What to Expect from Your Broken Foot Recovery
Not everyone enjoys surprises. Some people love the suspense and anticipation of a surprise, but plenty of people want time to prepare and to know what they are up against. Knowing what to expect can be especially helpful for health-related issues. No one likes to be surprised by health problems. Fortunately, for many injury recoveries, you can have a pretty good idea of what to expect well in advance. This is definitely the case for a broken foot.
The severity of a broken foot does affect what you can expect from your recovery. A stress fracture will heal more quickly than a complex break that needs surgery. In general, though, there are specific things you can expect.
As soon as you break a bone in your foot, the area around it becomes inflamed and blood leaks between the tissues. Sometimes this is visible as a bruise. The inflammation lasts several days, as the blood clots and forms the very early scaffolding for new bone growth. You feel pain and get the problem checked out by experts like us at Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC.
Once your fracture has been diagnosed through X-rays or other diagnostic tools, we’ll make sure the broken ends line up. If they do not, they will have to be moved back into place. A misaligned bone will be crooked and weak, if it heals at all. Typically this step can be done conservatively. Only if a bone won’t realign or won’t stay in place will it require surgical intervention.
When the broken ends are aligned, your foot will be casted to keep the pieces stable. This may mean a special boot or a solid cast. You may still be able to walk or apply weight to your foot for a minor fracture. A more complicated one may mean using crutches and avoiding all weight-bearing while your bones knit back together. Over a period of several weeks to months, your bones will repair themselves.
Once they are strong enough, you’ll be able to put weight on your foot again and begin rehabilitation exercises to restore strength and stability. Whether your fracture is big or small, you can definitely expect Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC to be with you the whole way. Make an appointment with us today and get your bones healing right. Call our Metairie, LA, office at (504) 708-4810.