Broken toe + athlete's foot?

hi. a week ago i broke my pinky toe on a sofa and it sucked. i did what i've done every other time i've broken a toe --- buddy tape it to the guy nextdoor. so, i buddytaped the pinky toe to the ring toe to protect it and keep it straight and i didn't take the tape off for a few days. when i did take it off, the skin between my ring toe and middle toe, where the tape was, was red and irritated and bumpy. the next day i noticed a kind of whiteish open woundy thing on the underside of my toe and it hasn't improved in the past couple days.
i've been using tea tree oil and hydrogen peroxide and keeping the area dry. i've never had athlete's foot before but it seems like that's what i've got. how can i keep my pinky toe straight and not hurting without using medical tape and making the athlete's foot situation worse? i can't go to the doctor til monday, if i even go. any advice would be lovely. thanks.

I am recovering from a broken big toe and torn ligament (turf toe), and I had the same problem as you. I was wearing a boot 24/7, even to bed, because I kept getting my toe caught on the covers and making it worse. The area in between all of my toes, especially the two that were buddied and the toe adjacent to them, began to develop lots of small itchy bumps/blisters that slowly multiplied and grew together, later developing some small wounds, which I self-diagnosed as athlete's foot.

Anyway, the solution in my case was very simple. Keep it clean and dry as that alone cures (and prevents) many cases of athlete's foot. You'll need to change the bandage at least once a day and let it breathe for a bit... letting it stay on for multiple days is asking for trouble. I treated the open wounds with anti-biotic ointment, and I used some athlete's foot spray (extra strength Lotrimin I think) a few times a day for 2 days, but I think just about any type of anti-fungal treatment would do the job.

The itch stopped almost instantly, and the infection went away very quickly. I did not need to stop bandaging my toe or even to stop wearing my protective boot to bed (I switched to some hard-soled sandals during the day to let my foot breathe). =0

I did some research on it when I had the problem, and here's a summary of what I found: The tree oil you're using is good for stopping the itch, but although many people swear by it, it has not been confirmed by studies as a treatment. Hydrogen peroxide is not confirmed either. I found a few suggested all-natural/home remedies including the two you've used (use Google to find more if you want), but the itching was so bad and the situation so close to being out of control that I just shelled out the $5 for something from the pharmacy.

this is personal advice, not medical advice

that is not symptomatic of athlete's foot. it sounds like some kind of rash, along with possibly a friction wound.

honestly i would recommend you see the doctor. fractured toes are potential troublemakers, and while it's certainly possible to ignore it (i did myself once, when i was young), if it doesn't heal right you could pay a nasty price down the road

'buddy-taping' is PROBABLY alright for a day or two (although in certain fractures this can actually cause more problems), until you can see a doctor. go ahead & tape it despite the rash, if you can't see a doctor now. if taping it causes more pain, immediately untape it & attempt to splint it. continue applying peroxide, and re-tape. then see your doctor a soon as you can, to avoid complications down the road