Based in the heart of NY, Advance Foot and Ankle Solutions offer the best treatment for fractures occurring at the metatarsals or the mid-foot. Look no further when you can have direct access to the globally acclaimed team of foot and ankle doctors, supervising & managing your metatarsal fracture with compliance and compassion.
Advance Foot and Ankle Solutions support team is absolutely attentive to your metatarsal fracture issues. Call & book an appointment right away for a professionally healed metatarsal to take a healthy stride forward.
Metatarsal Fracture: What Your Foot And Ankle Care Doctor Has To Say
The Anatomy Of The Metatarsals: The forefoot, also known as metatarsus, comprises of 5 long, slender metatarsal bones as a continuation from their corresponding phalanges (toes). ./All 5 bones serve as a means of connection between the ankle and the toes. Acting together as a group these bones help in the three-dimensional movement of the foot, i.e. movement along all 3 planes of upward, downward and sideways motion. These bones being located in the mid-foot region bear and distribute your body weight evenly and aid in maintaining body balance while standing, walking, running or leaping.
The Gravity Of Metatarsal Fractures: Additional strenuous activities involving the feet such as jumping, dancing and twisting produce extra pressure on the forefoot, making the bones prone to acute traumatic fractures or chronic overuse breakages. Majority of metatarsal fractures heal up quickly with non-surgical techniques while those requiring surgical intervention have a remarkable success rate.
It should be borne in mind that certain zones of the metatarsals are better supplied with blood than others. Consequently, the occurrence of fracture in a poorly supplied area would be posed to greater difficulty and time period to heal completely. Such a complicated fracture can be exemplified with Jones Fracture that occurs near the base of the 5th metatarsal that is also the most vulnerable of all metatarsals.
Another category of fracture occurring here is the “avulsion” fracture that signifies a condition in which a tendon snaps and pulls along a broken fragment of the bone from the rest. This very condition happening in the 5th metatarsal is termed “dancer’s fracture”.
Metatarsal Fracture: The Causative Factors
- Improper Training Techniques often end up with broken bone(s) in the anterior foot region owing to them giving in to undue additional pressure.
- Sudden Elevation In Routine Workout such as walking, running or exercising with extended time and effort can be a prime cause in developing such fractures.
- Falling Or Tripping Over Awkwardly may well lead to metatarsal injuries of varying intensity. If the 5th metatarsal is affected prospect, treatment and healing would require time and patience.
- Dropping Something Bulky over the mid-foot can produce a telling condition leading to broken metatarsal(s).
- Road Accident involving a vehicle stepping on one or both of the feet, crumbling the forefoot region under its speeding wheels is no rare occurrence now-a-days.
- Stress Fractures are a common occurrence in people leading a sportive life such as football players, gymnasts, ballet dancers and military personnel.
Metatarsal Fracture: The Symptoms For A Foot And Ankle Care Specialist To Diagnose
- Considerable Pain following the injury. Clear disability in standing or treading along becomes too difficult. An immediate visit to a foot and ankle care doctor helps them in reaching a precise diagnosis promptly and accurately.
- Swelling of the wounded metatarsal(s) region that worsens with delays in providing first aid treatment or getting the condition thoroughly examined by your orthopedic specialist. Swelling produces dual ill-effects over the already aggrieved subject; it elevates the painful sensation as well as renders your senses unwell at the sight of larger-than-life foot.
- Discoloration of the skin surrounding the wounded area is an indication of bleeding from a bruise or cut. A bruise is often a signal of a graver situation of an open fracture that requires a professional foot and ankle care surgeon to be ably tackled.
- Deformity may be visible if the cracked or broken bone(s) have been displaced from their normal position. Deformity at any level needs to be attended at a foot and ankle care clinic to be effectively dealt with.
Metatarsal Fracture: The Treatment Options For Your Foot And Ankle Care Specialist
Depending upon the location, severity and number of bones involved in the metatarsal injury, your foot and ankle care specialist may opt for simple, non-operative procedures or decide on performing operative treatment to get the healing process underway.
The Non-operative Approach: The nonsurgical treatment modalities may include the following:
- Elastic Dressing such as a crepe bandage that is soft, compressive and comforting can be employed.
- Rigid Footwear that is specially designed and aimed at orthotic treatment of broken bones in the foot should be used in order to minimize the exerted pressure over the bruised region.
- Leg Walking Cast is designed to provide much-needed support to the injured forefoot by taking off nearly all the exerted weight over it.
It is worth noting that non-displaced fractures of the 5th metatarsal are treated according to the above-stated methodology with near-perfect outcomes.
The Operative Approach: If the source impact is potent enough to bring about dislocation or misalignment of the bone(s) involved or if the fracture is significant in a region having insignificant blood supply, surgical intervention by your orthopedic surgeon at his foot and ankle care clinic often becomes inevitable. The process may comprise of the following surgical procedures:
- Using sterile K-wires, Tension Band Wiring Or ASIF Screws to hold the broken bone parts together, though this technique has now been discarded by quite a few professional foot and ankle care surgery centers
- Securing the wounded bone(s) in place with sterile Plate & Screws that are compressive as well as minimally invasive, providing least healing time for prompt mobility
- Employing any of the operative modes including Intramedullary Screw Fixation, Corticocancellous Bone Graft, Closed Reduction & Cross-pinning With K-wire Fixation Or Open Reduction & Internal Fixation With Mini-fragment Plates & Screws for efficacious surgical management of proximal 5th metatarsal fractures
Metatarsal Fracture: The Postsurgical Recovery Phase
After the successful accomplishment of the surgical process, the affected may be advised to wear a brief leg cast and a toughened footwear to offer ample support to the healing bone(s) for at least 7-8 weeks until full recuperation has been attained.
You would be required to pay regular visits to your foot and ankle care specialist who would keep a constant check over the healing process via supervision with X-ray technique from time to time. Under his guidance you would be able to exert more weight over the operated bone(s) in a gradual manner as healing progresses until your routine life is resumed.
An encouraging fact that needs a mention here is that among all podiatric fractures and breakages, the healing and reversion ratios of the metatarsals is the highest and often the quickest.