5th metatarsal fracture

Hello,

I hope that you can help me. I fractured the 5th metatarsal 3-5 weeks ago but I just found out about the fracture this week when I sought out medical consultation. My doctor gave me a wooden post-op shoe that works very well, but it is the wrong size. No one in town carries this particular shoe and the earliest that I can get one sent to me is the middle of next week. In the meantime, I am having a lot of trouble walking and I can't seem to find any other style/brand of post-op shoe that will work for me since the other designs have closures/straps/materials that come up on the side of my foot that is broken and they put pressure on the painful part of my foot. Is there any other type of device/walking cast/shoe that you can recommend in the meantime that would help me get around? The post-op wooden shoe that I have (which is too short) is simply a canvas wooden shoe with velcro closures, and the velcro fastens without loops, etc. across the top of the foot. Only the canvas is next to the broken bone. I suppose that anything that immobilized the bone would work, as long as it is not tightened/secured across that area. It is the outside of my right foot.

Thank you!
Issy

[FootDoc]

DISCLAIMER:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS- ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, AND/OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
************************************************** *********
There are all kinds of devices available, but you seem to require some specific features and not knowing precisely what they might be, I can't suggest a necessarily fitting alternative. Why don't you contact your doctor and see if he/she can have you pick up a suitable one from a colleague? Or he might want to give you crutch-walking instruction and have you get crutches. I would not suggest you use crutches, though, without proper instruction.

Thank you very much for your kind response. I have had a message in to my doctor since yesterday afternoon, and I called with the question again this afternoon since I had not heard from the doctor's office. I"m usually not in a hurry for a response, but I am worried that the weekend is approaching and that the medical supply stores will be closed after 5pm today. My foot really hurts and I can't imagine walking around on it at work tomorrow or the next day without some type of proper-fitting support. There are so many products on the market that I would not know where to start in finding a walking cast or another shoe. I have exhausted the possibilities locally for finding another shoe like the one that I have (I asked the doctor about that three days ago and I even called hospitals and doctor's offices to see if they had the shoe and could sell one to me - I found one at a physician's office, but they would not sell it to me as I was not their patient, not even with a prescription from my own doctor).

Thank you again for your time and consideration. I stumbled across this forum when I was looking at products to immobilize a 5th metatarsal fracture, and it must be such a helpful tool for people, especially those who have chronic foot pain or chronic foot problems.

Sincerely,
Issy

I had a child who had a 5th Met fracture...now healed
would like to return to T Ball, sprinting and running.
When and how should he gradually get back into his sport,
regards
jenie

[FootDoc]

That needs to be determined by and is part of the responsibility of his/her attending doctor. I suggest you check with him/her, and not rely on those who do not and cannot possibly know the case. You dealing with your child, not a piece of broken furniture.

Hello again,

I posted a couple of weeks ago with a question about my 5th metatarsal fracture ("I hope that you can help me. I fractured the 5th metatarsal 3-5 weeks ago but I just found out about the fracture this week when I sought out medical consultation") and the information that you gave me was very helpful - thank you! I have another question for you, as my doctor is out of town at the moment and I would be interested in your opinion on this, if I can provide enough information for you to answer it.

I found out that I have a Jones fracture of the 5th metatarsal of my right foot and that it probably occured on 12/10/08. It has not healed, and x-rays taken on 1/20/09 and 1/28/09 show evidence "of the fracture line is "nearly obscured by sclerosis and callus formation" due to healing." The fracture is transverse, but does not completely cross the bone; i.e. it is on the right side of the bone and goes approx. 1/2 way across the bone. The orthopaedic surgeon whom I saw recommended surgery as the only viable treatment at this point, and my family physician confirmed this when I went back to her for a second opinion. When I expressed my desire to explore options for conservative treatment of the injury, my family physician said that while she could put me in a cast with crutches (for non-weight bearing therapy) that the chances of the fracture healing at this point without surgery were probably less than 50%. I opted for surgery (screw placement to secure the fracture site) and had it scheduled for today.

Unfortunately, my three young children were diagnosed with strep last night and as they are contagious and the babysitter is sick, I could not leave them with anyone so I had to postpone my surgery. It will be at least two weeks before I can have the surgery, and I wonder if there would be any benefit in immobilizing the fracture in a cast and using crutches to follow a protocol of non-weight bearing between now and the surgery date. I also wonder if it would be helpful to have x-rays taken a few days before the surgery date, just to see if there have been any positive changes on the x-ray - this could be done whether I follow my current treatment protocol (wearing a walking cast or ortho. shoe and not walking on my foot without one of them) or if I wore a cast with crutches.

Currently, this thing hurts like the dickens and although I did find a walking cast (this makes sitting up tolerable, at least) and an appropriately-fitted comfortable orthopaedic shoe, the fracture site just hurts if I get off of the couch and have to move around on it. Driving is really painful, and I wonder if it would feel better if I didn't walk on it at all. Any information that you could provide me with would be helpful.

Thank you!
Issy

[FootDoc]

DISCLAIMER:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS- ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, AND/OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
************************************************** *********
The fact that the fracture site hurts when the foot is used probably indicates that it is not adequately immobilized, and although I certainly cannot interject anything definitive into a case of which I have no real knowledge, it would seem to me that, in general, stabilization would probably be appropriate. But you have a surgical doctor who clearly knows the specifics of your case, and he/she is the one who should be offering to you, ruling in or ruling out alternatives and adjuncts until the surgery can be performed, including the necessity for additional x-rays.