Turf Toe
Guided Injections.
What is turf toe?
A turf toe is an injury that occurs because of a sudden, excessive hyperextension of the big toe. When this happens, the structures surrounding the big toe may overstretch or tear, leading to pain, swelling, and weakness. This injury is common in people who participate in activities such as running, jumping, and contact sports. (Seow et al., 2020)
What are the common symptoms of this?
- Pain, tenderness, and swelling around the big toe joint
- Bruising around the big toe joint
- Difficulty bending and straightening the toe
- Loss of power with activities that load the big toe (Clutton et al., 2024)
How is this diagnosed?
To assess your condition, your physiotherapist will ask about your symptoms and conduct a physical examination, looking for the following:
- Mechanism of injury involving hyperextension of the big toe
- Bruising, swelling, and pain around the joint
- Loss of range of movement and strength in the big toe/foot
- Reduced push-off/big toe extension when walking
Treatment options
Guided Corticosteroid Injections
For persistent pain, corticosteroid injections may be recommended to reduce inflammation and provide short-term relief.
Guided Hyaluronic Acid Injections
Your Clinician
BSc Physiotherapy MSCP (Hons)
PGCert Independent Medical Prescriber
PGCert Soft Tissue and Joint Injection Therapist
PGCert Diagnostic Ultrasound
Seow, D., Yusof, T. N. B. T., Yasui, Y., Shimozono, Y., & Kennedy, J. G. (2020). Treatment options for turf toe: a systematic review. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 59(1), 112-116.
Clutton, J. M., Winson, D. M., & Tong, A. (2024). Turf toe: a review of mechanism, pathoanatomy and management. Orthopaedics and Trauma, 38(1), 35-39.