Fracture of the foot: treatment, photos, symptoms and signs. Signs of fracture of the foot bones

Fracture of the foot - the injury is quite frequent and amounts to 20% of all fractures of the bones. Do not take it lightly, the consequences can be very negative, up to the impossibility of moving without help.

Causes

With a sharp turn of the foot in any direction, jumps from a height with an emphasis on the feet or when a heavy object hits, this injury may occur.

Fractures of the bones of the metatarsals appear as a result of unexpected strong impact on the leg, excessive strain and overstrain.

Signs of a fracture of the foot

The edema of the injured area and the pain are the very first symptoms indicating that you may have a fracture of the foot. The photo below shows how the sick leg looks.

Painful sensations can be so strong that a person can not move. A bruise may also occur in the area of the injury. A fracture with displacement is characterized by a change in the shape of the foot.

Sometimes a person does not know that he has a fracture of the foot. Symptoms may not be pronounced, pain occurs only when the injured leg is stressed. Therefore, to clarify the diagnosis should be addressed to a traumatologist.

First Aid

If a fracture of the foot is suspected, the injured limb should be fixed. You can use an improvised tire, made of plates, ski poles or rods, which is fastened with bandages to the foot. If anything is not at hand, you can pribintovat damaged limb to a healthy, using a scarf, shirt or towel.

With an open fracture, you should not try to fix the bone yourself, in the first place, it is necessary to stop the bleeding. To do this, you need to treat the skin around the wound with iodine or hydrogen peroxide. Then carefully apply a sterile bandage. After the first aid was provided, the victim must be taken to a medical facility.

Diagnostics

First of all, the traumatologist must carefully examine the aching leg. Having found out from the victim the symptoms of a fracture of the foot, the doctor makes an x-ray to determine the type and location of the lesion. Very rarely there is a need for computer or magnetic resonance imaging.

After the fracture was diagnosed, a treatment is prescribed, which depends on its type and on which bone is broken.

Fracture of the talus

This bone has some features. No muscle is attached to the talus bone . In addition, it transfers the body weight to the entire foot.

Fracture of the talus is possible as a result of an indirect trauma, it is infrequent and is considered a serious damage to the bones of the foot. It is accompanied by other injuries, such as fracture, dislocation of the ankle or other bones of the foot.

Symptomatics

When getting injured, there is a sharp pain, there is swelling of the foot and ankle, on the skin hemorrhages are noticeable. If the fragments are displaced, you can see that the foot is deformed.

To confirm the fracture, determine its location, type and degree of bone displacement, perform radiographic examination in two projections.

How to treat

If a fractured foot is diagnosed with an offset, the bone fragments are immediately compared. The fact is that, the later you contact a doctor, the more difficult it will be to restore their correct position, sometimes it is completely impossible.

Gypsum is applied for a month and a half. Starting with the third week, you need to release the injured limb from the tire and do active movements of the ankle joint.

A little later, they are prescribed physical therapy and massage, physiotherapy. On the restoration of work capacity goes from two to three months.

Fracture of scaphoid bone

Occurs as a consequence of direct exposure. Often fracture of this bone of the foot is accompanied by injuries of other bones.

Symptoms

A person can not rely on a limb because of strong pain. There is swelling and hemorrhage. When palpating, trying to turn the foot inside and out, a person feels a sharp pain. To confirm the fracture of the navicular bone of the foot, it is recommended to perform a radiographic study.

Treatment

If no displacement is detected, the doctor applies a circular gypsum dressing to the damaged area. In fractures of the scaphoid bone with displacement, the bone fragments are compared, in some cases an open repositioning may be necessary. The foot is fixed with gypsum for a period of four to five weeks.

It is quite difficult to treat such a fracture of the foot in combination with a dislocation. If the dislocated fragment is not repositioned, traumatic platypodia may develop. The displaced fragments are guided by means of a special pulling apparatus. Sometimes it is necessary to resort to an open repositioning and fixing the corrected fragment with a silk suture. After this procedure, the immobilization of the injured limb should last up to 10-12 weeks. In the future, it is necessary to wear orthopedic shoes.

Cuboid and sphenoid fractures

Most often, the trauma occurs when the weight falls on the rear of the foot and is accompanied by swelling of soft tissues in the area of injury, pain in palpation and turnings of the foot in either direction. Be sure to conduct a radiographic examination to confirm the fracture. After that, the leg is fixed with a plaster bandage for a month and a half. For a year after such a fracture, it is recommended to wear a supinator.

Fracture of metatarsal bones of foot

This trauma is most common among all fractures of the foot. There are two types of fractures of metatarsal bones: traumatic and stressful.

