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Sprained Toe Symptoms And Treatment

by Patrick

in Injury Help

A toe sprain is one of the less common sports related injuries, but it can be just as much of a nuisance as any other sprain. As with any sprain, the treatment follows several easy steps. The main problem with a toe sprain is that it’s hard to rest the toe, especially since you probably won’t be using crutches for an injury like this. But if you follow the tips below your sprain should heal in a timely manner.

A toe sprain is usually caused by an overwhelming stress that has been placed on the ligaments and tendons. These are the fibers that allow your muscles to move your limbs. When you stretch them too far you will often get tearing or extreme stretching of the fiber. Toe sprains are often caused by stubbing it on another object, landing in an awkward position, or straining it through a sudden change in motion when running/walking.

The symptoms of a toe sprain are like any other joint sprain. Check out this list to help identify whether your toe is sprained.

  • Swelling/bruising of the toe joint
  • Pain when the joint is moved
  • Limited motion of the joint

If you have any of these, you’ve probably got a sprain. If your toe is in an excruciating amount of pain I would recommend that you go to a doctor. Unbearable pain could be a sign of a broken bone. If you think you just have a sprain, follow the tips below.

In one of my previous articles I mentioned the acronym, R-I-C-E. This stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. I’ll cover each of these below.

Rest – This is a pretty obvious one. When you have a sprain, the last thing you want to do is move the joint. This could cause further damage, thus prolonging the injury period. Be sure to keep your toe still for at least a week after the initial injury.

Ice – Put ice on the injury as soon as possible. Ice prevents swelling and excess pain. Use the 20/40 rule with ice. 20 minutes with ice on, and 40 minutes with ice off each hour.

Compression – If you wrap the joint in a bandage, or with tape, you’ll find that the pain should decrease a bit. This is because the extra support of the bandage keeps the joint from moving unexpectedly. Try taping your injured toe to the one next to it (similar to taping injured fingers). This will help keep everything in place.

Elevation – This one isn’t quite as important for toe injuries, but it can never hurt to use it. Keep the injured foot elevated to keep blood from rushing down and pooling near the injury site. This will prevent swelling and pain.

As I’ve mentioned in other articles, you can use some sort of painkiller if you wish to help reduce any excess pain you might have. You should also make sure you have shoes with strong support for your toe to help prevent further injury.  That’s about it for a toe sprain. Hope this helped.

Related posts:

  1. Sprained Wrist Symptoms And Treatment
  2. How To Treat Knee Sprains
  3. How To Treat A Jammed Finger
  4. How To Treat a Sprained Ankle

Tagged as: sprained toe, symptoms, treatment

Article by Patrick Brady

One of my main passions is helping athletes achieve success. I am the proud owner of VerticalJumpResource.com and I hope you take some time to check out all of my tips and tricks!

Patrick has written 86 awesome articles.

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  • Feefee

    Hi! Thanks for the article. My daughter sprained her toe and cont curl it up.

  • admin

    No problem. Hopefully this article helped a bit. Sprains can take time to heal completely so tell her to be patient with it.

  • nobody

    Hi, good article. I had recently sprained my big toe & it’s been difficult walking.

  • Just sprained my toe…

    After finally recovering from a great toe-sprain gone wild I’ve just sprained my OTHER great toe! Definitely going to be resting, icing, and possibly elevating to avoid further injury. Thanks.

  • Jowee

    Thanks for the great article, I thought I sprained my big toe and this proves that I probably sprained it.

  • http://gmail lizzy

    hi i think i sprained my toe next to the pinkie toe and i cant get the ace around it has been 2 weeks since the injury and it still hurts like heck i can walk but i cant run and i have a pacer test next week great another sprain i have the worse luck ever i sprained my ankle also playing basketball i jumped the wrong way i hope this heals fast i like to be active.

  • Patrick

    Lizzy,

    Have you been to a doctor yet? If your toe has been hurting for 2 weeks it’s possible that it might be broken without you even realizing it. Some of my friends have broken their toes without ever noticing. Some people are affected by the pain more than others. If it’s just a sprain, be sure not to try and walk on it too often. It’s very easy to irritate your toe again even if you only apply minimal pressure to it.

