Going barefoot or wearing open-toed shoes can lead to a stubbed toe, as can late-night trips to the bathroom. Whatever the cause, here's how to know if the injury is serious, how to treat it, and prevent future ones.
Stubbed Toe? Here’s Why It Hurts So Much—and What to Do Next
Updated on Dec. 19, 2024
It’s the middle of the night and you wake up groggily in the dark to go to the bathroom, only to hit your toe on the night table. Why are you in such pain? Is your toe broken?
Simply thinking about stubbing your toe can make you wince. We’re all familiar with how terrible it feels and the pain that lingers. So, we asked podiatrists about exactly what’s happening when you do it and how to know if you’ve actually injured yourself.
What’s a stubbed toe exactly?
A stubbed toe simply means that “in the course of walking, you hit your forefoot against an object while barefoot or wearing an open-toed shoe,” says Michael Trepel, DPM, a podiatrist in New York City. “It happens far more frequently than you realize, but you’re wearing shoes, so you don’t really feel it,” he says.
Most of these injuries occur at home, often in the dark, and especially in the middle of the night when you can’t see your surroundings and are in a sleep-induced haze. Other times, you might be getting up quickly—to answer the phone or attend to a pot on the stove—and you hit your foot on the leg of a chair or dresser, Dr. Trepel says.
Why does a stubbed toe hurt so much?
Your feet are more sensitive than you might think. “There are more dense nerve endings around the toes because you need the tactile sense,” says Dr. Trepel. “Therefore, an injury around the tip of the toe generates more pain than if it happened on the heel,” he says.
What toes are most likely to be stubbed?
At her practice in Pensacola, Florida, podiatrist Grace Torres-Hodges says, “The great toe (hallux) and pinky toe (fifth digit) seem to be the ones that are most likely to be stubbed—and I’d say that the fifth toe is in the lead.”
How to tell if you broke your toe
If you’ve broken your toe, you may notice swelling around the toe or foot, discoloration like black or blue bruising around the area, and extreme pain when you walk or put weight on the toe.
“This usually occurs when something comes in between the space between toes and forcibly separates them, which can result in a fracture,” Dr. Trepel says.
What can also happen is that you bang your foot so hard, the direct impact breaks a bone.
Potential stubbed toe injuries
There are several things that can happen when you stub your toe.
Temporary pain
The pain goes away in a minute or so, you have not injured yourself, and you can resume normal activities. “It’s similar to hitting your ‘funny bone’,” says Dr. Torres-Hodges.
Ligament tear
Ligaments are flimsier compared to other structures in feet, and they can tear more easily, Dr. Trepel says.
Skin laceration
The impact breaks the skin and exposes the underlying soft tissue, says Dr. Torres-Hodges. You should look for bleeding.
Jam
This refers to “one or more of the joints in the toe that have become compressed,” says Dr. Torres-Hodges.
Nailbed injury
If your nail bears the brunt of the impact, this can cause bleeding under the nail, called a subungual hematoma. “There is a lot of bacteria around the nails, and so there’s a risk of infection with nailbed injuries,” says Dr. Trepel.
Make sure to keep the area clean. If there’s a blood blister under the nail, a podiatrist can drain it. Otherwise, you may lose the nail.
Bruising
Immediately after you stub your toe or the next morning, your toe may be swollen and painful. Within a couple of days after the hit, you may notice that your toe turns black and blue. “The fact that bruising appears two days later isn’t clinically significant. It does not mean you broke it,” Dr. Trepel says.
How to care for a stubbed toe
If the pain goes away quickly and there are no obvious changes to the nail or toe (besides bruising), then you don’t have to do anything to treat it. Otherwise, Dr. Torres-Hodges recommends that you rest, ice, and elevate your toe. You can also wear comfortable flats and take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen, if necessary.
However, if the toe is swollen, there’s a break in the skin where there’s bleeding, the toe looks crooked or deformed, you’re in severe pain, or you have diabetes or circulatory conditions, seek out medical care immediately.
Tests and treatment for a stubbed toe
If your doctor is concerned about a break, they might confirm the fracture with an X-ray. If the bone is broken and displaced, the toe will look crooked, and your doctor may perform manipulations in order to get it back in alignment, Dr. Trepel says. Local anesthesia will help reduce discomfort during this process. Your toe will have to be immobilized, so it’ll either be taped to a neighboring toe or you may be fitted for a surgical shoe.
In some cases, an X-ray might not show a break, but your toe can still be swollen and painful. “That might warrant a light compression dressing, splinting of the toe to the adjacent toe, ice, and OTC pain medication,” says Dr. Trepel.
If your injury is a laceration to the toe, then your doctor will repair the skin to close up the wound and may consider stitches, says Dr. Torres-Hodges. No matter what the fix, if you’re at the doctor for a stubbed toe, you don’t have to be embarrassed. “I always reassure patients that this is something we all do,” she says.
How to prevent a stubbed toe
Stubbed toes happen, but there are a few things you can do to make them less likely:
- Make sure there’s a clear path from your bedroom to the bathroom in case you have to get up to go in the middle of the night.
- Move chairs and other objects out of the way of common walking paths.
- Wear closed-toe shoes.
- Place corner protectors around furniture legs.
The last word
A stubbed toe can be painful, but in most cases, the pain will quickly subside on its own. However, if you notice it lingers for several hours, this could be an indication that something is amiss and requires medical attention. Seek help from a medical professional to find the right course of action for your injury.
About the experts
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Sources
- Michael Trepel, DPM, podiatrist at Trepal & Jules, DPM PC, New York City
- Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, podiatrist at Torres Hodges Podiatry, Pensacola, Florida
Medically reviewed by 
