Sprained toe facts

One of the most frequent foot injuries is sprained toe, and almost every person who is involved in some sort of sport has suffered from this condition. A foot, as well as toe, can be easily injured if one suddenly stops when running, jumping or when falling down. There are many situations that can cause sprained toe. Simply walking on rough surface can lead to the toe injury when one accidentally hits into something.

Symptoms of sprained toe

When a toe is sprained due to some reason, the most obvious and expected symptom is the pain in the affected toe. This pain is usually followed by swelling, tenderness and numbness. When one has sprained toe, it means that the ligaments in the toe are sprained. There are three grades of the sprained toe ligaments damage.

In the fists grade, there is only a micro tear in the toe ligament. When this ligament damage occurs, the person feels the pain only sometimes and not constantly, because the pain tends to appear and disappear. The walking can be performed without much difficulty.In the second grade, the toe ligament is partially torn and because of that, the injured person feels the pain when the toe is moved.In the third grade, the ligament is completely torn. When this occurs, the injured person experiences severe pain and all the rest symptoms are severe, too.

Treatment for sprained toe

When one suffers a toe sprain, he/she should first treat it at home. First of all, the strain should be sustained and the injured area rested. In order to reduce swelling or pain, one should apply ice pack on the toe. One must know that the ice should not be directly put on the affected toe, but wrapped in a towel and then applied on the toe. This should be done at least five times a day for the first three days. When the sprained toe is the big toe, then the compression of the toe is recommended. Furthermore, the sprained toe should always be in an elevated position in order to prevent the blood flow in that area. Thus, the swelling can be considerably reduced. Sometimes, the pain can be even unendurable and can cause much discomfort to the injured person. It can happen that the injured person cannot fall asleep at night due to this pain. In such cases, the person can take some pain reliever that can be obtained over-the-counter.