Fractures
All it takes is a drop, a trip, a slip, or an accident. Then suddenly you have an intense, throbbing pain in your foot or ankle. Your breath catches and the thought runs through your mind: Is it broken?
Fractures are never fun, and any potential fracture in your foot or ankle should always be promptly evaluated and treated. Making sure a fracture heals correctly is key to reducing your risks of chronic pain and other complications in the future.
Types of Fractures
There are many bones in the foot and ankle (in fact, more than 25% of the total bones in your body are in this area!), which means there are a lot of bones that can potentially break.
In general, fractures come in several types:
- A stress fracture is a break that does not go through a bone, but rather along its surface. It tends to be the result of repetitive forces and overuse against the foot.
- A stable fracture is a fracture that has extended through the bone, but the pieces have not shifted. Usually, immobilization is all that is needed for the bone to heal.
- A displaced fracture is one where one or more of the bone pieces has shifted out of alignment. Some manipulation is likely needed to return the bone to its proper place.
- An open fracture is one where the bone has broken through the skin and is especially serious. If the skin has not broken, it is considered a closed fracture.
While many fractures can be generally categorized with the above criteria, the foot has some more unique types of fractures as well.
The fifth metatarsal (one of the bones of your little toe) can be more susceptible to stress fractures or full breaks since the area receives less blood supply. This is known as a Jones fracture and can take longer to heal than a normal fracture. The fifth metatarsal can also experience an avulsion fracture, which is when a small piece of bone is torn off the main portion by the pull of a tendon or ligament.
Avulsion fractures can also occur in the ankle if it is severely twisted. A tendon can also be torn in the process.
Types of Fractures
There are many bones in the foot and ankle (in fact, more than 25% of the total bones in your body are in this area!), which means there are a lot of bones that can potentially break.
In general, fractures come in several types:
- A stress fracture is a break that does not go through a bone, but rather along its surface. It tends to be the result of repetitive forces and overuse against the foot.
- A stable fracture is a fracture that has extended through the bone, but the pieces have not shifted. Usually, immobilization is all that is needed for the bone to heal.
- A displaced fracture is one where one or more of the bone pieces has shifted out of alignment. Some manipulation is likely needed to return the bone to its proper place.
- An open fracture is one where the bone has broken through the skin and is especially serious. If the skin has not broken, it is considered a closed fracture.
While many fractures can be generally categorized with the above criteria, the foot has some more unique types of fractures as well.
The fifth metatarsal (one of the bones of your little toe) can be more susceptible to stress fractures or full breaks since the area receives less blood supply. This is known as a Jones fracture and can take longer to heal than a normal fracture. The fifth metatarsal can also experience an avulsion fracture, which is when a small piece of bone is torn off the main portion by the pull of a tendon or ligament.
Avulsion fractures can also occur in the ankle if it is severely twisted. A tendon can also be torn in the process.
Treating Fractures
Depending on the location, type, and severity of a fracture, different forms of treatment may be required.
If the fracture is stable, the area may be immobilized in a boot or cast. Weight will likely have to be reduced or eliminated from the fracture until it has a chance to mend. Otherwise, few additional actions are required.
If the fracture is out of place or further complicated, the bone may need to be manually set back in place. In some more severe cases, surgery may be needed to reposition the bone fragments and hold them in place with screws, rods, and/or plates.
It is very important to follow all instructions and recommendations during recovery. If a broken bone doesn’t heal properly—especially in the ankle—it can lead to instability, a higher risk of sprains and fractures in the future, and even chronic pain and arthritis.
A broken bone is never something to take lightly. Even if you’re not sure you have a fracture, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (972) 293-9650. We would rather you be safe than sorry!
Fractures in the foot. People come in all the time and tell me that they jump from a stair, they jump from the car, or they fell, and they can still wiggle their toes, so they know it’s not fractured, but they’re in pain and the foot is swollen. So, the actual definition of a fracture is when you have disrupted what we call the integrity of the bone. Instead of the bone being straight or smooth, you’ve cracked it and it’s now ragged and not smooth. You only know that from an x-ray. So, we take an x-ray to see if in fact you’ve disrupted the bone in your foot, or one of the bones, or several bones! How you treat it? Most people have when they come to us. They’ve already gone to emergency room or urgent care. They already have a splint. Most of the time you would just do the traditional- rest, ice, compression, & elevation (R.I.C.E.) until you can see a specialist and then we will look at it at that point. Many times, it has to be surgically corrected, but many times you can just wear a cast for several months and it will heal. So, if you had an accident or injury, whether it can be direct impact, sometimes people get fractures just from overuse. We have people, for some reason, women, they have a walking program and they walk all the time and then their feet start swelling and they have pain and they come in and they actually have what we call a stress fracture. Meaning lots of stress on a particular joint or area, (meaning the foot) and it has caused a fracture or disruption in the bone, in the foot. So, we’ll treated at that point. So, if you’re dealing with any type of unusual swelling or if you’ve had an injury or accident to your foot, come and see us here at Trinity Foot Center where we help to keep Texans on their feet!
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Tuesday | 8:00am - 4:30pm |
Wednesday | 8:00am - 4:30pm |
Thursday | 8:00am - 5:30pm |
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Contact
p. (972) 293-9650
f. (972) 291-2533
Location
1801 N. Hampton Road
Suite 340
DeSoto, TX 75115
Inside the Inwood National Bank Building on the 3rd Floor
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