I'd only ice it if it hurts.

Are you really tall? I suspect from your photos that you are. If so it is a LONG way to that pinkey!

Arginine is in some diabetic foot creams to increase circulation.

The Magnesium lotions do the same thing. So I'd start there. Magnesium also blocks the NMDA pain receptors, so it is more useful than arginine.

You could combine the heat treatments followed by ice... see how that goes. Don't over use cold though, as that constricts blood flow.

Think about how your hands feel in the snow without gloves. Then you come in and warm them up.... and they get red and tingle and burn! Same thing with that pinkey. If it hurts at bedtime do the cold treatment then. You will not be standing up and the blood flow with return to normal quickly, when you are sleeping.

Injuries can take a while to heal. Give it time. Don't worry about neuropathy at this point. You just have a trauma toe.
I'd take some vit C daily.... 500mg for about 2 months. Also so other antioxidants, if you want. Some people develop RSD from injuries or surgery or trauma to the ankles/feet and wrists. Vit C seems to block this potential. Since you are taking a while to heal you will want to prevent RSD.

RSD patients however do hate cold treatments, and prefer heat, so you are still the reverse of that. RSD may become permanent, but studies in Europe show Vit C prevent that for many patients.

Keep your foot elevated when you can, at home, etc. I had a surgery on my foot when I was 12, on the instep and it took over a year to heal. Foot injuries take time.

I was thinking about this, but I'm wondering if:
a. The circulation is just bad in general (like cold ears/hands), and the heat is actually helping by increasing the blood flow?
OR
b. The circulation is normal, but the damages nerves are overcompensating by dilating the vessels too much and allowing too much blood in (and therefore swelling)?

It's funny you say that because my podiatrist said almost the opposite Well, he said, don't worry about the hairline fracture and focus on the neuropathy.

Actually, I should mention that right after that visit (4.5 months after injury) I started putting weight back on the foot, did one contrast bath and the toe came alive - burned really bad all night long - I interpreted this as a good thing though - that maybe I had them firing again - not sure if it was the weight bearing or contrast baths that did this though. It was only for one night though, it died down over the next few nights.

Taping that toe tightly to the others is going to reduce circulation to it.

I have broken sesamoid bones in both feet...they have never grown back together. I have to wonder if the really small bones just have a lower potential for repair?

I looked up your pinky healing rate, and many sites suggest another opinion, after 6 wks if healing is delayed.

You might consider that.

If your toe does not throb in the night, consider that a plus.

My toe only throbs when I remove the tape, and it's hot - it throbs due to the swelling which can make the toe hard and the skin a bit shiny even.

Right now, I'm only using the Epsom lotion like you recommended, without any tape. It's swollen for sure, but more a purplish color. I'm going back to the podiatrist next week to ask about the bone. I'm not sure why he was so certain I should ignore the bone and it was fine after looking at the xray.

I never took any B12 supplement, just Calcium and Vit C. Since my neuropathy is trauma induced, it's less likely to be a deficiency I guess.

If there are small bone fragments in that toe, and they move around, each time you remove the binding, they will move again, and inflame the tissue around them. This is what the little sesamoids in the ball of the foot do when they are cracked and then stressed.

The body tends to cause swelling, redness when there are broken bones moving around. This is why you should probably get another opinion. There is also a membrane over the bone, and when it is damaged it sets up lots of inflammation.

You should try some aspirin or AlkaSeltzer original formula and see if it relieves your swelling...this would indicate you have inflammation going on.

This is a good website with anatomy to illustrate for you what your toes look like on the inside:
http://www.northcoastfootcare.com/pa...e-Anatomy.html
This site is a great resource for all sorts of mechanical foot problems. I post it often.

B12 is actively involved in bone formation. So you might try it anyway as a helper to heal the fractures.

If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking inhibits bone fusion and healing too.

Don't use ibuprofen or other NSAIDs all the time for pain, as they also slow bone growth and fusion. A little aspirin here or there may help but just not all the time. Try to use Tylenol if you need pain relief for now.

Do you think I could have Erythromelalgia?

ahni.com/Specialties/Foot+and+Ankle/Articles/Common+Disorders/Erythromelalgia.html