What Are The Symptoms of a Broken Foot?
For the average person, a broken bone is a big deal, and it's something that does not happen often.
And even for athletes who are asking their bodies to perform at a high level on an everyday basis, a broken bone is something out of the ordinary that can slow them down considerably.
Even more so when it comes to the wonderful collection of bones, tissues, and tendons that make up the foot. Broken bones of any type can be painful.
However, a broken foot can be especially troublesome. Why? Because the foot needs to bear weight. Almost everything we do from an athletic standpoint relies upon the foot to offer the necessary stability to perform at any level.
How To Tell If You Have a Broken Foot
If the bones are significantly displaced, we may be able to visually identify the break due to a deformity occurring after the injury.
In some cases, the sense of pain from a broken foot may be diminished or nonexistent, such as in the following:
People with existing diseases or conditions
People with altered pain sensation due to peripheral neuropathy (persons with diabetes are a classic example),
People with spinal cord injuries
In these cases, bruising, swelling, and deformity may be the only clues to a potential fracture.
Diagnosing a Broken Foot
A broken foot is diagnosed, firstly, by identifying the exact cause of the injury.
Confirming the cause of injury may help lead us to easily gauge any additional damages that may have occurred.
Other factors to note are a past medical history of the patient, and how much time has passed since the injury happened.
Using X-Rays and CT Scans to Identify A Broken Foot
X-rays are often taken to evaluate the status of the bones in the foot and to check for a fracture. Other factors to note:
For some foot fractures, X-rays may not be adequate to visualize the injury. This is often true for metatarsal stress fractures, where bone scans are used if the history and physical examination suggest a potential fracture, but the plain X-rays are normal.
Computerized tomography (CT) may be used to assess fractures of the calcaneus and talus, since it may better be able to illustrate the anatomy of the ankle and midfoot joint and potential associated injuries.
What are the causes of a broken foot?
We have different names for it, but they all mean the same thing: the bone is damaged. Fracture, break, crack, they all indicate that you have a broken bone.
Many times the cause of the injury will be reasonably apparent. You had something fall on your foot, or you fell on it wrong.
A broken foot could also develop over time due to the stress of walking or running, so it doesn’t necessarily have to happen as a result of direct trauma.
Common causes of a broken foot:
Broken feet are often the cause of an accident or trauma. Here are some of the common scenarios that can result in broken feet.
Falling
Having your foot crushed by having a heavy object fall on it
Overuse or stress injuries
Crunching your foot by missing a step while you are walking
Additional“broken foot” Type injuries:
Calcaneus fractures, which often occur when landing after jumping from too high up
Midfoot injuries (metatarsals, phalanges) caused by direct blows
Bad ankle twists
How do we treat a broken foot?
One of the best ways to treat a broken foot at home is RICE.
Rest
Ice
Elevation
Compression
If you think you have broken your foot, this is a great way to deal with it immediately and ease the pain.
If the decision is made to seek medical care, you can always continue the RICE regimen to help ease the pain.
What are the possible complications of a broken foot?
As with any injury, additional complications may occur. Major complications can include:
Bones failing to heal and requiring surgery
The possibility of arthritis
Infection or tendon damage, especially with an open fracture
How can we prevent a broken foot?
Wearing supportive footwear is an excellent way to prevent foot injuries. Unfortunately, certain sports and professions carry a much higher risk for the injury.
For instance, if you are a construction or trade worker dealing with the dangers of heights or heavy equipment/weights, you have a much higher chance of breaking your foot.
The same goes for sports that call for a lots of twisting and turning, or where you are facing possible "blows to the foot". These could be the normal "contact" sports such as football and hockey, or even sports like basketball or soccer where your foot risks being stomped or cleated by an opponent.
When should I call the doctor for foot pain?
If you have a broken foot, you'll want to get in to have it evaluated immediately by a medical professional.
Take a look at the symptoms above. If you have them, give us a call and get in quickly to have it examined. In the meantime, employ the RICE protocol to help ease the swelling and pain.
Good luck!