How to Know if You Are Suffering from Turf Toe

One of the sports that can lead to turf toe is martial arts.

Turf toe injuries occur when the big toe is bent back forcefully. Over extension or hyper extension of the toe joint causes the fibers in the ligaments to tear. The injury can also damage the capsule that surrounds the joint in the toe and cause intense pain toward the midsection and bottom of the big toe and under the ball of the foot. The toe can become discolored if the tissues in the toe are bruised.

Things You'll Need

• Supportive shoes
• Ice

Instructions

1. Turf toe came about because the injury frequently happens to people who play sports on an artificial surface. On turf, your shoes grip the surface which causes the weight of your body to move forward bending the big toe upward. You are at even more risk for sustaining this type of injury when wearing soft, flexible shoes. Those people who naturally have more range of motion in their ankles are also at higher risk of suffering from turf toe.

2. Engaging in field sports, particularly if playing on artificial turf, increases the risk of having turf toe. When jumping, doing cutting movements (such as in football) or running on an artificial turf that is harder than natural turf this can overextend the toe or cause the toe to get jammed.

3. Engaging in martial arts can result in turf toe. Turf toe can happen when doing martial arts because there is frequent bending of the toe, notes Sportsinjuryclinic.net.

4. Consider the symptoms. The symptoms of turf toe include pain and swelling at the metatarsal bone in the front of the foot and pain and swelling in the joint in the big toe. Tenderness and pain will occur when you bend your toe or pull it upward. An x-ray can reveal the extent of the injury.

5. Treating turf toe involves icing the injury and applying compression. Rest your foot and toe which may require that you use crutches for a few days. Wear a shoe with a firm sole to help protect your injured toe and prevent it from bending. It can take several weeks before this injury mends, depending on the extent of the sprain. If you do not treat your injury with ice and compression and protective shoes, the sprain can develop into a condition called Hallux Limitus, which reduces range of motion around the joint because arthritis sets in. It can also make it difficult for you to walk and will affect your gait.

References

• Sports Clinic: Turf Toe
• Therapy Socks: Turf Toe