Pinky toe pain is the worst! Sometimes, you don’t even know what’s causing it. Let’s figure out what happened and a few ways to relieve the pain. 

Why is my Pinky Toe in Pain?

When you lead a busy life sometimes, you can injure your toe and not even know it. Especially if you know you didn’t do the obvious and drop something heavy on your toe. That is until you start feeling pain much later in the day or week! 

There can be a variety of reasons your toe is hurting; here are a few: 

• Hitting your pinky toe against a hard surface. This happens all too often, and at times, might lead to a more serious issue, a broken pinky toe. 
• Twisting or jamming your toe. Doing this can lead to a dislocated toe causing much pain. 
• Hyperextension of your ligament. The accidental forceful pull on a ligament causing a complete or partial tearing – commonly known as a sprain. 

What Symptoms to Look for When You Have Injured Your Pinky Toe:

Indications of having an injured pinky toe include:

• Swelling. Your toe is looking abnormally bigger. 
• Tenderness. Pain when your toe comes in contact with anything. 
• Sharp pain. A sudden and intense physical pain in your pinky toe. 
• Numbness. Your toe is not responding to feeling.
• Unaligned appearance. It is not in the right place, and even appears crooked.

You might have even heard a snap or pop in your toe, which is also not normal. 

How Can I Treat an Injured Pinky Toe?

Relieving pain in your pinky toe is more straightforward than others. Here’s how. 

For the less severe injuries: 

• Ice your swollen toe. This decreases swelling and pain. 
• Rest and elevate your foot. Sometimes your toe needs a break after a small injury. If this is the case, it can heal itself when the extra pressure of any unnecessary weight is relieved. 
• Take some over the counter painkillers. Instantly relieve smaller injury toe pain. 
• Prevent further damage. Make sure there is no friction between your pinky toe and your shoes. This will cause your skin to protect itself by hardening, creating known calluses on your toes. Choose the right shoe fit to prevent this unfavorable skin effect.

These are just a few suggestions for quick pinky toe pain relief.

If you think you have a more severe toe injury, such as a broken or dislocated toe, contact us for our professional opinion. Let us here at Canyon Oaks Foot and Ankle take care of you.