Traumatic fracture

It is the result of external mechanical action. This can be a drop in weight on the foot, foot pressure, a strong blow.

Symptoms

There is a traumatic fracture of the foot with a characteristic crunch and pain at the time of injury, you can see a shortening of the finger or deflection to the side. The pain is very strong at first, but it wanes with time, although they do not go completely. At the site of the injury, there is swelling or bruising.

Fracture stress (fatigue)

Such injuries, which include a fracture of the metatarsal bone of the foot, usually occur in athletes and those who lead an active lifestyle. They appear as a result of excessive and prolonged load on the foot. In fact, such a fracture is a crack on the bone, and it's very difficult to notice it.

If a person suffers from a variety of concomitant diseases, such as osteoporosis or deformity of the feet, his condition can deteriorate significantly. Stress fracture of the metatarsal bone is also found in those who constantly walk in uncomfortable and cramped shoes.

Symptoms

The first symptom that should alert is pain that occurs in the foot after a prolonged intense load and disappears in a calm state. Over time, it increases to such an extent that any action becomes impossible. Soreness remains in the state of rest. At the site of the injury, there is swelling.

The danger is that most people with such trauma are slow to consult a doctor, often a person does not even suspect that he has a fracture of the foot. The symptoms in this case are not as pronounced as in other fractures, the patient walks and steps on the leg. Therefore, to avoid complications, you need to contact the doctor immediately.

Fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone of the foot is a trauma that occurs most often.

When turning the foot inside, a tearing fracture may occur. This detaches and displaces the metatarsal bone. Splicing is very long, so you should contact a traumatologist as soon as possible. In case of untimely treatment, the bone may mismatch properly, in which case surgical intervention is required.

The base of the metatarsal bone is an area with a weak blood supply. It is in this place that Jones's fracture occurs. It arises against a background of stressful loads and grows very slowly.

Diagnosis of metatarsal bone fracture

The injured person is carefully examined by the doctor, studying not only the foot, but also the ankle joint, determines the presence of edema, hemorrhage and characteristic deformation. Then make a roentgenogram in a straight, side and semi-side projections. After determining the fracture and its type, the necessary treatment is prescribed.

Treatment

If a minor fracture of the foot is detected, the treatment consists in simply applying the tire. In this case, the injured limb must remain stationary for several weeks in order for the damaged bone tissue to completely heal.

When the bone is severely damaged, it is necessary to perform an internal fixation. This is done using special screws.

The severity and nature of damage determines further treatment. Any fracture of the metatarsal bone without displacement requires immobilization. The applied plaster protects the bone from possible displacement. Due to the fact that the foot is completely immobile, the coalescence of bone tissue will occur faster.

If the displacement of the fragments occurs during the injury, surgical intervention is indispensable. During the operation, the doctor opens the fracture area and compares the fragments formed, then fixes them with special knitting needles or screws. Then the plaster is applied for up to six weeks. The patient is not allowed to step on the injured leg. In six weeks you can start walking. The spokes are removed after three months, the screws - after four. The patient is recommended to wear orthopedic shoes or insoles.

When Jones breaks, a plaster bandage is applied from the toes to the middle third of the shin for up to two months. You can not step on the damaged leg.

To reduce the strain on the injured limb while walking, you need to use crutches. The patient must be observed with a doctor who correctly selects a rehabilitation course for restoring the disturbed functionality in the injured foot.

The recovery period with a metatarsal bone fracture is quite long and includes exercises in physiotherapy, massage, the use of instep arresters, and physiotherapy.

If such trauma is not treated or treated properly, then complications such as arthrosis, deformity, persistent pain and non-fracture can occur.

Fractures of the phalanges of toes

This type of bone fracture of the foot is possible as a result of direct action on the fingers (for example, with a strong impact or a drop in gravity). If the main phalanx does not grow properly, the foot function may be affected. In addition, the appearance of pain during walking and the limitation of mobility of the injured limb. As a result of a fracture of the middle and nail phalanges, such consequences do not arise.

Symptoms

There is cyanosis of the broken finger, puffiness, pronounced soreness during movement. In such traumas, subungual hematoma is sometimes formed. To confirm the diagnosis, it is recommended to conduct a radiographic study in two projections.

Treatment

For fractures without displacement, a back gypsum tire is applied to the diseased finger. If there is a bias, there is a need for a closed reposition. Fragments of bones are fixed with knitting needles.

Fractures of the nail phalanges do not need special treatment, usually fixing with a band-aid bandage is enough. The period of immobilization is from 4 to 6 weeks.

If you correctly treat a fracture of the foot and strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations, it is possible not only to shorten the recovery period, but also to prevent possible complications.