In early July, maybe on the 5th, I was walking barefoot and accidentally hit my big toe on a concrete step, it was painful and it got swollen for day but then the next couple of days the swelling and pain went down, but I still have some pain in the toe still now, which increases after I do certain exercises that involve the feet/toes like push ups, lunges etc..

 

I can bend the toe and move it like normal but it's just sore still and my thai friends tell me to see doctor but I'm not sure if it's serious enough for that, and don't want to waste money also.

 

Should I see doctor or try to rest the toe and see if it gets better?

If there is no obvious infection or swelling/pus AND if there is no obvious deformity that might indicate a fracture, you can rest it for a week to see if there is any improvement. If however, it does not get better or conditions above are present or become evident, then yes,.

I did the same thing in thailand to both big toes on consecutive days. Truly not much you can do. I buddy taped mine together for 2 weeks. It takes a few months to fully heal though. Give it time. Hospital cant do anything.

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41 minutes ago, bangkokbanjo said:

I did the same thing in thailand to both big toes on consecutive days. Truly not much you can do. I buddy taped mine together for 2 weeks. It takes a few months to fully heal though. Give it time. Hospital cant do anything.

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You likely broke it and you are correct in simple fracture they will just tape it for stability as you did anyway.

Bangkok banjo

 

With appropriate apologies....

 

Must have been fun with both big toes taped together.....

 

Mac

Bangkok banjo
 
With appropriate apologies....
 
Must have been fun with both big toes taped together.....
 
Mac

So lovely. I just couldn't believe I actually did that. The first toe broke during songkran. Raised sidewalk met my big toe. Then the 2nd Big toe also met a raised piece of concrete. I threw out my flip flops after that. Lol

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Running on a beach, I hit a buried cinderblock with my big toe...amazingly painful.  Treatment was same then as now; wrap it and try not to stress it.   The Dr. warned to frequently check the toe-nail as a trauma such as that increases the risk of a hang-nail later on.

I don't have an opinion about the toe thing.

 

But I do have an observation about the cost of medical treatment in Thailand.  If you're an American like me and expecting to get socked with a multi-hundred dollar invoice for showing up at the hospital for a minor issue like this, rest at ease.  Your toe may hurt, but your hospital bill will be pretty painless.

 

Unlike the USA where a trip to the hospital is for emergencies only, it's SOP here for just about anything you need healthcare wise.  In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find a primary care physician's office outside a hospital.  And the charges at the hospital are also likely to be lower than a tourist geared quack shack style clinic with dubious equipment and personnel.

 

It's a different paradigm than "back home".  Great for minor boo-boos to make sure they don't go septic on you from everything that grows in the tropics.  Not so great for continuous health care treatment when you really do need a primary care doctor to act as a guide.

 

I'm sure I broke ( probably a crack, not a complete break ) bone in my foot once and went to see the Dr. He obviously had X ray eyes as he basically told me I was wasting his time and to get lost. Nothing done and it hurt for months, but eventually healed. Some bad Drs out there.

28 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm sure I broke ( probably a crack, not a complete break ) bone in my foot once and went to see the Dr. He obviously had X ray eyes as he basically told me I was wasting his time and to get lost. Nothing done and it hurt for months, but eventually healed. Some bad Drs out there.

For the vast majority of "foot/toe" breaks treatment is entirely symptomatic.  Such injuries can take a long time to resolve completely. However, worsening or significant pain should prompt a person to seek medical advice/second opinion.