 Well, if you've come this far, then you have probably at least heard of turf toe and are interested, or you are completely unfamiliar with the term and for some reason still interested...Essentially, turf toe occurs when there is enough force pushing up against your big toe that it actually causes the capsular and ligamentous tissue to strain or even in some cases rupture. If the force is great enough, the great toe can actually dislocate.
Anatomy: The anatomy of the big toe joint (1st metatarsal phalangeal joint) is pretty extensive. There are several ligaments, tendons, and even some smaller bones around this joint. The basic anatomy is as follows; The first metatarsal, the proximal phalanx of the big toe, two sesamoids, 4 tendons, and some ligaments...The picture to the right shows a bottom part of the foot. You can see the "flexor hallucis brevis" muscle and tendons going directly into small two bones on the bottom part of the joint. These two bones are called sesamoids. Take notice of the ligament in between the two sesamoids. In extreme cases of turf toe, this ligament snaps, and can lead to an unstable 1st MPJ and dislocation.
Mechanism of injury: How does this turf toe occur? Well, it is basically a force down on a planted big toe...This causes the big toe to be bent upward to a position that is much farther than it is supposed to go. Take a look at the picture to the right, this is exactly the mechanism needed for a turf toe injury. At worst, a dislocation can occur.
Treatment: Usually treatment for this injury is simply rest, ice, anti- inflammatories, and pain meds. Occasionally an insert will be placed in the shoe to limit the motion of the joint to allow it to heal. This insert is shown to the left. On very rare occasions will surgery be required to repair a turf toe injury. This would involve placing the toe back correctly in the joint, and repairing the ligaments, capsule, and/or tendons surrounding the joint. Your non-surgical turf toe injury is probably going to take at least 4-6 weeks of healing and rehab, so don't expect any quick returns of your favorite athletes with this type of injury...
Those of you that have any requests for athletic injuries that you would like to know more about email me or leave a message...
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2008 Cubs Preview
Turf toe = ouch
this is good feature. Lots of sports injuries he can learn us up about ACL/MCL's; difference between an ankle sprain and the dreaded "high" ankle sprain; pitchers get that tired arm syndrome or a torn labrum. Heck - tell me what tennis elbow is.
I'm interested in the 'high' ankle sprain too. Oh, and what's the difference between normal hernia and 'sports' hernia?
I'm glad that there is some interest here...I will continue to put things up here weekly or biweekly...
that is some good bloggin right there
Thanks for this, Ive done both my toes in playing 5 a side football..... atleast i know why my big toe jonts hurt
I currently have a severe case of turf toe. Doctor injected a steroid directly into the toe joint from the top thru to the bottom. He indicated that this would more quickly and directly reduce the swelling and pain. I hope it was worth the horrible discomfort. Anyone had success with this?
I am unable to bend my big toe down, I can move it with my fingers but don't have control over it. I was walking down the stairs and felt something snap in the bottom of my foot, sort of like a rubber band popping. It never hurt much, it wasn't until that night that I realized I couldn't bend my toe. I went to the podiatrist who determined I had snapped the tendon. They were surprised that I wasn't in pain. Since then, my other toes are getting more and more painful and my foot swells. I got a shot of cortisone in between my other toes, the doc thought I might have a stress fracture. Now I can't bend the toe next to my big toe. I go to the doc tomorrow. Should I push to get the tendon reattached? Is that even possible? I can't find anyone else who has had this happen.
I have turf toe from a traumatic injury. I was told it was quite bad. I tore the capsule, dislocated the toe and broke the tip of the toe. I have been in and out of a boot cast for 12 weeks. Ugh! I am having MRI next week. We are now talking surgery to repair the torn ligaments. Has anyone had to have this done?
Just for everyone's awareness the doctor who originally wrote this post and supplied medical commentary is not around. His schedule keeps him too busy to participate on the blog anymore. I appreciate you participation and encourage you to keep doing it but if you need an educated medical opinion I am afraid you won't get much past "walk it off" which will apparently makes things worse.
This is a new revolutionary product designed to deal with the pain of turf toe and allows the player to run at full speed. www.drbigtoe.com
I'm glad I found this thread, but I'm also a bit disheartened...
A few days ago, I managed to trip in my bedroom. The comforter on my bed had slipped off a little, partially resting on the hardwood floor. Somehow, I can't for the life of me figure out how it happened, my right foot got wrapped up in the fabric while my left foot provided a firm anchor. I completely lost my balance and fell forward.
Because the fabric held my foot fast, it couldn't move. So the weight of my body came down on my front toe, bending it upward. From what is described here, it sounds similar to a turf-toe impact. However in my case, the toenail snapped clean from the nail bed, leaving a gap. It hurt like hell, but didn't bleed profusely. I iced it immediately and took an anti-inflammatory.
Fortunately my toe hasn't ballooned at all. I can actually lift my toe and there's no pain on the underside of the joint. So, I'm thinking I don't have the typical turf-toe. It may be isolated to the outer toe joint. I am so hoping that the pop I heard was the nail being snapped off and that the joint is OK. But I guess it's time to go visit the doctor and get the full scoop on what my condition is... I sure hope this is something I will completely recover from!