Can a broken big toe heal on its own?

The toe joints of the feet are very fragile and can be easily fractured by external forces, causing great pain to people. Big toe fracture is a relatively common phenomenon, which can cause the patient to temporarily lose the ability to walk, etc. A broken big toe requires a period of rehabilitation. Let’s take a look at whether a big toe fracture can heal on its own.

Metatarsal fractures need to be fixed with plaster. Only by avoiding repeated movement of the fracture site can the fracture heal as soon as possible. Fracture healing generally takes three months, but if you do not fix it, repeated movement of the fracture end in the early stage can easily cause non-healing, so you need to check the film.

It is best to fix the fracture with a polymer bandage, splint or plaster first. On the one hand, it can relieve local pain and reduce the risk of damage to peripheral nerves and blood vessels caused by fracture displacement; on the other hand, it can also create a good environment for fracture healing, which is conducive to future recovery and reduces the occurrence of sequelae.

The ultimate goal of treating a fracture is to restore the injured limb to the greatest possible size. Restore its function to the maximum extent possible. therefore. In the treatment of fractures, the three basic principles of reduction, fixation and functional exercise are very important.

The first step is reduction: it is to restore the displaced fracture ends to their normal or near-normal position to restore the bone's supporting function. The methods of reduction include closed reduction, surgical reduction, and external fixator reduction.

The second step is fixation: After the fracture is reduced, because it is unstable, it is easy to displace again, so different methods should be used to fix it in a satisfactory position so that it can heal gradually. Commonly used fixation methods include: small splints, plaster bandages, external fixation brackets, traction and braking fixation, etc., which are called external fixation. If the surgery is performed to insert steel plates, steel needles, intramedullary nails, screws, etc., it is called internal fixation.

The third step is functional exercise: by contracting the muscles of the injured limb, blood circulation in the tissues around the fracture is increased, fracture healing is promoted, and muscle atrophy is prevented. By actively or passively moving the unfixed joints, joint adhesion and joint capsule contracture are prevented, so that the function of the injured limb can be restored to its normal state before the fracture as soon as possible.