Personal injury in sport frequently occurs which may be a significant issue particularly in professional competitive sports since it has an effect on the opportunity to play. One particular reasonably frequent injury is what is called turf toe. This is an acute damage to the great toe joint in the feet. This injury is a bit more likely in football and also field sporting activities linked to the manufactured playing surfaces. That is how it took its term of ‘turf toe’. The actual injury is one of a sprain or tear of the ligaments under the great toe or hallux joint which has a compression injury to the cartilage material inside the big toe joint. This can be generally due to a hyperextension of big toe joint when the foot is in a slightly dorsiflexed placement. This is often a placement that players find themselves in a tackling circumstance from the foot ball sports. As this is an acute injury the signs of turf toe are a sudden onset. The initial acute signs of turf toe include things like pain at the great toe or hallux joint with swelling and some bruising. You will have a limited range of motion with the great toe or hallux and it will hurt to move. The pain will always be more serious while walking and other weight-bearing exercises. The diagnosis of a turf toe is commonly using a physical examination with the attending physician with an diagnosis with the signs and symptoms. Typically, the way in which the damage transpired can also be most likely to help arrive at the identification. Imaging using X-rays or MRI scans could be used to rule out other possible causes along with to gauge the degree of the ligament damage in the injury.
Turf toe is generally given a level according to the severity of the damage and this can be used to guide therapy. A grade 1 damage is just a strain with the plantar plate below the joint. A grade 2 can be a partial split in the plantar plate and a grade 3 turf toe damage is a total rupture with the plantar plate. The treating of turf toe would depend on the extent of the tissue destruction depending on that grading. All cases will require an initial rest along with ice and elevation together with anti-inflammatory prescription drugs. Immobilization is very important and exactly how much is dependent upon the grading. Whether it is a minor grade 1 then a firm soled shoe. A carbon fiber plate insole could be used to make the shoe much more rigid. When the turf toe is more severe, a cast or walking shoe are usually necesary for up to 4 weeks or more to give the immobilization. When the signs and symptoms start to get better, slow progressive motion and exercises may be began with the amount and intensity gradually increased over time. Strapping are usually necessary to restrict the movement with the joint in the course of the early phases of the come back to sport. Footwear having a more stiff sole or with a inflexible carbon fiber insert can be used. In some cases a steroid injection is given. In the event the initial injury would be a serious grade 3 or when the injury is not getting better, then there are several operative methods that can be used.