Description

A broken foot, also called a fracture in the foot, is an injury of one or more bones in the foot. A bone may break from a sports injury, a car accident, a heavy object dropped on the foot, or a stumble or fall.

Fractures can range from tiny cracks in your bones to breaks in more than one of the bones and of the breaks that come through the skin.

The treatment for a fracture of a bone of the foot depends on where the bone is broken and how bad the break is. A badly broken foot bone, you may need surgery to put in plates, bars, rods or screws into the broken bone pieces to keep them in place while they heal.

Symptoms

A fracture of a bone in the foot can cause some of these symptoms:

  • Instantly a sharp pain.
  • Pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest.
  • The swelling.
  • The bruises.
  • The tenderness.
  • Change in the typical shape of the foot, called deformity.
  • Difficulty or pain when you walk or put weight on the foot.
  • The bone is sticking through the skin, it is called an open fracture.

When to see a doctor

Consult a health care professional if your foot has lost its way, if pain and swelling do not improve with self-care, or if the pain or swelling gets worse with time. Is it possible to walk in some fractures, so don't assume that you do not need medical attention if you can put weight on the foot.

Causes

The most common causes of a broken foot include:

  • Car accidents. The crushing of the injuries that can occur in car accidents may cause ruptures require surgery to be corrected.
  • Falls. Slips and falls can break the bones of the feet. So you can land on your feet after jumping from a height.
  • Impact of a heavy weight. Drop something heavy on the foot is a common cause of the fractures.
  • Missteps. Sometimes a stumble may result in a twisting injury that can cause a bone fracture. A toe can break intermittency in the furniture.
  • The excessive use. Stress fractures are common in the weight-bearing bones of the foot. Repeated or excessive use of force over time, such as running long distances, more often is the cause of these small cracks. But it can also occur with the regular use of a bone that has been weakened by a disease such as osteoporosis.

Risk factors

You may be at higher risk of a fracture of a foot or ankle if:

  • Play high-impact sports. The stress, direct blows, and twisting injuries that occur in sports such as basketball, football, gymnastics, tennis and football can cause foot bone is broken.
  • The use of the technique of the poor, or sports team. Poor training techniques, such as not heating, you may increase the risk of foot injuries. Bad team, such as shoes that are too worn or don't fit right, it can also increase the risk of fractures and falls.
  • Suddenly increase their activity level. Whether you're an athlete trained, or someone who just start to do exercise, you suddenly boost how long, hard, and, often, that the exercise may increase your risk of a stress fracture.
  • To work in certain jobs. Certain workplaces, such as construction sites, puts you at risk of falling from a height or drop something heavy on your foot.
  • Keep your home cluttered or poorly lit. Walking in a house with a lot of clutter or too little light can cause falls and injuries in the feet.
  • You have certain conditions. Decrease in bone density, osteoporosis, can put you at risk of injury to your foot bones.
  • The habit of smoking. Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of osteoporosis. The studies also show that healing after a break up can take longer in people who smoke.

Complications

The complications of a fracture of a bone of the foot are not common, but may include:

  • Arthritis. Fractures that extend into a joint can cause arthritis years later. If your foot starts to hurt a lot after a break, talk to your health professional.
  • Infection in the bone, called osteomyelitis. If you have an open fracture in which one of the ends of the bone pokes through the skin, the bone may be exposed to the bacteria that cause the infection.
  • The nerves or the blood vessels. Trauma to the foot may cause damage or break the nerves and the blood vessels. Seek medical help immediately if you experience numbness or feel that your foot is not getting enough blood. The lack of blood flow can cause a bone to die, which is called avascular necrosis.
  • The compartment syndrome. This condition rarely occurs with the foot fracture. It causes pain, swelling, numbness, and sometimes may not use the affected muscles of the feet.

