You may have heard it by now, if you’re as celebrity obsessed as I am. I just can’t even get through the supermarket checkout aisle without knowing exactly what’s happening with Kim, Brangelina, the Teen Moms, and of course, Jennifer Aniston. And this week, the news is huge. Justin Theroux was apparently just-in time to step on Jen’s foot and break her toe. The salacious details are available here. Meanwhile, here’s what to do in case of a possibly broken toe for those who are not tabloid fodder.
First of all, let’s dispel the old myth that nothing can be done for a broken toe so there is no point going to the doctor. While it is true that most toe fractures heal very well with or without treatment, it’s hard to know, without an X-ray and proper exam, the healing potential of a particular injury. Your friendly local NYC podiatrist can evaluate the injury, determine if it is indeed fractured, (or broken- they are one in the same), and monitor the healing to ensure it is doing so at an acceptable rate.
Typically, the first of the three bones in a toe is the one that breaks, usually after running into some furniture while getting up to –ahem – do one’s duty in the middle of the night, or after the blunt trauma of Justin’s evidently large boot on a delicate feminine phalanx. In ten years of practice, I have only seen two fractures that required closed reduction, or re-alignment, of the fracture fragments due to displacement. The vast majority of fractures happens within a predictable pattern, and heals within an expected time frame, usually 3-4 weeks. And yes, the state-of-the art treatment is still taping two toes together and wearing a comfortable shoe. Which toes? Ah, young grasshopper, I can’t give away all my secrets in this blog.
So, if you’re an A-list former television and current movie star, or just a regular NYC podiatry patient, and you think you mave have a fractured toe, don’t hesitate to have the injury evaluated and treated properly, Anistoon as you can.
See you in the office.
Ernest Isaacson
