Fractured fifth metatarsal

Hey SBers,
i've gotten myself a pretty nasty double fracture at the base of the fifth metatarsal left foot. Has anyone had this injury? Would appreciate advice on recovery times and exercises to do to maintain strength in that leg (cannot weight bear).
Go?.

Painful stuff. Can't speak for the a foot injury, but i fractured my metacarpal bone in my hand on my ring finger into 3 pieces.
I'm currently 10 weeks out of surgery and have been advised from the physio to stay out of for another 5 weeks.
In saying that my bone was completely shattered where as a clean break would normally be closer to a 6 week recovery.

Hey thanks for the advice. @EternalNoob? I wish I could say it was doing something extreme but I was just taking out the recycling and turned my ankle on the kerb. It's basically an avulsion injury where the ligament yanks off the end of the bone but I had an existing stress fracture they think which also blew at the same time a little higher up the bone. I find out wednesday if I need to have surgery.

Hey man, sorry to hear about that injury. Your looking at about 6-10 weeks of non-kiting, this is the time required for the bones to get union between the fractured ends. Before you get kiting you should 1) make sure your doctor/physio is happy with the bone union on x-ray 2) be relatively pain free putting your full weight through the foot on a double or single leg jump. (first try a double leg squat than single leg finally with a jump) as this will replicate the kind of impact you will be doing on a kite. Remember if its painful, its your body telling you its not ready for what your doing.

Best thing to do is supplement your kiting time with other activities. I.e gym for the other joints, earning brownie points, catching up with people. Whatever will make the time go by fast. Have a speedy recovery.

Dan

^^^^

what Tightlines said.

If you knew of his recent run of luck (and it's been far, far, far from being called "good luck") you'd have to agree....

Juddy and tightlines have some good ideas, probly best to do in Newy

I did three of those back in dec 2011,
Almost followed docs orders, but started to ride bike a couple of weeks before the boot came off and had the weight on my heel only and tried to relax the rest of the foot.

otherwise you just gotta suck it up, before you know it the boot will be off and it will be a distant memory

yes, gentle bike riding.....gradually ramping it up!

Hey

I had pretty much the same injury. I was back on the water in five weeks (had a kite holiday booked). I rushed back to the water before I was ready and suffered pain in that foot for a good six months after the accident.

Take your time coming back dude.

I fractured my left foot 5th metatarsal when I was about 16. Although it was a fracture it was pretty much just a thin crack and wasn't that sore. I hobbled around for a week or so and was off sport for about 6 weeks. Still gets a bit sore around the area over 10 years on, probably worth asking a physio who specialises in fracture rehab.

Sounds like your's is far worse than mine was, there's fractures and there's "fractures". I snapped my tib & fib clean/displaced and they called it a fracture - to me it was bloody broken!

I second everyone's take the time for recovery advice, I've taken 1 step forward 2 back many times rushing into activities too early.

Bike riding and swimming are low impact activities generally good for recovery. Also those cheap hot foot spas with vibration can help to get blood flowing and heal broken bones, might be worth looking into - worked well for me.

hi ezza

this injury is often misunderstood - by your health practitioner that is

by that i mean that a few mm can mean a difference in treatment options? and there is plenty of different types of 5th met fractures!

generally 5th met fractures are susceptible to not reducing - i.e. there gap in the fracture doesn't close even if you wait the prescribed 6-8 weeks rest

the reason being that the base of the 5th met has a dynamic stabiliser muscle called peroneus brevis attached to it. the PB muscle is always firing trying to improve the structural integrity of the lateral ankle and it never rests. considering the proximity of the fracture to the PB muscle - all that movement can ensure that the edges of the fracture never get the opportunity to unite.

also - about 1cm from the base of the 5th met the common nutrient artery bifurcates to a distal route and a proximal route. if you are unfortunate enough to cop the fracture at the site of the bifurcation you could be looking at a longer healing rate than usual - in fact i think the recommendation is internal fixation for this one (surgery)? this is the one i often see in the clinic where it has been mistreated.

in fact i saw a ripper a couple of years ago where the patient busted the 5th met dancing at the buddy holly tribute concert - the snapped 5th met twisted, latched into the shaft of the 4th met and started growing sideways anchoring itself onto the wrong bone!

5th met fractures recovery often played down and underestimated - i guess its not unlike having a sore finger and for 8 weeks you pull on it 12 hours a day then it would take a lot longer to heal - the big one for treatment here is NON WEIGHTBEARING FOR 6-8 WEEKS and don't let any doc try tell you otherwise!!!!

go and see a good PODIATRIC SURGEON of reputable podiatrist that knows their stuff!

hey ezza

interesting times?. those intra articulars are a little more nasty as you can appreciate?

diabetes shouldn't really be an issue (however i do not know your situation) as long as you are youngish and well controlled? exercise - get in the pool everyday!

the avulsion fracture can't heal as per my discussion on the previous post - PB loves to tug on it at any opportunity and will prevent reduction

by the sounds it needs a internal fixation either by wiring or a pin - most of the time (and i mean MOST of the time, especially this at the base) with 5th met fractures attempting to manage them conservatively just delays the inevitable? if you know what i mean?

medicare won't cover podiatry surgery however it will cover orthos. best to consult with both - cost you $100 but its prob what you need. not sure about waiting lists or costs etc sorry?

btw if you can get that follow up X-ray in a weight bearing position it gives a much better understanding on how the fracture looks under load compared to non weight bearing - makes sense huh?.

some may boo whoo this but i love it - for a 1%er take calcium and vitamin D - both are essential for cellular repair and regeneration

feel free to PM me some X-ray pics if you feel you want to.

good luck!!

It's been about 12 weeks since I broke my foot in two places. I've been saintly, no alcohol (well barely any) and drinking lots of milk, taking vitamins and silica. No driving, and 9 weeks in a cast. 3 in a moon boot. I now have what they are terming a "delayed-union", which basically means the two bits of bone haven't formed a bony callus which signifies healing. There is a clear 4mm gap between the two bone ends. Fark!!!!!
The ortho wants to wait two months to 'see what happens'. If in 2 months I haven't healed then they will look at surgery. In the meantime I can't work, can't drive, although admittedly there is little pain. Has anyone been in a similar situation? I am going fully nuts.

Well four months since my injury it turns out I've made next to no progress. 8 weeks in a cast, three in a boot. The advice I'm getting now is grim.. the Dr that was such a fan of 'conservative treatment' (i.e. cast immobilisation) in the beginning, is now saying that I need to have surgery. I'm kind of pissed off because at each progress X-ray the doctor (a long time friend as well as my GP of 8 years) consulted an ortho who advised continuing in the cast. I'm a student radiographer and from the beginning I thought it looked like it needed surgery but deferred to the doctor's opinion. Now I'm looking at elective surgery and another 8 weeks off work & off the water. Gutted.

and who said it doesn't hurt to recycle!