How do I know if my toe or broken or sprain?

How to tell if it’s broken

The pain hits sharp and hard right away and doesn’t really ease up
Swelling and bruising show up fast
It looks crooked or out of place
Even light touch or movement hurts a lot
Putting weight on it is really difficult

How to tell if it’s sprained
It hurts, but it’s more manageable or slowly gets better
Some swelling, maybe light bruising
You can still move it, even if it’s painful
It looks normal, not bent or deformed

What to do right now
Rest it
Ice it
Keep it elevated
Tape it to the toe next to it
Wear supportive shoes
Take pain meds if needed

@ehdog
I fell recently and went to have an x-ray which showed a non-displaced fracture of my little finger.
On a previous fall, I hurt numerous fingers and had a MRI which showed up ligament damage.
Jake

@ehdog The only way to know for sure is an x-ray, but unless the fracture is "displaced" - the bone is separated and the pieces moving around, or you are an elite athlete, little is generally done for broken toes except to let them heal.

Ice and elevate, take some Tylenol or ibuprofen, wear a supportive shoe. It will be sore for a while whether sprained or broken. If it swells excessively so you can't put on any shoe, or discolors badly or the pain gets worse, you might want to get it looked at as it is possible to break other bones in the footpath a had enough blow, and they might want you in a boot.
PS If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or circulatory problems, at least call your doctor's office for advice, don't wait.