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Broken 5th Metatarsal - Advice On Walking

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by welsh_Girl, Jan 27, 2009.

  1. welsh_Girl

    welsh_Girl New Member


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    Hello, I just found this site and wondering if you can help me. Three weeks ago I fell over at home and heard a snap in my left foot. I went to the local A & E the following day and was told I had broken a little bone. Now I went back last week and was told I had broken my 5th metatarsal and was given a new cast and a walking boot (which straps over the cast on the broken foot) and I also have crutches. Now I wasn't told how to use the boot, I know I've got to walk but I am finding it hard. I can manage small steps on the heel on the broken foot and use the good foot really well. My parents are getting mad at me for not walking normal but I am trying. Is there anything I can do to walk normal? My heel on my bad foot is hurting due to the tiny steps I take each day, but I want to get out of the house and walk as normal as I can! Can someone give me advice or shall I keep doing what I am doing when I walk? I've got another check up in 3 weeks time!
     
  2. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    I'm sorry, but from reading your post wherein you state that your parents are mad at you, I assume you are a minor. For legal and ethical reasons I do not give advice directly to minors.
     
  3. welsh_Girl

    welsh_Girl New Member

    I am 28 years old and live in the UK. I found this site after days of searching for a place to ask questions. I hope this helps
     
  4. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    Did it never occur to you both that a doctor's responsibility to you does not end until you are appropriately discharged from his/her care, or referred to another, and that both you and your doctor should have seen to it that you had proper instructions at the time when you were issued the boot? Start act like that 28 year old instead of the child I had thought you might be, and return to or at least phone the doctor under whose care you obtained treatment for a proper answer to your question and to find out if perhaps you are using the boot improperly. It is no wonder that your parents are mad at you. If my bluntness wakes you up and gets you to do the right thing. then my job has been done. If not . . at least I tried.
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Dear MR Footdoc,

    I would suggest that if you are going to offer advice, you do so in a professional manner. The advice you have given is pretty unacceptable and if you can't offer decent advice please just keep this to yourself.

    Referral back to GP/ A&E may be unreasonable due to circumstances. As I have recently done the same injury whilst on holiday I can not see the Dr for obvious reasons and my GP says I need to see the Dr that assessed me. I have overcome this by simply going back to my local A&E. (Not the best use of A&E but if GP unwilling to help)
     
  6. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    Dear ANGRY PERSON (chronically, I'm sure),

    Frankly, if you would have had as big a mouth with your doctors who had responsibility to you as you do with others who neither benefit from giving you advice nor have any responsibility to you, perhaps you would not be looking to an A&E (I think that's an ER in the U.S.) for what will be less than knowledgeable case specific care. I'm sure you get precisely what you deserve.
     
  7. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    What is the purpose of this thread if "FootDoc" is only telling people to go back to their doctor? this is just plain rediculous... i just broke my foot two days ago and was searching for information to whether i should walk on it or not if i am not feeling pain.. so thanks a lot "FootDoc" you have helped us learn that there are people in this world who serve no real purpose in life except to irritate others..
    and Welsh Girl, hope you get better soon. it sucks having a broken foot..
     
  8. neenstie

    neenstie New Member

    From everything my doctor told me and from what I have read. You need to stay off of it completely for at least 6 weeks.
     
