Q: I was working out at the gym, and a 20 kg dumb-bell fell on my big toe. It is now swollen and has become blue, what should I do for quick healing?

A:There is very little that can be done to facilitate healing at this point in time. Immediately after the injury frequent ice compresses would have reduced the swelling. The bluish discoloration of the soft tissue may take up to 2 months to resolve and if your nail is blue it may fall off by itself and then re-grow. The whole process may take up to a year. It is important to make sure that you do not have displaced fracture for which an x-ray should be done. In later years, you may have pain in that toe secondary to arthritis.