International Clinical and Medical Case Reports Journal (ISSN: 2832-5788) | Volume 2, Issue 12 | Case Report | Open Access
Rashmi Bhuyan*
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, Irvine
*Correspondence to: Rashmi Bhuyan
Fulltext PDFIntroduction:Fractures of distal phalangeal bone of the toes are very common at the workplace as a result of crushing type injuries. Injury to the toe phalanges may be very restrictive in movement, interfering with day-to-day work as the toes provide structural integrity for biomechanics of ambulation. The hallux, unlike the other toes, has only two phalanges: proximal and distal phalanx. Hallux phalangeal bone fractures usually need a longer course to heal and it is the most common toe fracture seen in the workplace. We report a case of a hallux distal phalanx fracture at the workplace that was managed successfully with conservative treatment.
Case Presentation:A 46-year-old female registered nurse presented to the clinic with left first-toe injury. Injury was sustained during her work when she tried to move an operation room (OR) table between procedures with one of her co-workers and a wheel of the OR table ran over her toe. The site of injury demonstrated localized erythema, swelling, and ecchymosis as well as separation of the lateral nail bed of the left hallux. Conservative management was successfully provided via hydrogen peroxide at wound site, splinting of the toe, and prescribed anti-inflammatories. Additionally, administration of the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (TDAP) vaccination was provided due to risk of infection.
Conclusion:Management plans for patients with a nondisplaced distal phalangeal fracture can vary by extent of the injury and damage to surrounding structures. Conservative treatment with use of analgesics, joint immobilization, and work modification can be used for nondisplaced simple fractures of distal phalangeal bone with excellent prognosis.
Fractures; Distal Phalangeal Bone; Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (TDAP) Vaccination
Niribili Sarmah, Dung My Do, Rashmi Bhuyan, Jasveen Kaur Hari Singh. Distal Phalangeal Fracture of Big Toe. Int Clinc Med Case Rep Jour. 2023; 2 (12):1-5.