A stress fracture is common on foot and ankle; it is a small crack or severe bruising within a bone. Stress injuries can be within the shin bone, foot, lower back, heel, and hip. They are common in the third and second metatarsals. The stress arises from overuse or trauma to the foot and ankle, which if it goes untreated it can cause fractures.
Causes of a foot stress fracture
Stress fractures occur due to weight-bearing activities and extreme impact activities. The causes of stress can be internal or external factors. If you are dealing with any foot and ankle stress fracture, you may want to seek help from a foot specialist. Feel free to contact our office to make an appointment with our podiatrist. Our foot and ankle doctor, Dr. Ejodamen Shobowale will provide you with the care you need to keep you pain-free on your feet.
Internal Factors
Age: Older people have low bone density and weakened bones that may develop stress reactions.
Weight: If you have a low BMI your bones might be weak and if you have a high BMI repetitive loading on your body weight puts you at risk of stress fractures.
Foot anatomy: Foot problems, such as tendonitis, blisters, bunions, and high or low arches, affect the way the foot strikes the ground leaving it susceptible to stress fractures.
Sex: Females are at risk of fractures, especially if they experience irregular menstrual periods.
Medical conditions: Some diseases such as osteoporosis weaken bone density and strength. Soft and weak bones might not adjust to activities, leaving them vulnerable to fractures.
External Factors
- Practicing incorrect sport technique or training.
- Having rapid training activities.
- Changing training activity levels without breaks in between the change.
- Changing exercising surfaces such as from an indoor track to concrete or gravel surfaces.
- Running on a sloped surface.
- The use of improper or poor equipment and footwear.
- Repetitive, high-impact sports.
- Low vitamin D level.
- Poor calorie intake that does not complement the volume of sport one is engaging in.
- Continuous sport without a break, especially for the youth.
Symptoms of a bone stress fracture
- Pain and tenderness when the bone is touched.
- Swelling and aches at the site of fracture.
- Pain experienced only at the start of an activity.
- Continues pain throughout an activity.
- Pain in one leg and the inability of it to function normally.
Treatment
Treatment relives the fracture from pain and allows it to heal. A podiatrist's treatment plan ensures that no further damage occurs in the bone and you get back to your activities faster. Treatment may vary considering the severity and location of the stress fracture. The efficacy and safety of Levitra were studied in randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving more than 2,000 men aged 20 to 83 years with erectile dysfunction. Patients received the drug at a dose of 5, 10 and 20 mg. In two of these studies, patients with erectile dysfunction had a comorbidity (diabetes mellitus or a condition after prostatectomy for prostate cancer). Read more at https://sdarcwellness.com/buy-levitra-online/. Types of fractures that the doctor might identify include ankle stress fracture, metatarsal stress fracture, stress fracture heel, stress fracture toe, and a hairline fracture in foot. The majority of the stress fractures are nonsurgical treated.
Nonsurgical treatment
The doctor can prescribe anti-inflammatory medication and the use of crutches to keep weight off the foot until the pain subsides.
- Modified activities:
The podiatrist will recommend you switch to modified activities that are less stressful to your leg and foot. Cycling and swimming are some of the activities recommended until the doctor recommends.
b. Protective footwear
The doctor may recommend wearing protective footwear to reduce stress on your leg and foot. The protective footwear may include removable short-leg fracture brace shoe, stiff-soled shoe, or a wooden-soled sandal.
c. Casting
Stress fractures in the fifth metatarsal bone take longer to heal. The doctor may apply a cast to keep the bones in a fixed position, relieving the leg from stress.
Surgical treatment
Some stress fractures require an insert of a fastener through surgery, to support the bones. This is an internal fixation which involves plates, pins, and screws to hold the ankle and foot small bones.
It takes 6 to 8 weeks for a foot stress fracture to heal, though some serious fractures can take longer. It is not advisable to immediately return to robust activity. Re-injury, sometimes leads to chronic problems which might cause the stress fracture not to heal properly. After the pain subsides the doctor can request for an X-ray to ensure the fracture is healed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in Cypress, TX. Our Cypress office can handle all of your foot and ankle issues. We provide you with the latest diagnostic and treatment methods for all foot-related stress fractures.
