You may have heard the phrase before, but what exactly is “turf toe”?
Turf toe refers loosely to a collection of problems that may occur at the big toe. The joint that connects the big toe to the rest of the foot lies between the first metatarsal and the proximal phalange of the big toe. This joint, known commonly as the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, has two small bones that lie underneath it. These sesamoid bones act as pulleys, allowing the muscles of the foot to have a great pull on the big toe during weight bearing activities.
When something goes wrong with this apparatus, particularly during sports such as soccer and football, the injury may be referred to as turf toe.
Due to the propulsive and pivoting function of the big toe during weight-bearing activities, it is susceptible to injury.
Most commonly, the injury involves an excessive amount of dorsiflexion, or upward motion, of the big toe. This type of injury will lead to a sprain of the ligaments surrounding the joint. This is common in sports where the athlete is wearing cleats, because the cleats cause the foot to maintain a certain position while the body weight is shifting forward. Synthetic turf can create an ideal situation for this type of injury to occur, because the cleats usually stick to the turf easier, and the ground underneath the turf is generally a harder surface.
Since turf toe is a general term, it may also refer to conditions such as sesamoiditis, which is inflammation of the tissue surrounding the sesamoid bones. The sesamoid bones may also be fractured in this type of injury, or the joint capsule surrounding the first MTP joint may be compromised. When evaluating a turf toe injury, the medical professional will work to rule out more serious diagnoses. Turf toe injuries are most frequently handled by a podiatrist, orthopedist, physiatrist, or sports medicine doctor.
Treatment of turf toe, if there are no fractures or other more serious complications, is generally done by resting the foot, icing the area, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and immobilizing the toe. Usually the goal of the treatment is to allow the athlete to return to activity without further complication, and without re-aggravating the injury.
Turf toe is usually a pretty straight-forward injury, and athletes are often able to return to activity in a relatively short amount of time. It is however an injury with a high rate of reoccurrence. Roughly half of the patients that suffer from turf toe will have a reoccurrence within five years of treatment.
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