Question
Last week, I cut my foot on a glass milk bottle (yes, they still exist!) and got 17 stitches in the top of my right foot.  The doctor at urgent care said that it was interesting to stitch up because it was in the shape of an X and he had to cut quite a bit of skin off to sew it together.  I went home with instructions to keep it dry and come back in 12 days.  There was a lot of bruising, which moved from the injury up to the toes.  There was a lot of swelling as well.  It has been 8 days now and the swelling has subsided.  The bruising is still there and the top of my foot is still pretty numb.  There is also one area still swollen near the laceration and my pinky toe moves side to side, but not up and down.  Does all of this sound normal?  If the swollen area is a torn tendon, what are the issues with not getting it fixed since my pinky toe is so minor?  Thank you so much for your advice!

Answer
It is important you get it checked by either a podiatrist or a neurologist.  It could be a tendon or a nerve that was damaged.  There are many nerves running just below the skin, along with tendons and other soft tissue structures.  Don't write something off as "minor." You're better off getting it checked.  Don't be surprised if you're sent for an MRI.
All the best,
Andrew Schneider, DPM

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