Which toes to buddy tape

If your injured toe hurts more after buddy taping it, remove the tape. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Courtesy of. Additional Considerations. Step-by-Step Description of Procedure. Warnings and Common Errors. Test your knowledge. A year-old boy is brought to the emergency department via ambulance after he was involved in a motor vehicle collision.

The patient is unconscious on arrival. MRI shows small microhemorrhages in the brain stem. The patient remains unconscious for the next 7 hours. Based on these findings, which of the following is the most likely diagnosis? More Content. An X-ray may be needed to determine whether the toe is broken or dislocated. Home care after breaking a toe includes applying ice, elevating the foot, and rest.

Medical treatment for a broken toe depends on which toe is broken, where in the toe the break is, and the severity of the break. If you do not have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease , your toe can be " buddy-taped " to your uninjured toe next to it. Protect the skin by putting some soft padding, such as felt or foam, between your toes before you tape them together. Your injured toe may need to be buddy-taped for 2 to 4 weeks to heal.

If your injured toe hurts more after buddy taping it, remove the tape. Medical treatment is needed more often for a broken big toe than for the other toes. An untreated fracture may cause long-term pain, limited movement, and deformity. Blahd Jr. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

Read More For example, if your second toe is injured, tape it to your third toe rather than your big toe. You should also consider placing cotton gauze between the toes to reduce the risk of infection.

Additionally, retape your toe after every bath or shower so you can check for infection or skin irritation. For tips from our Medical co-author on how to identify damaged blood vessels in your toe, read on!

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All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Identify which toe is injured. Toes are very susceptible to injury and even breaking when exposed to blunt trauma, such as stubbing them against furniture or kicking sports equipment around. In most cases, it's obvious which toe is injured, but sometimes you need to examine your toes closely to better understand the injury. Signs of mild-to-moderate injuries include redness, swelling, inflammation, localized pain, bruising, reduced motion, and maybe some degree of crookedness if the toe is dislocated or broken.

The smallest toe 5th and the great toe 1st are injured and broken more often than the other toes. Small hairline fractures, bone chips, contusions bruises , and joint sprains are not considered serious problems, but severely crushed toes mangled and bleeding or displaced compound fractures bleeding with bone sticking out of the skin require immediate medical intervention, especially if the big toe is involved.

Decide which toes to tape. Once you've established which toe is injured, you need to decide which toe to tape it to. In general, try to tape toes together that are close in length and thickness — if your second toe is injured, it's easier to tape it to your third toe than your big first toe due to the similarity in size. Furthermore, your big toe is needed for "toeing off" every time you take a step, so it's not a good choice for buddy taping.

In addition, make sure the "buddy" toe is uninjured, because taping two injured toes together may make things worse. In such situations, casting or wearing a compression boot may be a better idea.