I broke my big toe while trail running downhill with my son Matthieu.
I hit a rock that was under a leaf. Always look where you land your foot. Right?
I softly fell on the trail. The toe was hurting. Like a sharp pain.
I was immediately back on my feet. I didn’t pause Strava though oops ;-).
I was able to run and quickly found a way to land my foot so it doesn’t hurt. I jogged the remaining 3 miles to the car.
When at home, I looked at it. I moved it a bit sideways to see if I could put it back in place. It clicked. 😂. Do not do that at home. That’s stupid. Okay?
I figured I had a broken big toe so I drove to the urgent care.
The X-Ray determined it was fractured. They “gave” me a pretty expensive boot. And I was back home.
Today, I saw the podiatrist. He showed me the X-Ray. The fracture starts at the joint between the two Phalanx bones (I had to Google it!).
From here I have two options: no surgery or no surgery. Both are fine. The no surgery option could potentially lead to arthritis though. Though not a guarantee, that’s a possibility.
And so I opted for the surgery. They will put a screw in my big toe bone so that everything stays together in place and forever. If, after talking with my insurance it is financially doable I will do the procedure on 10/30.
Then I’ll be able to exercise again 5 weeks after surgery.
Note that it does not take more time to rehab surgery or not.
That’s another long story. I know.
This story tells us:
- Always watch where to put your fit. And don’t forget to lift your foot high enough so it doesn’t get caught in roots or rocks.
- Make sure you have the proper gear in case it happens and you need to strap your foot or leg.
- You don’t want to be alone on a remote trail and you always tell someone where you go and at what time you’ll be back home.
- Check your insurance to know what is covered for the kind of activity you do. For example, when I run overseas I always subscribe to international search and rescue insurance that covers running activity.
Redmond, WA, USA