  9. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    This typifies the problem in obtaining case-specific answers from someone who, because of lack of case-specific knowledge, and in this case, only lay knowledge derived from his/her likely singular personal experience, cannot offer answers which clearly and responsibly pertain to a poster's question. The fact is that the poster's question precipitating that answer offered no information about the type or location of his/her fracture or any nuances upon which an actual attending doctor might decided as to if or when weight-bearing would or should be allowed. Some fractures of the feet can be properly treated with only taping or a surgical boot or even a stiff-soled shoe, some may require merely a walking cast and some a non-weight-bearing cast. A couple of posts back, the poster to whom the response quoted above was offered had expressed disdain for me because I had advised a previous poster (Weslh Girl) to consult her doctor regarding case-specific information rather than offering to her a shoot-from-the-hip generic answer without knowledgeable basis, The fact WAS that, like it or not, if Weslh Girl has heeded my advise, she mght now be far better off in her future dealing with doctors, in that she might understand that it is THEY who, when taking a case, have responsibility to the patient, and that THEIR (the doctor's) feet should be held to the fire for proper care, which includes keeping his/her patient well informed and knowledgeable in what he/she should expect and the proper do's and don'ts regarding the case. Unfortunately, I think that the disgruntled poster who has been responded to with the above-quoted reply will probably prefer the rather definitive answer which was offered, although it does not address her question in terms of what is definitively realistic for his/her individual case. But as a professional, what questioner's might demand in simplistic but possibly incorrect responses to their questions is not my concern. Offering the best and most responsible answer IS.
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2009
  10. neenstie

    neenstie New Member

    For the record, I am in a cast for a 5th metatarsal break. I had an avulsion fracture which was repaired, with two screws, through surgery. When it was borken, before the surgery, I was told not to walk on it at all. I was given crutches and a boot but the boot was not the type for walking, only immobilization. As I had said above, my doctors and other in my situation, could not walk on it for at least 6 weeks. Not that you need to be off of it for 6 weeks. I am only giving advice from my point of view. I don't know why your parents would be mad at you. You probably won't be able to walk normally for a while, IN MY OPINION ONLY (You like that, Foot Doc?)

    welsh girl- if you would like to speak further. Feel free in private message me. I am not a doctor but sometimes it helps to speak to people who know what you are going through, for support and understanding. Something Foot Doc obviously knows nothing about. ( I pitty his/her spouse) I hope you feel better soon.
     
  11. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    My point was and is that YOUR OPINION doesn't count, as you are NOT a professional and YOUR OPINION is based ENTIRELY on your one and only experience. When YOU were choosing the doctor to treat you, you would have attempted to avoid any doctor who had only one experience with YOUR problem, and THAT is precisely how any poster who wishes case-dependent information in regard to his or her own case should feel. Medicine is not a social interaction game, it is dead serious, and offering information without actual basis in fact is potentially dangerous, even if it is well-meaning. Do YOU understand THAT?
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2009
  12. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    One would have to assume that you were not dense enough to think it helpful to now be replying to Welsh Girl's question of 9 months ago, and the poster to whom you seemingly replied certainly did not ask for any advice. So it is difficult to fathom your comment that "Can someone give me advice?" was to what you had responded. But, in any event, you offered advice which could not have been based on the facts of the case, and therefore I reiterate that your OPINION does not matter, as being a once-patient does not confers upon you the knowledge which affords one a sound medical basis for such an opinion in regard to anyone's individual situation, and the only thing that matters to the questioner is his/her INDIVIDUAL situation.

    But previously, I allowed as how some questioners might actually prefer guesses such as yours based on nothing but anecdotal, lay and singular experiences to actually medically-based responses based on sufficient knowledge of the case such as I attempt to offer when and only when I am so able. But this begs the questions as to what some folks are thinking when they ask questions pertaining to their individual situations and whether a responder should indulge their desires in obtaining information upon which they might act and which might prove either harmful to their case or be adverse to their own doctor's much-better founded recommendations. This is not Facebook or My Space or some other social interaction site, and medicine is not a parlor game with important decisions to be made based on the obviously limited experience of another patient. You would not consider engaging a doctor to treat your own medical problem with the fore-knowldege that he/she had a singular experience in dealing with such a condition, and there is no reason to inflict such a lack of experience on a questioner simply because he/she has asked it in an Internet forum where one can respond without taking responsibility for the consequences. Furthermore and in any event, I cannot see how anyone could take comfort in the fact that you, too, had sustained a fracture of the foot, or feel confident in your tacit assertion that your case paralleled his/her's or that whatever treatment you had or advice that you were rendered would be appropriate for him/her.

