The good news is that most cases are relatively minor and can be alleviated by following RICE therapy (rest, icing, compressing/wrapping the toe, and elevating the foot, especially within the first 48 hours of injury). Stubbed toes are almost always painful, accompanied by throbbing pain, localized swelling, and temporary difficulty with walking or wearing shoes. Almost everybody has at least one or two vivid memories of a time when they smashed a toe into a wall, table leg, bed frame, threshold, raised curb-you get the idea. You probably don’t need us to tell you what a stubbed toe is. If it happens suddenly, the pain will likely be instantaneous, and it may continue to get worse and worse during the next 24 hours. Telltale signs include pain, swelling, and limited joint movement. However, turf toe can also develop slowly as the result of chronic overuse. Typically, it’s the result of hyperextending your toe past its intended range of motion.Ī single traumatic incident-say a hit on the football field that sends your body one way while your toes are stuck in place-is usually to blame. Turf toe is really just a sprain of one or more of the ligaments that support the joint at the base of the big toe. However, it’s possible to develop turf toe from any sport or physical activity-running, dancing, or even our own favorite sport here in McPherson County, basketball. Turf ToeĪs you might expect based on the name, turf toe is a common injury in “turf sports” like football and soccer.
TOE THUMBS PROFESSIONAL
If you live in Central Kansas, your best choice is to call the Community Foot Clinic of McPherson today for a professional examination. So if your big toe is hurting, it’s important to find out what the problem is and deal with it as quickly as possible.įortunately, we can help! Below are some of the most common reasons your big toe might be hurting-but of course, this is not an exhaustive list. We are here to help.Big toes may be small, but big toe pain sure isn’t!ĭespite the fact that we humans can’t, say, grab fruit or cling to tree branches with our feet like chimpanzees, our toes are still pretty important for maintaining balance and providing thrust when walking.
TOE THUMBS HOW TO
If you have questions about how to care for your pet’s dewclaws or whether your pet’s should be removed, please contact us. Your pup’s paws are important, and dewclaws on dogs serve a purpose. In particular double dewclaws are prone to becoming overgrown and digging into the tissues around them. Dogs tend to function just fine without their dewclaws, so do not be concerned if you notice your pet doesn’t have them.īecause dewclaws get less wear than the other toes, it is important to keep them trimmed as part of normal grooming. Of course if a dewclaw becomes injured, infected, or develops a problem like cancer, it may be the best course to remove it. Many times these are removed to prevent injury, however the necessity of this is debatable. Can help a dog who needs to climb or pull up such as after falling through iceĭetached or rear dewclaws seem to be less useful.Provide an extra point of contact at high speeds and sharp turns.As we have studied athletic dogs like those who compete in agility or are working animals, we have begun to notice that those dewclaws do serve purpose and are important for protecting paws. Many breeders removed them at birth to prevent potential injury to them and for cosmetic appearances.Īs we learn more, though, we are finding that dewclaws are far from useless. Beauty or Function?įor a long time, dewclaws were assumed to be vestigial and useless. Some dewclaws are unattached by bone, though, particularly double dewclaws or those found on the rear paws. Most dewclaws are attached to the rest of the paw, much like your thumb is attached to your hand.
![toe thumbs toe thumbs](https://nortonchildrens.com/wp-content/uploads/Toe-to-Hand.jpg)
If you gently grab the dewclaw and wiggle, you will notice that the dewclaw is attached to bone. If your pet has their dewclaws, you can also investigate a little further.
![toe thumbs toe thumbs](http://thegenomicist.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BDD-thumbs-side-300x249.png)
Even if your dog does not have a visible appendage where the thumb ought to be, often on closer inspection you will be able to identify a scar where one once was. Most dogs also have the equivalent of our thumb, which does not bear weight. The majority of weight is bared on the pointer and middle fingers. If you look closely, you will notice that your pet walks on the equivalent of your ring, middle, pointer, and pinky fingers. Your dog’s paw is the same anatomically as your hand (or foot). So, what’s the story with dewclaws on dogs? Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital has the answers to all your burning questions.
![toe thumbs toe thumbs](http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/12/01/1226211/467516-toe-thumb.jpg)
When you start to pay attention, you might notice that some dogs have them, some don’t, and some might have doubles or ones on the rear paws as well. When you start to think about it, your dog’s dewclaws are pretty interesting! The dewclaw is that extra fifth digit on your dog’s front feet that sits a little higher up the paw.