Toe Fracture Exercises

Your healthcare provider may recommend exercises to help you heal. Talk to your healthcare provider or physical therapist about which exercises will best help you and how to do them correctly and safely.

• Toe passive range of motion: Use your hand to gently bend the injured toe joint. Then gently try to straighten out the toe with your hand. Repeat slowly, holding for 5 seconds at the end of each motion. Do this 10 times. Do these exercises 3 times per day.
• Towel pickup: With your heel on the ground, pick up a towel with your toes. Release. Do 3 sets of 20. When this gets easy, add more resistance by placing a book or small weight on the towel.
• Standing toe raise: Stand with your feet flat on the floor. Rock back onto your heels and lift your toes off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and then put your toes back on the floor. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Heel raise: Stand behind a chair or counter with both feet flat on the floor. Using the chair or counter as a support, rise up onto your toes and hold for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower yourself down without holding onto the support. (It's OK to keep holding onto the support if you need to.) When this exercise becomes less painful, try doing this exercise while you are standing on the injured leg only. Repeat 15 times. Do 2 sets of 15. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
• Towel stretch: Sit on a hard surface with your injured leg stretched out in front of you. Loop a towel around your toes and the ball of your foot and pull the towel toward your body keeping your leg straight. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds and then relax. Repeat 3 times.