    Finally, it is far more important and appropriate that I gave Welsh Girl advice in how to deal with her doctor than anything which I could have offered to her without knowing the actual facts of her case. In addition, if you or anyone else is paying a doctor who is not a good listener and does not respond to your needs and questions in a meaningful manner, you should be demanding the service for which you are paying or taking your case to another but better-vetted doctor, and not simply attempting to obtain the needed advice from those on the Internet who cannot possibly responsibly supply it . . and THAT is what should be OBVIOUS.
     
  13. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    The issue is not having the LAST word. I post to offer information, even if that information is to say that sometimes other posters don't when that, in fact, is the case.
     
  14. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Just had an avulsion fracture of my 5ft metatarsal for the 2nd time through my ankle "rolling inwards" during a competitive football game and came across your thread while searching for some advise.

    Firstly I have asked my attending physician regarding walking on the heal as this time I can with minor pain (have also torn a tendon in my thumb, so crutches are painfull too),they are unsure & have told me to wait until I speak to the specialists in the fracture clinic.
    This is not viable as I have a 3week old daughter & a 4yr old son and I also have a job to do, therefore need some advice on what to do now.

    What I can take from the posts from the so called "FootDoc" are ignorance,unsympathetic & down right rudeness. How you ever managed to forge a career in healthcare is beyond my comprehension."Professionals" like you are the reason hospitals have a zero tolerance on abuse against staff......you cause the abuse because of your awful attitude.

    I would not take the time of day from you never mind advice on advice on these injuries.
    All I can hope for is that Karma comes calling in a big way for your ignorance.

    Oh....and you would be wasting your time answering this post as I will not ever be reading any of your posts again....but you can enjoy wasting your breath if you like you excuse for a human being.Karma will eventually catch up to you, hope it comes soon.
     
  15. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Foot Doc, I agree with you. Certainly that's the way a profesional should behave.

    There is a problem between patients and doctors regarding communication and this thread is a perfect example.

    After a fracture you need to consult an orthopaedical surgeon, at least in Spain that's the way we work. Fractures of the foot can have complications difficult to solve if not correctly assesed and they can keep you of work and with pain for a long time.

    The rightfull advice is get a specialized doctor to see you in this cases. No matter how rude Foot Doc is, he's doing the best for the people reading the thread. And I think you should just say THANK YOU foot doc.
     
  16. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    OMG I was only browsing for info on walking on a broken 5th metatarsal too!
    Didn't expect to read all that!
    The A&E are so busy passing you from pillar to post that you don't always get the info you need and you don't always think to ask at the time when they give you printed leaflets on what you should do... standard stuff that may not actually be relevant to your personal injury. I didn't see the first doctor again after I had my cast on and was then given crutches! They just say make an appointment in 2 weeks time and send you on your way! I'm concerned that I may be making it worse walking on it since I have a burning sensation and pain, not bad enough that I feel the NEED to take painkillers as I don't like taking them... I know I'm in pain for a reason and if I can't feel the pain then I don't know if I'm making it worse (if you know what I mean).
    I broke it a week ago and am due to go back in another week, I've pretty much rested it for 2 days solid now and decided to look up my break on the internet out of sheer boredom and because it doesn't actually feel any better (I'm impatient too).
    I guess I'll just have to ring the hospital but they are always so busy and some of the docs there can have an awful bedside manner, they don't want to talk to patients!

    I hope all you others with the same condition were ok and everything went well, I've only broken a bone once before and it was cast up and left to heal in its broken state so it is now bent and it aches 85% of the time... that was 12 years ago and it still bothers me! I don't want the same with my foot as my job involves standing all day!
     
