Stepped on broken glass?
Stepping on broken glass happens far too often. So what do you do and when do you seek professional help? Let’s dive in.
Two friends have reached out to me saying they stepped on broken glass at home and think there may still be a retained fragment on the bottom of the foot. It’s tender but no pus is draining from it. What next?
You might think taking xrays would be helpful, but materials like glass don’t actually show up well on xrays. If the fragment is big enough or has some mixed materials other than glass then it’s possible but when it’s a tiny little speck I don’t anticipate seeing anything. Instead, I lean more towards ultrasound imaging which I have readily available in my office.
Even with ultrasound the speck isn’t always seen but it does often show the pathway the of glass (or toothpick, needle, sea urchin spike, seashell etc) and that can be helpful.
If the shard is shallow and nontender, your beautiful body has a way of dealing with it and eventually as your skin sheds, the material will too (usually splinters).
In other cases where it is tender and deeper, I’d have to fish it out so it doesn’t become an abscess (pus filled pocket). There was one instance where a ceramic cup fell on a child’s foot and a small fragment was retained for years. In that scenario, I had to take the child to surgery to remove it because it was so deep and so old. But in most cases I will attempt to remove retained glass right in the office under local anesthesia for your comfort.
While you’re at home waiting for your appointment, a few things you can do to protect it
Don’t pick at it. You might either push it in further or give yourself an infection.
Take it easy. Maybe long hikes isn’t a good idea at this time.
Grab a non-medicated corn pad (or pad with a hole in it like this felt donut hole) to take the pressure off the puncture site.
Don’t wait on it. Once scar tissue heals over, it gets harder to take out.
If the pain gets worse or gets more red then go straight to the urgent care center or call your doctor right away because you don’t want to sit on an infection. If you have diabetes, a circulation problem, neuropathy or are immune compromised in any way, definitely do not wait to get professional help.
