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5th metatarsal fracture and scar tissue

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by irishredbloke, Apr 7, 2011.

  1. irishredbloke

    irishredbloke New Member


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    Greetings all:

    I fractured my left 5th metatarsal on Sept. 9 2010 playing soccer. Xrays at an emergency clinic and later that day a podiatrist confirmed the fracture. I was fitted for an air boot and crutches the very same day. I shed the crutches about 5 weeks later, and finally the boot after approximately 7 weeks. My physical therapy began at that point and last for another 6 weeks. I was eventually deemed healed enough to return to soccer. I played indoor soccer that very night and had an extreme downward and sideward inversion (extreme roll of the left foot to the left) of the left foot and heard a loud pop. I was sure it was broken again. The next day xrays confirmed it was NOT broken. I had only ripped up some scar tissue. Back to PT for 3-4 weeks and eventually I became able to play again. I returned to soccer and played at my normal speed for about 4-6 weeks before hearing the same type of pops in my left foot again this past Saturday. I figured it was more of the same scar tissue. However, this time my foot was flexed upward and spread the 5th, 4th, and 3rd metatarsal. This happened by stepping on a small hole in the field. My heel went lower than the metatarsals and resulted in the spreading of my metatarsals. I heard a few small pops. Fortunately, I was able to walk away from this with a small limp. Today is 5 days from that event, and I can walk no issue, but still experience a bit of soreness. Exercise is not a problem as long as the foot is flat on the surface of the machine. No running.

    Am I dealing with leftover scar tissue here? Will this continue? Should I seek methods of reducing this scar tissue from here on?

    Thanks very much.
     
  2. irishredbloke

    irishredbloke New Member

    I'll even take opinions at this point :)
     
  3. gh07gh

    gh07gh Guest

    Unfortunatly i cant help, but can offer sympathy as i have had a similar issue playing lacrosse.... 1st break 7months prior to the sencond "pop"... my Xrays also confirmed that i had not broken my foot. I was unsure about this so in spoke to a doctor online (as my surgery was shut) and he said that sometimes an xray isn't always able to see a re-fracture becauseof the scar tissue left on the bone, he suggested i go to my local doctor and push for an MRI if the pain continues... So im gonna head to th docs friday and see where we get... i would also be interested like your self in ANY other opininons as podiatry costs in my area are HIGH!!!
     
  4. irishredbloke

    irishredbloke New Member

    thanks for the reply. Some time has gone by and there are a few developments. Basically, I went and got another doc's
    opinion and xrays. The foot is refractured (non-union) and we discussed moving forward with surgery. I then got a bone scan and
    that showed what type of surgery the doc needed to do (to use a bone graft or not). I will get surgery this coming
    friday and will have a screw inserted. This procedure will ensure the most complete recovery possible. My downtime
    will be 6-8 weeks, but I may be able to walk off crutches in 2-3 weeks. In any case, this will fix my issue completely
    and give me utmost confidence on the foot when i return to playing.
     
  5. irishredbloke

    irishredbloke New Member

    i had my surgery on May 6th and today is July 1st. It's been 8 weeks since I had the screw inserted. I had pain for only about 1.5 days after the surgery. Crutches were needed for the first 4-5 weeks in addition to a cast. My doc cut a 3X3 inch window in my cast over the fracture site. This was to accomodate the Exogen 4000+ machine. If you havent used one of these, I recommend it. Insurance should cover it if you have a nagging fracture/non-union. About 3 weeks ago the doc cut the cast off and took me off crutches. I now have a boot called an "aircast" which is nice bc you can take it off at night. Sleeping with a cast was brutal. So I'm 8 weeks to the date in, and for the past few weeks I've been riding the stationary bike and walking in waist deep water in a pool. I've been using the exogen machine for about 6 weeks as well. I still have the aircast on and will wear it until i see the doc a week and a half from now.

    Making progress!!
     
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