little toe by walking barefoot into the base of a tower computer whilst looking at a window I was going to close. 

At first I thought it was just bruising and found that tight rock shoes held it in place and reduced the pain, but when it flopped about in walking boots it was agony (that was prior to going to A&E who put me onto the strapping to the adjoining toe regime).

It took approximately 6 weeks to heal completely. 

I broke two toes on my left foot (little toe and the one next to it) back when my children were small and went to A&E - had to take them as husband wasn't around. Turns out that unless it's your big toe doctors won't do anything except tell you to go home, elevate it, put ice on it and use painkillers. Tricky with small children around I agree but I'd at least save yourself the hassle of going to A&E with them.