If I Can Walk, Does That Mean My Foot Isn’t Broken?

Did you know that you can walk with a broken foot, but doing so could make your injury worse? Well, it’s true. While many people believe that being able to walk means you haven’t done much damage to your foot, that’s simply not the case. So, how can you tell if you’ve broken your foot? And, if you might have a toe, foot or ankle fracture, what should you do about it? Here’s what you need to know!

Fractured Foot: Symptoms and Classifications

Your foot contains 26 different bones. And cracking or breaking any one of them results in pain and compromises to your mobility. Common symptoms of a broken foot include:

• Dull pain that gets better with rest and worse with activity
• Throbbing pain following an injury
• Redness, swelling, bruising and/or tenderness at the fracture site
• Difficulties bearing weight
• Changes in the shape of your foot

Now, these symptoms vary because there are different types of foot fracture, that range in severity from mild to extremely serious. At the more mild end, you’ll be able to walk on a stress fracture, but doing so will make your pain worse. Conversely, walking on a displaced fracture (where the bone fragments of your broken bone move out of alignment) or an open fracture (where the soft tissue is damaged, exposing the broken bone) will be almost impossible. And it will be incredibly painful, too.

Walking with a Broken Foot

If you have a broken foot, walking may be difficult. Or, in some cases, it may not feel difficult at all. And, with almost any foot fracture, walking won’t be impossible, even if it’s very painful. So, for that reason, being able to walk on your foot doesn’t mean that you haven’t sustained a foot fracture.

Also, if you do walk on a broken foot, you’re likely to make your injury worse. And that will only serve to extend your healing time. In fact, when you ignore an injury and try to walk off the pain, you increase your need for surgery.

So, if you want to properly heal your broken foot, avoid surgery and get back on your feet as quickly as possible, what should you do? The answer is simple. Even if you can walk on a broken foot: don’t. Instead, at the first sign of pain, call our podiatrists in Spring and Tomball, TX. We can provide in-office x-rays to accurately diagnose your foot or ankle injury, and to provide appropriate treatment to ensure healing.