Summertime Is Here….and So Come The Foot Fractures

Summer is officially here and so are summertime activities.  Unfortunately, with these summertime activities tends to come Summer time injuries.  Here in hot Louisiana, we tend to wear a lot of sandals and flippy floppies.  This type of shoe gear makes it easier to roll a foot or ankle.  

When rolling your foot or ankle it can lead to foot fractures.  A common foot fracture with this type of mechanism of injury is a fifth metatarsal fracture and or Jones fracture.  Also, peroneal tendinitis is a soft tissue injury that occurs with this injury to the outside of the foot. The peroneus brevis and longus tendons run from high up in the outside of the leg and one inserts into the fifth metatarsal base and the other runs along the bottom of the foot inserting on the opposite side of the foot.  

The peroneus brevis is notorious for pulling the fracture a part from the fifth metatarsal base. Because of this these types of fractures have a hard time healing.  Furthermore, there is lower blood supply to this portion of the fifth metatarsal. This can lead to a non-union or malunion of the fracture site.  This can cause chronic pain and swelling. 

The foot can become red, warm and swollen and bruised.   It can be very painful to walk and move about. One should immediately incorporate the RICE method for recovery: Rest; Ice; Compression (apply with a wrap or Ace bandage); and Elevation.  Once properly evaluated by a podiatrist with x-rays and proper testing, the doctor may recommend surgical repair versus prolonged casting for this type of foot fracture. 

Have fun this summer and protect yourself from these unfortunate casualties.