    - Pat

  • lanita

    Hey I sprained my foot or possibly just my toes about two weeks ago but it still hurts it feels a lot better once I massage it but I’m afraid I won’t be able to walk properly again how long does it take to heal

  • Patrick

    Hey lanita,

    The amount of time it takes to heal depends on how badly you sprained it. It can take quite a while for a foot sprain to heal since you’re constantly using your feet and not giving them much opportunity to rest. I’m sure you’ll be able to walk properly again. It’s just a matter of time. Have you had it checked by a doctor to see if there is any serious damage?

  • Patrick

    Also lanita, you might want to look at getting a brace for your foot to help take some pressure off of it. Lots of sporting goods stores sell them. You’ve probably seen basketball players wearing braces at some point. They don’t impede your ability to walk very much, and they can really help reduce the amount of stress on your foot. Just a thought.

  • Ish

    Great article but quick question…
    I sprained (i think) my big toe on thursday and have a basketball game this upcoming tuesday. It is sunday and the swelling is going down but it is still there and im still limping. Should I slowly start puttin more weight on it and how long do you think before i can start playing basketball? There is not really any bruising and do you think i will be ready to go by next friday?
    Thanks

  • Patrick

    Hey Ish,

    It sounds like you have a minor sprain. I would definitely take it slow as far as putting weight back on it. You definitely don’t want to irritate it. Be sure to put ice on it every once in a while to ensure that the swelling stays down. I would also get some medical tape and wrap it around your toe to keep it from bending. As far as how long it’s going to take to heal, that’s a bit difficult to answer. It sounds like you should be ready to go by Friday, but don’t quote me on that…i’m not a doctor. ha! If you do decide to play, make sure you’re using medical tape. The stuff I’m referring to looks like this. You can probably find it any Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc.

  • Jay

    HI My daughter stumbled whilst getting off the school bus on Wednesday and her toes went under her foot and her foot then followed, so rather than going over on her ankle she went over on her toes. We went to hospital on Wednesday night where she was X Rayed for her 2nd and 5th metatarsal bone, this came back clear, however she is unable to move her toes. The doctor advised that the foot is in shock and that her movement should come back, if not go back to A&E after 3 days and sent us off with crutches and a physio referral . At the moment she is unable to put any weight on her foot which she says is really sensitive and painful. She has pain going up the back of her leg and is still unable to move her toes!!! Please help? We have iced it, we have also had heat on it and she is taking ibupubrofen

  • erin

    I hurt my toe 2 weeks ago playing soccer barefoot. It felt better then yesterday i went to a party and danced the whole time now it hurts again when i walk. what should i do????

  • Patrick

    Well, my first recommendation would have to be that you stop dancing for a while. Even a small amount of pressure on your toes can cause a great deal of pain and irritation. If it’s really painful when you walk you should probably use crutches for at least a little while. I know this can be annoying, but anything you can do to keep your toes from being stressed will prevent further injury. These kinds of injuries can take a while to heal. Even if your toe feels better, don’t put a lot of weight on it initially. Move cautiously until you’re absolutely sure that it’s completely healed. Hope this helps.

  • Patrick

    It sounds like she may have strained some tendons and/or ligaments if she has pain going up her leg as well. You might want to take a look at getting her an ankle brace to wear around her foot. They usually sell them at sporting goods stores. Lots of athletes wear them when they have sprains. I’ve had to use ankle braces many times. They provide extra support for the entire foot, not just the ankle. You might also have her try to move her toes a little bit by using her hands to move them. She shouldn’t try to put weight on her foot until it’s healed to the point where she can move the joints without any pain. These injuries can take a while to heal, so she’ll have to be patient. I have to state that I’m not a doctor though, so if it remains a problem she should definitely go back to the doctor. These recommendations are solely based on my own experiences with sprains. Hope this helps a little.

  • Annie

    Is it possible to sprain anything in the metatarsal or phalanges area?

    I hurt my foot somehow and have been reading up on sprains and stress fractures. I don’t have any “pinpoint of pain” like the stress fracture symptom, but I did begin running again after a long pause and months of constant sitting at a computer. I’m small and about 20 lbs overweight (yes, I know I should have started out walking!!) and I love to run. I was so happy I could “hit a good stride” again but now…pain in upper foot and it increases as I use the foot. Stress fracture or something else?

