Discussion: Toe

As someone who recently broke her toe, I can sympathize. Mine still hasn't fully healed, even after 2+ months.

I don't run, but mostly walk, but I've found that a little support for the injured toe can really help the pain and wear-and-tear if I'm going to be active. If you can find some of the medical tape that sticks to itself but not your skin (we have it available at our local grocery store), then use that to gently tape your big toe to its neighbor first thing in the morning. I put a little bit of gauze or cotton between the toes to help with chafing. I think it can help with the swelling and provide some stability.

I've tried a lot of kinds of tape in the last few months, and I've found the sticks-only-to-itself tape ("tender tape") seems to have more give/flexibility and lets the joint move, but still provides a bit of support.

Yes, I'll tape it one way or another for orienteering this weekend. My usual favorite is plain old duct tape, though maybe Gail has something like what you describe.

And I didn't even break mine, though i seemed to have traumatized it quite a bit.

This is the toe that's not made out of normal human stuff, right?

Right, but that the main joint (the second one, ball of the foot), this is out at the last joint.

Stubbed my tie back in November. Hurt to walk. I still kept running after that because Pavlina told me to HTFU. Toe still hurts but I am not going to sit around and wait for it to be 100%.

Alas, if I waited for things to be 100%, or even say 70%, I wouldn't get to do much.

If I stubbed my tie, I think it would be hard to breathe. But I rarely wear a tie, so I'm mostly safe.

PG, The description of your injury is exactly how I hurt one of my big toes at a meet in Maryland three or four years ago. Except I hit the root so hard I tumbled face first to the trail. (I never was very good at map reading and keeping my balance along trails)
The bones don't have to break for toe injuries to be very painful. The doctor in Ottawa figured I'd triggered a case of gout. I was offered nothing but sympathy.
The injury lingered for about two years. I think celebrex taken for another inflammation helped eventually clear it up.