  17. Foot Doc

    Foot Doc Guest

    Unfortunately, you ran into a thread in which the discussion quickly pivoted to patient responsibility and proper interaction with and expectations of one's doctor. It has since become useless troll meat for those who come here only to search for something about which to complain but who almost never supply accurate and responsible information of their own. There are plenty of other threads on this site which might supply you with some relevant general information. But be cautioned that GENERAL information is often not good enough or applicable to individual situations, and unlike lay persons, professionals responding to questions in forums such as this have a professional responsibility to base their advice on substance and sufficient knowledge of the questioner's condition and status of a type which they would demand when caring for their private patients. Simply because the advice is free and the responder has no LEGAL responsibility to the questioner for his/her response, does not give license to be less accurate in his/her medical opinion than would be the case when responding to a private patient for which HAD legal responsibility. Especially with traumatic cases, the precise nature and severity of which cannot possibly be determined or assumed by an Internet responder, responses offered which do not fit the individual case may even exacerbate and/or negatively impact the questioner's condition.

    It is unfortunate that you don't have a medical system which considers the patient and his/her medical problems the prime focus of their professionalism, but I suppose that when one obtains free service, or at least services which are paid for only by taxes, and the providers are paid the same whether they provide valued services or not, the nature of the doctor/patient relationship invariably degenerates. But that does not mean that those doctors elsewhere, such as myself, who are use to having close interaction with their patients, providing caring services and taking on the responsibility for keeping their patients well informed should be expected to negate or should negate their principles and offer information with less basis than which they would demand for their own patients. When questioners cannot accept this, they simply need to move on in search of professionals who are willing to negate such principles if they have them at all. Unlike those who are paid for their services, volunteer responders have no responsibility to meet the questioner's expectations. I would suggest that those who come here because their own doctors who are being paid to care for them have not exchanged proper service for that payment hold THOSE practitioner's feet to the fire instead of complaining that their needs occasioned by those neglectful practitioners have not been met here.

    In regard to your question, I would have to assume that if you were given crutches, it was because the doctors who attended you did not wish you to bear weight on the injured foot. So why are you walking on it, and why would you be wondering why you have adverse symptoms from doing so. The very fact that you had a fracture at 12 years of age which continues to bother you to this day, should emphasize the need for appropriate and well-founded advice, not shoot-from-the-hip recommendations, or do you want to be telling a similar story many years from now?

    FOOT DOC
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2010
  18. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I buggered up my foot by landing directly on it when I fell coming down off my roof (re-roofing). I refuse to go to the doctor unless I am 1005 certain that it is broken so I thought I would read some posts to see if anyone xperiences similar issues and found this.
    This is the funniest post I have EVER ready. How can anyone asking for advice be the one giving it?? I mean if you don't like the "Foot Docs" reply then change the tire and move on to the next Q & A site.
     
  19. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    Right on . . . One would think that would be a given, especially as you can bet that those who instead complain here because they didn't get the answer which they wanted and frequently unrealistically expected from someone who has never so much as seen them, has presented to them no bill and owes them nothing are the same folks who PAID their own doctors for advice and treatment, got neither, just shut their mouths and DID move on. If folks would routinely routinely hold their OWN doctors to the standard to which they would me, they would have less or possibly no need to post on forums such as this. But then again, there are a bunch of folks that who will never be satified no matter what, and many of these have been passively and purposely gotten rid of by their own doctors. So they come here and to other forums to continue the dissatisfaction which likely permeates the rest of their lives and for which they possibly have a need.

    There are many good folks here who ask reasonable question and understand the limits of what might be obtained in venues such as this. There are others who come here for sport and then take umbrage when I make sport out of them, and there are others who are just plain nasty folk who need venues such as this to ply their nastiness. It takes all kinds.
     
  20. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I broke my fifth metatarsal bone on 7/05/10. I am on one crutch and a walking boot. An orthorpaedic doctor is caring for mine. That is all I am saying because this has turned into a nasty thread!
     
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