Patient Forms Request an Appointment
Call today for an appointment  Spring Office: 281-370-0648  Tomball Office: 281-370-0648
 

Check out Your Health Plan with a Broken Foot

With 26 bones inside, any injury could leave you with a broken foot. That’s especially true because many of the bones are small and delicate, especially those in your toes and midfoot. Even worse? They can be hard to heal, because we put lots of pressure on our feet. And many bones in the foot don’t receive good blood flow.

Want to be sure you diagnose and treat a broken foot properly? That’s what we’re here for, as our patient Cassia G. recently shared:

“Dr. Walsh is excellent with dancers and athletes. Last spring my daughter suffered a “dancers break” in her foot that had her sidelined at the start of competition season. Dr. Walsh was so positive and encouraging that she would bounce back from her injury. She treated the fracture and then helped her get it rehabbed so that she was able to return for the end of the season, win first place with her solo, and successfully try out for the Klein Cain Legacies. We are so thankful for a doctor who partnered with us to help my daughter keep doing what she loves! Highly recommend!”

Want similar results? Keep reading for all the information you need to heal properly after a suspected foot fracture.

What Causes a Broken Foot or Toe?

Usually, a broken foot is an acute injury. Common causes include:

  • Falls
  • Dropping heavy objects on your foot
  • Additional force from athletic injuries

Sometimes, small traumas to your bones build up over time. In this case, your broken foot could be caused by a stress fracture. With either kind of injury, you may be able to walk with a fracture. Still, you’ll likely notice one or more of the following symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms broken foot

If you break your foot, you may notice:

  • Sudden sharp pain, or pain that builds over time
  • It’s hard—but not impossible—to bear weight on the foot
  • Swelling, on your foot, toes or ankle
  • Skin color changes and/or bruises
  • Reduced mobility or range of motion

Diagnosing a Broken Foot

If there’s any chance you’ve sustained a foot fracture, you need to make an immediate appointment. If we suspect you’ve got a broken foot, we’ll immediately order an x-ray. This will tell us right away if a broken bone is causing your symptoms.

If we notice a broken bone on your tests, we’ll then diagnose a broken foot. These are the most common types of foot fracture, by location:

35% of all broken foot injuries involve the metatarsal bones, which lead to your toes. Of those injuries, a fifth metatarsal fracture, or Jones fracture, is most common. This injury is also hard to heal, because of limited blood flow to the area. For that reason, you often need surgery to repair a Jones fracture.

Treating Foot Fractures in Spring TX

How we treat your broken foot will depend on the fracture location. Plus, we’ll need to determine if your fracture is stable. Or if your bone was displaced during the injury.

In some cases, we’ll simply immobilize your foot with a cast or walking boot. That’s what happened to Blink 182 star (and Kardashian spouse) Travis Barker when he broke his toe last year, leaving him in a big medical boot that allowed him to keep moving through his day. That way, the bone can heal while you keep pressure off the injury. If your injury is more severe, we may need to repair the break surgically before casting your broken foot.

Most of our patients spend between six and eight weeks in that cast while their bones heal. During that time, you can’t put any weight on the injury. Even after the first few weeks, you’ll need to gradually regain strength in your foot. We may suggest working with our in-house athletic trainer to help you get back on your feet.

Remember, the only way for a broken foot to truly heal is to keep weight off the injury. But, in some cases, you may be able to walk on your injury, so you might not realize you’ve actually got a foot fracture. That’s why, if you hurt your foot, don’t try to push through the pain and keep on walking. Instead, schedule an immediate appointment with our Spring and Tomball TX podiatrists. We’ll evaluate you for a broken foot and make sure your injury heals properly.