A Touchdown Turf Toe Treatment

Picture this, it’s middle of football season and there are plenty of exciting games— both at our local high schools and on the national stage. Go Cowboys!Teams everywhere are doing their best to play well and make the playoffs. So the last thing any football player wants to hear is that he has turf toe. The last thing any football player wants to hear is that he has turf toe.

Unfortunately, turf toe can be a pretty big deal. Players may not like it, but without adequate healing and rest, your football star won’t be able to play. Treating turf toe is always worth the effort.

Turf toe is a big toe sprain that weakens the whole forefoot. Hyperextending the big toe overstretches the supporting ligaments and pinches the tissues in the joint. This is painful and limits the foot’s push-off power for walking, running, and jumping. Like other sprains, this injury won’t get better on its own—and especially if your football player tries to “push through” it.

That’s why treatment is so important. Fortunately, treatment is usually simple. Unfortunately, it will mean at least a little time on the bench. Here’s what you can expect for treatment options:

• Rest – A sprained toe needs time to heal. This will mean taking a break from football and other activities that would strain the damaged ligaments.
• Ice – Ice helps decrease swelling and inflammation, alleviating pain and allowing the toe to heal.
• Stabilize – Most likely the toe will need to be protected by either a stiff shoe or a special boot to keep it from hyperextending during recovery.
• Condition – Once the damage has healed, the toe will need to be reconditioned to handle the strain of sports like football.

You’ll most likely need to make accommodations in cleats to help protect the sprained toe from further damage in the future, too. This might mean getting cleats with stiffer soles so they don’t allow your football player’s toe to bend back so far, or using orthotics to stabilize the lower limbs.

Sports injuries like turf toe can have long-lasting consequences, so they need proper treatment. Let our experts at Dallas Podiatry Works help you and the athletes in your life invest in your feet. If you have any questions or are concerned about foot pain, contact our offices in Dallas and Plano for more information or a consultation today. Just call—972.853.7100 for Dallas, and (972) 943-3323 for Plano—or use our website to reach us.