Nechomah – “I don’t know if all podiatrists are created equal, but I would prefer, as suggested above, to see an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in feet. Yes, they do exist. I used to work for one. He’s an excellent doctor.”
I don’t know if all orthopedic surgeons are created equal, but I would prefer to see a podiatrist!
“When you give the details that you banged your toe, it sounds to me like you have what they call in Hebrew a “shetef dam”. What I think that means is that you have some internal bleeding (bruise) going on there. The bang you gave to your toe broke some small blood vessels and they bled, creating the purple color and the swelling. I would say that if your toe is very painful (like you can’t walk on it or sleep at night) or crooked, then I would go to Terem and have them take an x-ray (they would figure out from your story that it was not an infection or ingrown toe nail but possibly a fracture). If it is neither extremely painful nor crooked, then I would wear some comfortable shoes, keep your foot elevated when you can and take an anti-inflammatory, like Advil or Neurofen to help reduce the swelling and pain. If you do this for two or three days and the pain gets worse or does not improve, then I would go to Terem and have them take an x-ray.”
Thanks for your non-medical opinion (even though you worked for a surgeon), but it can be a fracture without a lot of pain!