Experiencing a crack or break to one or more of the many bones in your feet or ankles is a relatively common occurrence. In fact, many people suffer from foot stress fractures that can exhibit intermittent and radiating effects that can be hard to pinpoint without assistance from your foot care professional.

 

Varying amounts of force and direction during the activity that causes a bone break will determine the injury’s severity. Some minor breaks in toes can are often treated successfully by buddy taping but see your foot doctor be sure and avoid complications in the future.

The five major types of foot and ankle fractures include the following:

• Stabilized fracture—When the bones are not severely displaced, the fracture is stable and much easier to support and treat.
• Compound fracture—A bone breaking through the skin is the scary sight of this type of fracture, and it will most likely require extensive surgery and recovery.
• Comminuted fracture— Is when the bone breaks into many pieces, and extensive reconstruction is necessary using various screws and plates.
• Oblique break—This kind of fracture occurs diagonally across the foot or ankle.
• Transverse break— A horizontal injury characterizes this type of foot fracture

If you have experienced severe trauma to your foot or ankle, be sure to see your foot doctor right away to stabilize the break and prevent further damage. At Your Next Step, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies, along with years of experience, to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including sports injuries, joint pain, toe deformities, nail fungus, chronic tendon pain, and skin problems. Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich, and Dr. Aliza V. Eisen provide high-quality foot and ankle care to patients in the greater Philadelphia area at our offices conveniently located in Ardmore, Paoli, and Downingtown, PA. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.