Turf Toe

By Dr. Ciro Errico

In sports like soccer, football, lacrosse, track, and even gymnastics turf toe can be an injury that can occur. Though commonly seen on turf fields it can be seen in a variety of sports due to the mechanism of injury. All these sports include the need to jump, run, ‘cut’ or quickly turn; often times it occurs while the player is on his or her toes. This action causes injuries like turf toe.  

So, what is turf toe?

Turf toe is an injury in which the big toe is hyperextend causing a sprain of the ligaments surrounding the big toe. It is often times caused by jamming the big toe, or repeatedly pushing off the big toe during running or jumping.

What are a few signs and symptoms?

When a player has a possible turf toe injury there will be swelling, pain, and limited range of motion in the big toe. The player will have a hard time placing his or her foot on the floor due to the pain of trying to push off while walking.

What can a player do to help treat turf toe?

To treat turf toe the first thing to do is RICE method which includes: rest, ice, compression of the area, and elevating the foot to help reduce the swelling. Receiving professional care like chiropractic care is beneficial; there are many things that a chiropractor can do. Laser treatments help the cells of the damaged ligaments and tendons to reproduce ATP in the body, and allows for a faster recovery. Myofacial release is beneficial: the injured muscles need treatment to reduce inflammation, and also allows the surrounding muscle to not over compensate and cause more problems. MarcPro helps the muscles to flush out the inflammation, and the allows to bring more blood flow to the damaged area; this process of bringing blood to the area of damage allowing oxygen to get to the muscles and help heal the damaged muscle fibers (www.marcpro.com promo code: GOTCSI). Taping the area of damage allows a reduction of inflammation, and provides support to the tendons and ligaments. Adjustments of the foot, ankle, and the spine allow the body to stay aligned, and continue to provide optimal innate care in body.

How to prevent turf toe?

One of the best ways to prevent turf toe is to wear shoes that do not allow a significant amount of bend in the shoe to prevent excess amount of hyperextension and pushing off with the big toe. Working on gait patterns, and finding optimal foot positioning can help prevent more turf toe injuries. Also, exercises, such as the one on www.gotcsi.com youtube channel for big toe work well in strengthening the joint.

Dr. Ciro was a Doctor at Chiropractic Sports Institute, in Westlake Village, Ca. For more info go to their website: www.gotcsi.com