Sprained Toe

It happens in a second. You hit something, land wrong, turn your foot — and then that stabbing pain shoots through your entire foot. A sprained toe. Medically, an overstretching or tearing of the ligaments in the toe joint, often accompanied by swelling, bruising, restricted movement. A minor injury, most people say. Gone in a few days.

But why right now? Why this particular toe? Why at exactly this moment in your life, when you were on your way somewhere — literally and figuratively?

The psychosomatic perspective sees more in a sprained toe than an accident. It sees an abrupt interruption. A body that brakes itself, because you are moving in a direction that doesn't align. The sprain is not bad luck — it is a stop sign.