    I’m hoping my health insurance will cover a MRI…

    ; (

    But could it be a sprain in the midder section of my foot?

  • paul

    i originally sprained my toe over a month ago. I went to the doctors, the xrays were clear and they told me to start playing sports again oncei dont feel pain. So after about a week i played basketball and ended up getting plantar fascitis. I just finished healing from that injury but although my toe doesnt hurt much, it still swells up after i do activity. I am afraid to start playing sports again because i dont have much strength in my toe (cant push off much) and dont want the extra pressure in my foot to give me plantar fasciitis again. What should i do? Thanks

  • Patrick

    Hey Paul,

    I would definitely take it easy for a while, even if you don’t feel any pain. Make sure you take it slow when you start getting back into sports. As a basketball player, I know that the game can be hell on your feet..so I would definitely avoid playing an actual game for a while. Start off with something simple like walking. Once you feel fine with that, progress to jogging. I would also do some change of direction exercises after you’ve gotten comfortable with jogging. What I mean by this is doing some stop and go running while changing direction quickly. When you play basketball the constant stopping, starting and changing direction can be really rough on your feet. Try to lightly simulate the motions you would use in a basketball game just to make sure your toe and plantar areas don’t hurt. I would also keep using ice once in a while just to keep any potential swelling down.

    I’m guessing that the reason you got plantar fasciitis is that your toe wasn’t completely healed even though you didn’t feel much/any pain. If you’re toes aren’t fully able to support your foot, especially when playing a game of b-ball, this can put a lot of stress on other parts of your foot (like the plantar region). One thing you should always do before doing any strenuous activity is make sure you stretch out your plantar region a bit. You can do this by pulling up on your toes a bit to stretch out the bottom of your foot. Don’t pull too hard, just a light stretch to get things loosened up. I would also look into getting some arch supports for your shoes. You can usually find some that are pretty cheap, and they’ll help take some of the stress off your plantar/arch region.

    Hope this helps.

  • Patrick

    Hey Annie,

    I believe it is possible to sprain your metatarsal region. I’ve had strange pains there before, as well. I would take it easy as much as possible for now. If you still want to exercise you should only do some light walking until your foot feels better. Definitely avoid running for as long as you can. I’m sure you’re excited to get back out there and start running, but prolonging an injury is more pain than it’s worth (literally). Something you might want to try is adding soft insoles to your shoes. This will help take some strain off your foot. I find that I get pain on the top of my foot if I go running with lightly padded shoes, or if I’ve been running on hard surfaces for a while. Try to cushion your feet as much as possible. The other thing you should do is ice the area once in a while just to fend off swelling and keep the pain down. One final tip is to stretch out the top of your foot a bit. You can do this by either pointing your toes down at the ground, or by using your hands to push down on the front of your foot. Be sure to do this gently since you don’t want to over-stretch the area and hurt yourself again.

  • kendall

    when i was at dance practice i was doing a quad turn and we werent on the right floor and landed out all on my right toeand i think i sprained ine of my toes its swollen adn bruisng and hurts when i walk adn then i dropped a shampoo bottle on it and now it hurts even more what shuld i do

  • Rebecca

    How can you tell the difference between a sprain and a broken toe? I recently stubbed my toe on a door and normally stubbed toes go away in an hour for me but it has been about 9 hours. I can still walk but it hurts A LOT!

  • Patrick

    Hey Rebecca,

    It’s actually pretty difficult to tell a sprain from a break. Some people perceive the pain in different ways. If your toe isn’t getting any better I would definitely head to the doctor to get it checked out. If it’s broken it will probably swell up quite a bit, and bruising may be possible. You also should check to see if it looks crooked at all.

  • Patrick

    Wow Kendall, sounds like you’ve had bad luck with your toe. Be sure to put ice on it to control the swelling and pain. Use the 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off technique so you don’t freeze your toe. ha! A sprained toe can take a good amount of time to heal, so I wouldn’t recommend doing any strenuous dancing until you feel completely comfortable. If the pain isn’t going away be sure to have a doctor check it out to make sure it’s not broken. You also might want to wrap some medical tape around your toe to keep it from bending a lot.