Prevention

These sports, and safety tips can help prevent a fracture of a bone of the foot:

  • Wear proper shoes. The use of hiking shoes on the rough terrain. To choose the right athletic shoes for your sport.
  • Replace your athletic shoes when necessary. Get rid of the shoes as soon as the tread or in the heel wears down or if the wear of the shoes even. If you are a runner, replace your shoes every 300 to 400 miles.
  • Start slowly. That applies to a new physical fitness program, and for each exercise you do.
  • To have a balanced fitness program. A balanced physical fitness program includes aerobic capacity for the work of your heart, the strength training to strengthen the muscles and movements that put your joints through their full range of motion, called flexibility.
  • Build the strength of the bones. Get enough calcium and vitamin D. foods rich in Calcium include dairy products, leafy green vegetables and tofu. Ask your health care professional if you need to take supplements of vitamin D.
  • The use of the lights of the night. Many broken toes are the result of walking in the dark.
  • Get rid of clutter in your home. Keeping the clutter on the floor can help to not trip and fall.

Diagnosis

Your health professional will look at your ankle, the foot and the lower part of the leg and check for tenderness. To move the foot around them can show your range of motion. Your health care professional may want to see the way they walk.

Imaging tests

To diagnose a broken foot, your health care provider may order one or more of these imaging tests.

  • The x-ray. The majority of the feet of the fracture can be seen on x-rays. Stress fractures often do not appear on X-rays until the break starts the healing.
  • Bone scan. A bone scan can find breaks that do not appear on x-rays. A technician injects a small amount of radioactive material into a vein. The radioactive material that makes the damaged bones, including stress fractures, show up as bright spots in the image.
  • CTscan. A ct scan uses X-ray techniques to create detailed images of the bones in the body from different angles. In comparison with X-rays, ct scans can show more details about the injured bone and the soft tissues that surround it.
  • MRIscan. MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create detailed images of the soft tissues in the foot and ankle. This picture can show the jumps that is not seen on x-rays.

Treatment

Treatments for a broken foot varies according to which the bone is broken and how bad the injury is.

Drugs

Your health care professional may suggest a pain reliever available without a prescription, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).

Therapy

After your bone heals, you need to restore motion and strength of your foot and ankle. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to help you regain full motion and increase strength.

Surgical and other procedures

  • Reduction. If you have a displaced fracture, which means that the two ends of the fracture are not aligned, your health care professional may need to move the pieces in place. This process is called reduction. You may need medications to relax muscles, calm you or to numb the area prior to this procedure.
  • The immobilization.More often, a broken bone must be kept from moving so it can heal. This is called immobilization. More often, a cast keeps the foot in place. Minor foot fractures may need only one key can be pulled, or a boot or a shoe with a rigid sole. A broken toe can be taped to the finger next to it, with a piece of gauze between them, to keep the broken toe still.
  • Surgery. In some cases, a surgeon who specializes in bones and joints, called an orthopedic surgeon, you can use pins, plates or screws to keep the bone in place while it heals. These materials can be deleted after the break has healed or if out of the skin or cause pain.

The immobilization. More often, a broken bone must be kept from moving so it can heal. This is called immobilization. More often, a cast keeps the foot in place.

Minor foot fractures may need only one key can be pulled, or a boot or a shoe with a rigid sole. A broken toe can be taped to the finger next to it, with a piece of gauze between them, to keep the broken toe still.

Preparing for your appointment

It is likely that you seek treatment for a fracture of a bone of the foot in an emergency room or urgent care clinic. If the pieces of broken bone are not aligned to the healing, you may be referred to a doctor specializing in orthopedic surgery.

What you can do

You can write a list that includes:

  • Their symptoms and how they started.
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
  • All the drugs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking, including dosage.
  • Questions for the health care professional.

For a broken foot, basic questions to ask include:

  • What tests do I need?
  • What treatments are there? What do you suggest?
  • If I need a cast, how much time do I need to use it?
  • I'm going to need surgery?
  • How much will I have to limit my activities?
  • You should see a specialist?
  • What pain medication do you suggest?

Be sure to ask all the questions that you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care professional may ask questions, including:

  • How has hurt you?
  • Did your symptoms appear suddenly?
  • Has wounds in his feet in the past?
  • Has recently begun an exercise program, or started exercising more or more difficult?

What to do in the meantime

If your injury is not bad enough for you to go to an emergency room, here are some things that you can make at home until you can see your health care professional:

  • Apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, every 3 to 4 hours to reduce the swelling.
  • Keep your foot and ankle raised above the level of the heart to limit inflammation.
  • Do not put weight on the injured foot.
  • Lightly wrap the injury in a soft bandage that provides light pressure.
Symptoms and treatment of Broken foot