Just looking for a bit of advice. On Tuesday I displaced and broke my little toe (sticking out in a very strange position). I put it back in myself so I could drive to Hospital for them to confirm via Xray it is broken as well.
I’ve been told to keep it strapped for 10 days and no strenuous activity for 6-8 weeks.
My question is surely it can’t be 6 weeks until I can ride again? Has anyone been in a similar situation? What could the consequences of returning to fast be?
I feel like the advice was a bit generic and surely all sport doesn’t have the same stress on your little toe?
Thanks
It’s your little toe – give it the 10 days, and then ease back in.
Not much you can do with most broken toes, give yourself a bit of a rest then try it out, fortunately you don’t use your toes that much riding.
I broke a toe years ago, I don’t recall it interfering with riding, it clicked up and down when I walked in bare feet though.
If it hurts, stop.
Give it 10 days and go see a sports physio. Toe injuries affect your ability to balance, take off and land properly, so I suspect the advice was to stop you doing things too soon and injuring yourself in other ways. That doesn’t really affect cycling, so I would expect you can start cycling relatively soon (provided your foot will fit in your shoes!). I tore a ligament in my foot last summer, I had an entire month off the bike, but then was able to ride - I still can’t play football without pain (8 months on). Cycling shoes protect your feet from the flexing and stress that other sports will apply to them.
I’d be tempted to try buying some cheap sacrificial shoes and cut a chunk out of them where your little toe is to give it some space. I am not a doctor, just an idiot
One of the all time best tour stories
"During the 1947 Tour de France, or so the story goes, one of René’s toes went septic. Since the Tour stopped in Nice, close to his home, he arranged for his doctor to come and cut it off on the rest day. Then he got on his bike the next day and continued.
In other words, instead of abandoning the race, he abandoned the toe. He’d lugged it through the Alps but jettisoned the excess ballast ahead of the Pyrenees.
Further: René then coerced his protégé and domestique , Apô Lazaridès to cut off his own toe, the better to understand the suffering a rider must endure to win the Tour de France."
https://medium.com/@m_xl/ren%C3%A9-vietto-and-the-missing-toe-f35aa858413
Or, as my wife just pointed out, you can buy SPD sandals. Perfect.
I broke already 3 times a toe. The last time I used some sort of a sandal and with that I trained indoor
First days ofcourse it hurts but already after a few days you can restart I guess.
Isn’t this toe now preserved in a jar in some bistro now, or am I getting my toe stories mixed again…?
Article says yes but provides no photo evidence.
The Sourtoe Cocktail is what I was remembering…
Tried a little ride on the trainer tonight, shoe went on fine but after about 20 mins started to get tighter and tighter (presumably foot getting bigger) so decided to stop.
Will give it a few more days and have a gentle try again. Thanks for your posts
Not necessarily recommending this, but when I was in my 20s I broke both big toes playing ultimate frisbee barefoot, I jumped up to catch the frisbee, and landed and bent both big toes under.
All I did was tape the big toe to the toe next to it, and never really stopped exercising / riding (I was racing at the time). YMMV
Any triathletes have recommendations here when it comes to returning to running/ multi-sport? B race in two weeks and A in 5. Looking at what I’m pretty sure is broken toe and trying to strategize. Thanks