What am I going to do with myself?

Hey there... so... about a month ago I was down at the beach and ended up injuring my right big toe... haha... honestly I have no idea how it even happened. It hurt pretty bad, but I didn't want to deal with going to a doctor since it was only my second day on vacation—and you know how much fun doctors are when you're just trying to relax... anyway, it bruised up quite a bit and walking was tough, though after three days things started feeling better. When I got back home to Chicago, I still didn't go in because I figured I just hit it harder than I thought and it was just a bad bruise... until now. A month and some change later, I realized I can't really bend the toe properly, and if I bump it against something—like hitting my foot on a table—it hurts like crazy... so I finally went to the doctor to get some imaging done. The radiologist's report says, and I'll quote: "Standard X-rays show a fracture in the area of the proximal phalanx head without displacement of the fracture fragments, with callus formation present. The fracture line is still visible. Obscured." Can someone please tell me what this means for me? My friends are freaking me out, saying if it healed wrong I might need surgery to reset the bone and all that... does anyone actually know more about these kinds of results? Thanks in advance...

Douglas Morgan3 said:Hey, hey there... so, here's the deal. About a month ago, I was down at the beach and managed to wreck my right big toe... haha... honestly, I have no idea how I did it. It hurt like hell, but I didn't want to go to the doctor because it was only my second day of vacation, and you know how it is—you don't want to spend your time off in an urgent care clinic. It bruised up pretty bad and walking was a struggle, but after three days, things started feeling a bit better. When I got back home to Chicago, I still didn't see anyone because I figured I just stubbed it harder than usual and it was just a bad bruise. But now, over a month later, I’ve realized I can't really bend the toe, and if I bump it against something—like hitting my foot against a table leg—it hurts like absolute mother of hell... boooooliiiiiiiiiiiiiii... so I finally went to the doctor to get some imaging done. The radiologist's report says, and I quote: "Standard X-rays show a fracture in the area of the proximal phalanx head without displacement of the fragments, with callus formation present. The fracture line is still visible. Obscured." Can someone please tell me what's going to happen to me? My buddies are freaking out, telling me that if it healed crooked, I might need surgery to reset the bone and all that. Does anyone actually understand what this report means? Thanks in advance.

Well, it clearly states right there in your report that there is no displacement. You should probably be in a splint and using crutches until this clears up; that's really the only way to force yourself to actually rest the foot and stop aggravating it.

Hey, again... I just got back from the doctor... and of course, my actual physician wasn't there—just some temp who basically told me, "Oh, you should've come earlier, we can't do anything now." Then they just tell me to go home, rest, and buddy up my thumb to my other finger... WTF... I mean, what am I even paying health insurance premiums for? Does anyone know if I can just head straight to the ER with these test results so a specialist can actually take a look, or do I really have to go through the hassle of getting a referral from my doctor first? Thanks again...

Douglas Morgan3 said:Hey again... just got back from the doctor... and of course, my regular physician wasn't there. Instead, I get some temp who basically tells me, "Oh, you should've come earlier, we can't do anything now." Then they tell me to just go home, rest it, and immobilize my thumb by taping it to my other finger.... WTF? What am I even paying health insurance premiums for? Does anyone know if I can just show up at the ER with these test results so a specialist can actually take a look and give a real opinion, or am I stuck needing a referral from my doctor first? Thanks again....

Honestly, immobilization and rest are pretty much your only options here. If the pain is getting to you, just pop some Voltaren or something similar. What you really need to do is get a splint so you're actually forced to stop using it. If you actually take care of it, the fracture will heal way faster.
Head over to the ER at Mount Sinai and tell them what's going on. Get them to put you in a splint.

I mean, let's be real, they’re probably going to try and stick a splint on it... though I honestly doubt they even carry thumb splints in this clinic... haha, just kidding... but seriously, the doctor's plan to immobilize it along with the neighboring finger is actually pretty sound. If they can't find the willpower to actually stop walking on it and give the leg a break, then a little splint isn't going to do much of anything anyway.
As for the pain, they should probably just grab some Advil or Voltaren and call it a day...

Don't even sweat it... you'll be back to walking normally in like, two months tops...
I mean, I've definitely been there myself, dealing with my own messed up fingers and toes before...

cosmicmaker30 said:Just kidding about putting a splint on a thumb... I don't even know if they make thumb splints... lol... honestly though, the doctor’s recommendation to buddy-tape it to the next finger is perfectly fine. If the person can't force themselves to actually rest their foot, then a splint isn't going to do much anyway....
As for the pain, just take some Advil or Aleve...

There are actual splints available, you just only put part of your foot in them😛. My suggestion about using a walking boot is purely based on experience—my aunt smashed her pinky toe against a doorframe this summer and ended up with a minor fracture. They just taped it to the toe next to it because she promised her doctor she'd take it easy, but she couldn't stay still and ended up limping around for three months. A boot actually forces you to stay off it.