Hi,
I take Shaolin-do in Lexington KY. About 6 months ago during sparring, I did a front kick directly into someones bent knee, which turns out to be amazingly hard.
This hyperextended my right toe, which caused a loud pop. Turns out I fractured the big toe bone, but that is now healed, and the least of my worries. The swelling for the big toe joint (attached to the foot) is persistent, and does not appear to be getting any better. Immobilizing it for 2 weeks seemed to help some, but now that I'm off, it doesn't appear to be getting any better. I can now walk on it without limping, or any pain, but I still have limited range of motion, which I can fix myself long term by stretching. While much of the swelling has subsided since the initial injury, I'm still concerned that 6 months later, I still have some. I'm taking bromelain, which is supposed to inhibit swelling, but doesn't seem to be getting rid of it. I don't want to take anti-inflammitory drugs, period.
Let my lesson here tell the rest of you, be careful with your front kicks, as your toes won't be as forgiving as the side of your foot! I'm sticking with side kicks.
The physicans assistant that wrote this evaluation indicated it may never go away, however the M.D. said it should only take 2 - 3 weeks to go away. It never has to date.
Does anyone know what I can do to get the swelling to go away, and get this healed? I wonder if it is safe to back to classes, and sparring in general.
Below is the physical examination note I obtained for my instructor for when I go back.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
The patient has limited range of motion of extension of the right great toe. He has no tenderness to palpatation in the bony or soft tissue aspects. He can fire the flexor an dexternsor tendons with good strength with no pain. There is no discernible lexity of the medial, lateral or collateral ligamnets of the interphalangeal joint or the metatarsophalangeal. There is no tenderness to palpation of the sesamoid bones. There are +2 pedal pulses and +2 capillary refill. There is full sensationi. The patient walks with a non-antalgic gait.
X-RAYS:
Three views of the right foot shows what appears to be an avulsion off the anteromedial corner of the distal 1st metatarsal. No other abnormalities are seen on x-ray.
IMPRESSION:
Right foot fracture with questionable ligamentous involvement.
PLAN:
I offered the patient MRI vs. immobilization and rest. We will attempt rest first with a postop shoe. We will see him back in 2-3 weeks. If he has persistence, we will consider MRS vs PT to start some immobilization activities. We will keep him out of sparring activities for now.
That was on 10/25. To date, the swelling has not gone down any, and I still have some joint popping, and limited range of motion. Can anyone offer any advice, or will I really have to live with this injury for the rest of my life? The M.D. didn't seem to concerned about it, as I am able to move it well, with no pain at all.