“Possible broken toe/foot?”
Yesterday I got bit on the foot by a pitbull, it bruised instantly and started to bleed. It has been over 24 hours and I still can't walk on it, it's swollen, hard, throbs, and burns. My ring toe is bent towards my pinky toe which was not before the incident. I was to the er and the doctor only stated that my bone density looked fine on the x-ray. I don't know what to do. Could it still be fractured?
Female | 21 years old
Complaint duration: 37.5 hours
13 Answers
Hi, I feel bad hearing your story. So your story needs a lot of attention and intensive care at this point. With a story such as yours, here is what goes thru the stepwise approach:
1. initial bite and the wound have to be treated, I hope you got that at the ER.
2. worrisome of infection, there is a lot of risk of deep tissue infection from an animal bite. hope you are on some strong multiple-dose antibiotics.
3. The dog, hope you are away from the dog so you don't get reinjured.
4. follow up care, you need months of follow-up care with this type of injury. there may be symptoms that will not show up until wks later such as poor healing, infection, cyst, scarring, tendon/ligament damage, and as you stated - fracture.
So at this point, I would recommend that you see a local podiatrist and a local infectious disease doctor on your care to recover, good luck, and hope this helps.
1. initial bite and the wound have to be treated, I hope you got that at the ER.
2. worrisome of infection, there is a lot of risk of deep tissue infection from an animal bite. hope you are on some strong multiple-dose antibiotics.
3. The dog, hope you are away from the dog so you don't get reinjured.
4. follow up care, you need months of follow-up care with this type of injury. there may be symptoms that will not show up until wks later such as poor healing, infection, cyst, scarring, tendon/ligament damage, and as you stated - fracture.
So at this point, I would recommend that you see a local podiatrist and a local infectious disease doctor on your care to recover, good luck, and hope this helps.
It's best to be evaluated by a specialist
It certainly could be fractured, or it could be a "bone bruise." This is where a force is applied to a bone causing pain, bruising and welling. As long as there is no open skin laceration, it should get better with time, ice, and elevation.
Thanks for the question.
The picture doesn't include the foot. There is a risk of infection, and the question of rabies arises, as well as tetanus vaccine status. Please see your doctor.
The picture doesn't include the foot. There is a risk of infection, and the question of rabies arises, as well as tetanus vaccine status. Please see your doctor.
I would get a copy of the films and go see a podiatrist. You may have a dislocation or a mis-reading of the xrays. I have seen this occur many times.
The picture does not show me your foot. Go seek a foot specialist immediately
It sounds like bruising and possible infection. It could be a missed fracture.
I would have a foot and ankle specialist review the X-rays, but a dog bite or crush injury can create a bone contusion that will feel like a broken bone for 4-6 weeks. Keep elevating and look for signs of redness given the puncture grime the dog bite.
If it is a subtle fracture, it may not be clear on x ray right away. I recommend you make an appointment with a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) for treatment options
Yes, you could still have a significant injury. Urgent care doctors are for life and death issues. A Foot and Ankle specialist would be better to evaluate the foot and diagnostic tests like X-rays and when to consider more diagnostic tests like an MRI to determine best treatment options and expectations of success
Jan David Tepper, DPM,FACFAS
Jan David Tepper, DPM,FACFAS
It is likely not fractured if you went to the ER and the physician told you your bone density was normal-that would mean that an x-ray was taken, and almost all fractures show up on an x-ray. You may have had damage to a ligament or tendon-the only way to know that would be to have an MRI. You may even have an infection if the skin was compromised and you may need antibiotics. You really might want to consider visiting your local Podiatrist to have the problem evaluated properly.
Yes, fractured and/or dislocated.
Sounds infected. Could also have dislocated toe. See a specialist.
