Article: If you develop sudden toe pain from some type of trauma and it doesn't fade away after a few days, then schedule an appointment with your family physician or go to the emergency room of your local hospital or an urgent care clinic that has X-ray services if symptoms are severe. Your doctor will examine your toe and foot, ask questions about how you injured it, and maybe even take X-rays in order to determine the extent of the injury and type of fracture. However, your family doctor is not a musculoskeletal specialist, so you may need a referral to another doctor with more specialized training for serious problems with your toe. The most common symptoms of a broken toe include intense pain, swelling, stiffness and usually bruising due to some internal bleeding. Walking is difficult, and running or jumping nearly impossible without excruciating pain. Other types of healthcare professionals who could help diagnose and/or treat broken toes include osteopaths, podiatrists, chiropractors and physiotherapists, as well as emergency room or urgent care physicians. Small hairline (stress) fractures, bone chips and contusions are not considered serious medical conditions, but severely crushed toes or displaced compound fractures often require surgical intervention, especially if the big toe is involved. Medical specialists such as an orthopedist (bone and joint specialist) or physiatrist (muscle and bone specialist) can better assess the seriousness of your fracture and recommend appropriate treatment. Broken toes can sometimes be related to diseases and conditions that affect and weaken bone, such as bone cancer, bone infections, osteoporosis or complications related to diabetes, so the medical specialists need to consider these when examining your toe. X-rays, bone scans, MRI, CT scan and ultrasound are modalities that specialists may use to help diagnose your broken toe. Broken toes are usually the result of dropping something heavy on the foot or "stubbing" a toe against something hard and immovable. Make sure you get the doctor to clearly explain the diagnosis (including the type of fracture) and provide you with various treatment options for your injury, as simple stress fractures can usually be treated at home. In contrast, a mangled, bent, or deformed toe is usually a sign of a more serious fracture and best left to trained professionals. The smallest toe (5th) and the biggest (1st) are fractured more often than the other toes. Joint dislocations can cause crooked toes also and look similar to fractures, but physical examination and X-rays will distinguish between the two conditions.

What is a summary?
Schedule an appointment with your doctor. See a specialist. Understand the type of fracture and most appropriate treatments.