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

Erythromelalgia often responds to magnesium. Magnesium is also used in bone mineralization.

What I think happens is that the membrane over the bone has been damaged. If there are fragments moving around, without the protective membrane on them anymore, then the body forms a localized tissue reaction. Crushing type injuries are pretty damaging to all the tissues in the foot. So it might not be just the bones themselves, but a combination of tissues reacting.

The menthol in the the Salonpas patches should take down any heat or burning type pain for you.

There is another menthol containing product called Biofreeze gel.
This works well for burning too. But using the Salonpas you should not need the Biofreeze on top of that.

If your redness changes, starts spreading or including the whole foot, that is the time to start worrying. Also you might seek another opinion.
Foot injuries take time to get better. And sometimes they do not return you to what you were before... there may always be some issue with that toe. (stiff, color changes, etc).