When my husband was a child, he broke his little toe. I think my son broke his – my son is 9 years old – but my husband said not to bring him to the doctor because they wouldn’t do anything anyway. Should I have brought him?

Many times, when someone breaks their fifth metatarsal, or baby/small toe, there isn’t much that the doctor will do. However, it is still important to get it checked.

While the fracture, or break, may be clean, it could also be more complicated than that and your son could need to have the bone moved back into place. At the same time, the doctor would likely check to see if any other toe is broken as well.

Treatment may involve splinting or “buddy taping.” Buddy taping is when one toe is taped to the next one for support.