Bartlett Foot & Ankle Stress Fracture

What is a Stress Fracture?

Stress fractures are tiny cracks in your foot or ankle bones. Most of the cracks occur in the lower leg in the weight-bearing bones. These fractures happen due to repetitive use of those bones.

Risk factors for getting a stress fracture include:

• wearing the wrong shoes
• poor flexibility and muscle strength
• failure to warm up before physical exertion
• decreased bone density
• participating in sports
• running on uneven surfaces

Knowing what causes the bone cracks is one thing. Learn when you should go for a stress fracture foot treatment procedure.

When to Go for Stress Fracture Foot Treatment

Not all pain is created equal. Foot specialists treat different kinds of foot problems that cause pain. These are problems such as foot spurs, dislocations, arthritis, or bunions. Bone cracks present a new level of pain.

It’s not surprising that foot and ankle stress fractures occur from overuse of the bones. Aside from the average 4000 steps a day, there are other load causing movements such as jumping and running. As such, the constant striking of the foot on the ground leads to trauma.

Stress fractures come in various forms:

Metatarsal Fractures

These are the five longest bones between the heel and the phalanges. Phalanges are the toe bones. The cracks tend to occur in the second or third metatarsals. A less common fracture occurs in the fifth metatarsals. It affects the bases of the fifth metatarsals. This leads to pain in the outside of their foot.

Navicular Fractures

Navicular bones are near the heel and connect to the metatarsals. This type of fracture is difficult to treat due to the risk of non-union with other bones. Patients feel pain on the top side of the foot arch.

Sesamoid Fractures

Sesamoids are bean-sized bones in the ball of the foot. A good example of a large sesamoid bone is the kneecap. The foot specialist checks for pain in the bone and metatarsal joint on the first toe.

Talus Fractures

The talus is the large ankle bone. It connects to the navicular, calcaneus, fibia, and tibia bones. This rare stress fracture also risks non-union in treatment.

Medial Malleolus Fractures

Another rare injury is in the medial malleolus. This part connects to the talus and is on the inside of the ankle.

Calcaneus Fractures

The calcaneus is the heel bone. Pain occurs on the outer side of the heel. Due to constant walking, some people don’t see the pain as a problem. They put it down to standing all day or give another excuse.

Get in Touch with a Foot and Ankle Specialist

If you only feel pain when you are using your feet, this is a good indicator you may have a stress fracture. The pain will be localized in a specific area with other signs of inflammation. Then, you need to call our office. Check for signs of discoloration on your foot. It may indicate blood is not flowing well into your foot. This can cause problems such as avascular necrosis. This means the bone tissue will die.

Get in touch with a specialist to give you a stress fracture foot treatment.