What Is Turf Toe?
Turf toe is not a condition several people are familiar with. For those who are not into sports and other kind of exercises like martial arts and dancing, turf toe can sound almost as foreign as hyperkalemia or methemoglobinemia. But if you are into physical activities, then you probably know what is turf toe. You might even have had the bad fortune of experiencing this injury yourself.
What Happens When You Get Turf Toe?
When you move your feet, you naturally shift your weight from foot to foot, propelling the moving motion with your big toe, which is the last part of the foot to bear your weight. If you deliberately try to keep your weight on one arched foot with the heel off the ground for a long while, you will immediately feel a great discomfort in your foot. Now imagine if the weight is suddenly shifted to just the balls of your feet and your big toe gets to bear the brunt of your weight. It could happen when your shoe somehow sticks to the ground while you’re moving about, or when your foot slides on a slick turf.
The big toe is the main joint in your foot that acts like a hinge to make it easy for your foot to move up and down. Supporting the joint of your big toe are two small bones, no bigger than peas, called sesamoids. These two bones work with the tendon that makes your big toe move and are the shock absorbers for your body weight when you stand or move on your feet.
Turf toe happens when the big toe is suddenly bent upwards, a movement known as hyperextension. This happens mostly due to physical exertions related to a vigorous sport or activity. The injury can also occur on the other toes as well, but most cases occur mainly on the big toe, which supports more body weight than the other toes. The muscles and ligaments around the big toe are stretched and often damaged, and sometimes the bones of the foot can get fractured. This is why an X ray check is often administered to make sure that the injury is a mere sprain and not the more serious fracture. Sometimes, the term turf toe can also refer to the condition when the nail of the toe is suddenly forced into the cuticle, resulting in pain and swelling. This is a result of improperly cut nails hitting against the shoe.
The term “turf” relates to the ground used for sports events, such as grassy lawns like golf courses or rubber jogging tracks. This is because turf toe usually happens on grounds like these and to people who are very active on their feet such as martial artists and sports athletes. Artificial turf is more prone to giving turf toe than natural grounds, but it depends on the shoes you wear too. There are footwear styles that are more liable to cling to turf, and super flexible shoes also don’t provide enough support and protection for the toes. Ballerinas, dancers, and football players are prone to getting turf toe while in the midst of their routines, but it can also happen to anyone who has moved their foot in such a way that the big toe has extended far beyond its usual comfortable range of movement.
What Are The Turf Toe Symptoms?
Turf toe symptoms are a direct result of when the ligaments and muscles around the big toe are strained and damaged, and redness and swelling result as well as moderate to severe pain, depending on the severity of the injury. The pain is concentrated around the base of the big toe, when the tendon swells and presses against the sesamoids. One of the turf toe symptoms that don’t usually all the time when it takes place is a popping sound is heard or felt by the person undergoing it. Immediate pain is felt and the muscles in the foot react to the strain by swelling. When this happens, moving the big toe can get really excruciating.
Turf Toe Treatment Options
Even a slight movement of the injured toe can cause extreme pain, so those suffering from it should not use their toes, and in most cases you cannot even move them. Practically all cases of foot and leg movement are halted while the big toe is healing. And depending on the seriousness of the injury, the person suffering from turf toe will be advised to stay still. Turf toe recovery time can last for three weeks or extend as long as two months.
As soon as pain is felt around the big toe, ice should be applied to the injury as soon as possible. Body weight should be kept off the injured foot, and the area around the toes should be wrap or tape to contain swelling as much as possible. Turf toe taping should be done after applying an ice compress to prevent from further injury while walking or standing.
Using a turf toe brace that is specially constructed to protect the big toe is a popular move, but it is usually hard to find the proper area for bracing the joint. The priority should be keeping the toe from bending upwards and possibly worsening the injury. For mild cases, wearing shoes with firm soles, such as those with a metal plate, are enough for keeping the toes mobile.
Turf toe inserts are also recommended by doctors because these turf toe inserts will prevent the big toe from bending during walking. They are also known as turf toe insoles because they are insoles that you will insert in your shoes.
Turf toe treatment also involves the taking of anti-inflammatory and painkilling medication that will reduce swelling and pain. Ibuprofen is more commonly used than paracetamol and mefenamic acid, both of which can be too weak to reduce the pain. If the swelling and pain doesn’t go down in two to four days, an X-ray, ultrasound or electrotherapy check should be administered to look for any sign of fracture to the bones of the foot. A rehabilitation program will be administered to focus on strengthening the injured foot and speed up its recovery.
What Are The Dangers Of Untreated Turf Toe?
The primary goal of turf toe treatment is to allow the injury enough time to heal. This means the entire foot needs to rest. Mild cases can heal in a couple of weeks, but more serious injuries can last as long as nine weeks. As soon as the big toe can be safely moved again, physical therapy is often required to bring back the foot’s natural movement and strength.
Badly treated turf toe can lead to a chronic case, where the injury can return again and again, worsening each time. This is because the joint of the big toe has never healed properly. Severe cases can require a long and intensive therapy to make sure the toe regains all its range of motion and vigor.
Ignored cases of turf toe can develop into hallux limitus, where the sprain or fracture makes the big toe’s movements limited. Hallux limitus can progress to hallux rigidus, where the big toe remains frozen in place. Pain will get worse and worse, especially when any attempt to move or push the big toe is made.
How To Prevent Turf Toe?
Avoid getting turf toe by making sure to wear tough shoes with good grip and proper support, not just for your heels and arches but for your toes as well. Ill-fitting shoes that push against your big toe should be discarded. Those who are suffering from turf toe should also follow advices from their doctor and physical therapist on how to keep from getting turf toe again.
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