  • Diane

    Hi Patrick.
    Its really nice of you to give all these kind suggestions!
    I was wondering if you can help me out too?

    I sprained my big toe a few months ago. I think i was wearing high heels and probably either walked too much or landed on my toe in a bad position. Either way my toe doesnt bother me when i am walking but if i walk too much or wear sandals with even a small heel, my toe hurts again.

    Also, even when i didnt walk much, when i pull my toe backwards towards up i feel pain… I am just very worried that it will never heal or become something serious… Someone recommended to me that i wear sneakers around but thats very difficult since i work.. :( (casual formal dress code).
    Would it heal? What should I do to treat it?

    Thank you for your help!

  • J.P.

    Hi,

    I am pretty sure I have sprained my index and middle toes on my right foot. Very painful. I can put a bit of pressure on my foot but very little on the ball of my foot and toes. I was just wondering how long would be the recommended rest period for someone who plays sport every day.

    Thanks

  • Patrick

    Hey J.P.

    I would definitely wait at least a week. Toe injuries can vary in terms of how long they take to heal. Before you go out and play any sports be sure to try lightly jogging or briskly walking to make sure your toes don’t hurt anymore.

  • Patrick

    Hey Diane,

    Sorry for the really late reply! I’m guessing that this will heal with time. However, it’s a bit strange that it’s taking so long. I’m guessing that the reason your toe still hurts is that you’re not allowing it to fully heal by wearing high heels.

    Try to stretch your toe a little bit each day by pulling up on it like you mentioned. Stop if it starts to hurt a lot. Usually stretching on a regular basis will help, but you need to be the judge of whether it’s helping you or not. Also, try getting some inserts for your high heels if you haven’t already. I’d imagine that wearing high heels puts a tremendous amount of stress on the front of your foot. If you’re still having problems you might have to try to find flat women’s dress shoes if that’s a possibility for you. Hope this helps.

  • andrew

    my toe is bruised all around and it hurts when i try to walk but when i first hit it my toe felt numb all day and now its just stiff is this severe?

  • Patrick

    Hey Andrew,

    If there is a lot of swelling and bruising then it’s possible that you have broken your toe. The toe is usually broken if it’s crooked or if it’s so painful that you can’t move it. As I say quite often, I’m not a doctor so I can’t diagnose you. However, I would see a doctor just to be safe if it still hurts after putting ice on it and making sure you’re not straining it. I would definitely consider a visit to the doctor if it doesn’t feel any better within 24 hours of the injury.

  • Angela

    My daughter hurt her big toe three weeks ago. We took her for x-rays and the doctor said the toe is not broken or chipped. He said it is likely a sprain. She dances 15 hours per week and continued to dance while her toe hurt, primarily when she had pressure on her big toe doing pointe work in ballet. The doctor recommended she stop dance for at least 10 days and see if this makes a difference. Does this sound like a long enough period of rest to make a difference. She is also icing it every night. When she does go back to dance, would taping the toe help?

  • Patrick

    Hey Angela,

    I definitely think that resting is a good idea. As far as how long she should rest, it varies between people. Ballet definitely puts a lot of strain on the toes, and I don’t think she should be continuing to dance after an injury. When she starts dancing again she’ll have to start slow just to make sure she doesn’t re-injure it again. Icing is a good idea since it will help dull any pain and keep the swelling down. Tape should definitely be used to keep the toe from moving too much. Hope this helps.

  • Michelle

    Thank you for posting this! I sprained my toe (I think doing zumba dance) and can’t really walk.

  • Paige

    Hi! I had a dance audition today and I hit my toe on the ground right before I had to dance. My right big toe was really hurting, but I have a high pain tolerance and i danced on it for almost 2 hours. My toe is very swollen after about 3 hours (from the end of the audition) even though I have been icing it and elevating it. Most of the pain and swelling is around the middle section of my toe. It hurts to walk and move my toe, but it also hurts when I don’t move anything. Thoughts?

