What is Turf Toe and How is it Treated?

Turf toe is a sports injury; it’s a sprain of the joint in your big toe. Mostly affecting football players, the injury happens when you overextend your toe joint. Often, this overextension occurs because your toe gets pushed forward too often, especially against a hard surface like the artificial turf in many football and soccer stadiums.

This injury can build up gradually over time. (It also gets worse without treatment, especially when you remain athletically active.) That’s why it’s important to recognize turf toe symptoms. Then, you can seek immediate treatment at the first sign of trouble.

Turf Toe Symptoms

A turf toe injury causes pain. You may also notice bruising at the bottom of your big toe. With severe injuries, your toe could even dislocate!

If you’ve sprained your big toe joint, it may hurt when you walk. Your toe could also feel stiff, and show signs of limited mobility. Without treatment, these symptoms will worsen and your risk for future injury will also increase.

Diagnosing and Treating Turf Toe in Westfield, IN

This injury usually gets diagnosed with a physical exam and by taking your medical history. In some cases, you’ll also need to X-ray a suspected turf toe injury. This helps us rule out big toe fractures.

Once you’ve been diagnosed with turf toe, treatment depends on the severity of your injury. Initially, we’ll recommend rest and icing. Elevating your foot can reduce swelling and anti-inflammatory medications can offer pain relief.

It’s also important to keep your big toe from moving while it heals. For that reason, we may immobilize your toe with taping. You’ll also need to switch up your footgear, choosing stiff-soled shoes to prevent too much pressure on your toes.

In rare cases, severe turf toe cases require surgery. But that’s more likely if your injury extends beyond your big toe joint. Or, if your injury affects your plantar plate, which includes two bones and the ligaments that keep your big toe stable. This is because turf toe and plantar plate injuries can destabilize your entire foot. 

After turf toe treatment, you’ll need to stop athletic activities and rest. If you need to have surgery, we will likely recommend a walking boot, so you can stay mobile without hurting your recovery. But we don’t want the fear of downtime to keep you from coming in for help with a turf toe injury. Instead, remember this: the sooner you see our Westfield podiatrist for this progressive injury, the less damage you’ll inflict on your toe. So schedule an appointment today, and let’s begin your road to recovery!