How to Care for Your Child with a Toe fracture

Symptoms of a toe fracture include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Stiffness
• A toe fracture can also make the toe bent in an abnormal position.

The doctor will ask a few questions about your child’s health, examine your child, and then order an X-ray.

• Toe fractures are usually treated with a splint, “buddy taping,” or both. This depends on the type of toe fracture your child has and how severe it is.
• A splint or buddy tape (using tape to hold the injured toe to a neighbouring toe) keeps the broken bone from moving while it heals. Taking good care of the splint or tape and treating pain will help keep your child comfortable while healing.
• Sometimes your doctor may recommend wearing a cast boot or stiff-soled shoe until the fracture is healed
• If your doctor advises giving medicine for pain, you can give:
  • Paracetamol (any brand) or, Ibuprofen (any brand)
  • Follow the instruction on the medicine package for the correct dose for your child
  • Do not give your child Aspirin as this can cause serious complications

Your child should avoid sports and activities that might cause pain or reinjure the toe for 3–4 weeks unless a health care provider says it’s OK.

To help reduce the swelling and relieve pain:

• Raise the foot on pillows when your child is sitting down or sleeping.
• Remind your child to wiggle the uninjured toes to keep blood circulating normally
• Put ice in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel on the broken toe when your child is awake for 20 minutes every 3 hours for up to 2 days
• Do not put ice directly on the skin.

Daily care if your child has tape:

• If you do not see visible dirt on the skin, encourage your child to use sanitiser wipes instead of washing toes and foot with soap and water.
• Replace the tape if it gets wet or dirty as directed by the healthcare provider
• Keep cotton or gauze between the buddy-taped toes to protect the skin.
• Loosen the tape if it feels too tight.

Seek medical care if:

• Pain does not improve with medicine.
• Blisters, rashes or raw spots appear on the skin around the splint or tape.
• A bad smell or drainage comes from the splint or tape.
• Your child gets a fever while the toe is healing.
• Your child’s toes are pale, cold, numb or tingly.