  • Patrick

    Hey Paige,

    Sorry for the late reply. How is your toe doing now? Any improvement? If it hasn’t gotten better by now you definitely should go to a doctor to have it checked out. Also, I would take a break from dancing if you haven’t already. Dancing is one of the worst things you can do for your foot when it’s trying to heal.

  • Ethan Wong Weng Mun

    hey Patrick Brady.thanks for posting this up.i really appreciate this.

  • Patrick

    No problem, Ethan!

  • Jeanne

    Hi Patrick,
    I twisted my toe in packed sand when I fell off my surfboard about three weeks ago. It’s the second toe on my left foot. it didn’t hurt that much but started swelling up a little at the base of the toe later. It wasn’t horribly swollen and the only movement that hurt was pushing off (as in running or jumping). Also, I would gently push on the side of my toe several times a day and could feel something popping back into place. I gave it a rest for about a week and then started back to running and beach volleyball, and it felt ok at first but now is sore and swollen again. And still pops back when I push on it. Any suggestions? I’m not good at resting! Thanks.

  • Patrick

    Hey Jeanne,

    Sorry for the delayed response. How is your toe feeling now? It sounds to me like you probably dislocated something if it feels like there is something popping back into place. I would definitely try to wrap it as best you can with medical tape to help keep it from moving. You should especially do this before you go out and play any sports. If it swells up put ice on it for a bit to keep the pain to a minimum. My suggestion as far as exercising is to start slow. The worst thing you can do is jump back into exercising full force before your toe has completely finished healing.

  • amcgrane

    3 wks ago I had a box fan fall on my L 4th and 5th toes and metatarsals. Immediately they swelled up, especially the 5th digit to where there was no free space between the 4th & 5th. I had a lot of bruising on about half of my foot. Believing I broke it, I went to the urgent care and Dr said it wasnt broken by looking at the xrays. I used to work for a podiatrist and he said it sounds like it may actually be a stress Fx. After 3 wks the bruising is pretty much all gone except a tiny spot, however, the pain is not gone, my 5th toe is still swollen and red, hurts to move it and even to touch it. I carefully trimmed my toenails and it is throbbing now. If my foot isnt elevated for at least 20 mins or so, it starts to throb badly on the 5th and between 4th & 5th metatarsals. I cant wear my regular shoes-i have to wear croc style shoes bc they are the only ones wide enough that dont rub against my toes or smash my metatarsal bones together. What do you think? Still think it’s a sprain or is it sounding more like a stress Fx?

  • Amy

    Thank you for the helpful article – I don’t know how, but I believe my toe is sprained. I don’t remember anything painful happening, just a slow discomfort and then stiffness. The pain increased so much, it woke me up from sleeping. I’ve iced it, taped it and it is now elevated. I can hardly walk and am trying to keep it very still – as it is still really stiff and hurts most to flex my foot upwards. Definite sprain?

  • Patrick

    Hey Amy,

    This definitely sounds like a sprain to me. You don’t remember any point in time where you might have injured your toe? You definitely have signs of a sprain, but it’s actually a bit difficult to say without knowing what you did to it. How long has the pain been going on? Every once in a while I’ll get a pretty bad pain at some random spot in my body. For example, a couple of weeks ago I woke up and my knee hurt so bad I could hardly walk. I don’t ever remember hurting it. Sometimes I feel a lot older than I am!

    The best thing for you to do is to keep treating your toe as if it is sprained. Try to be as gentle as you can with it, and keep track of the amount of pain you’re experiencing. In my experience, random pains that pop up like this usually go away eventually on their own.

  • Patrick

    Hi amc,

    Glad to hear that the bruising is disappearing from your foot. Dropping a box fan on it will definitely do some damage. I’ve dropped cans of soup on my bare feet and that hurts like crazy!

    My guess it that you probably do have a stress fracture. It might even be a combination of a sprain and stress fracture depending on how your foot was hit. Dropping a box fan on your foot could easily fracture the small bones in your toes. I had a stress fracture in my fibula that took nearly two months to heal to the point where I could go jogging again, so I’m not surprised that your toe still hurts. Keep resting your foot and elevating it as much as possible. The only thing you can really do with a stress fracture or sprain is wait for it to heal. Hope this helps a little bit.

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