Jets star running back Matt Forte has been sidelined with a turf toe injury. Whether you are a football fan or not, you may be asking yourself, what is turf toe?! Turf toe is an injury sustained to the ligaments that are located just below the first toe. Turf toe occurs when the big toe is hyperextended when pushing off a solid surface. It has become a more common injury as more fields are converted to turf for all weather play, thus the coined name “Turf Toe”. Although it has a funny name, the injury to these ligaments can often lead to a long time on the sidelines.
Due to the location of the ligaments and the function of the big toe during activity turf toe can often become a long term injury affecting not just football players, but anyone who is active. The ligaments in this portion of the foot function to create stability to two weight bearing bones called sesamoids that are pivotal during running, sprinting, walking, etc. Depending on the degree of damage to the ligaments and adjacent sesamoid bones, turf toe can be treated conservatively or surgically.
Conservatively, immobilization in a properly fitted pneumatic air walker is first line treatment. At Healthy Feet Podiatry however we do our best to get our patients back to the their activities as soon as safely possible. We have adjunct treatment options available to us, proven to provide faster healing such as Ozone therapy, shockwave, Super pulsed laser, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), just to name a few. The combination of immobilization along with actively encouraging the healing of tissue gives our patients the best chance to return to their activity of choice as soon as possible. If conservative measures fail, or your injury is deemed to be to severe to be treated conservatively, our team of surgeons will discuss in detail with you your surgical options and recovery times.
So, if you find yourself on the sidelines due to your big toe pain, call your friendly knowledgeable staff at Healthy Feet Podiatry for your same day appointment!