What is a suspicious fracture?
Occult means hidden. An occult fracture is one that does not appear well on an X-ray. A possible occult fracture is a suspected fracture that needs to be confirmed with other imaging tests. Occult fractures can occur because of a fall or other type of sudden (acute) injury.
How can you tell if you have a stress fracture in your foot?
Symptoms of a Foot Stress Fracture
- Tenderness. The injured bone may feel painful or sore when touched; this is called “pinpoint pain”.
- Deep, dull pain. The pain may be felt deep within the foot or toes.
- Weakness.
- Intermittent pain.
- Swelling.
- Changes in biomechanics.
- Sharp, localized pain.
- Bruising.
Can a fracture show up later?
Stress fractures often can’t be seen on regular X-rays taken shortly after your pain begins. It can take several weeks — and sometimes longer than a month — for evidence of stress fractures to show on X-rays.
What would you do when treating a suspected foot fracture?
Foot and Ankle Fracture Treatment Options
- Rest: Rest is key.
- Ice: Ice the area for 20 minutes at a time to help with swelling and inflammation.
- Compression: Wrapping the injury helps control swelling.
- Elevation: Keep your foot and ankle raised slightly above the level of your heart to help reduce inflammation.
What is a committed fracture?
A comminuted (kah-muh-NOOT-ed) fracture is a type of broken bone. The bone is broken into more than two pieces.
Can you walk on a fractured foot?
If you have broken a bone in your foot, you may still be able to walk, depending on the severity of the break. When recovering from this injury, it is suggested that you avoid walking excessively, as this can push the broken bone out of proper alignment and cause poor healing and foot deformities.
Can you walk on a stress fracture foot?
Doctors do not recommend walking when you have a stress fracture because it may reopen the partially healed fracture, and you may have to begin the recovery process again. Although you can walk, doctors would recommend staying away from hard surfaces and not walking long distances.
Is fractured the same as broken?
You may have heard people talk about bone fractures and broken bones. The terms are actually interchangeable and both refer to a bone that has been shattered, often by excessive force. Your doctor may be more likely to use the term fracture. To be frank, the term fracture is more “professional” sounding.
What are the 3 types of fractures?
In this article we look at the three primary types of fractures: open, closed, and displaced fractures.
- Open Fracture. When a broken bone breaks through the skin, it is classified as an open fracture.
- Closed Fracture.
- Displaced Fracture.
- Subcategories.
What are the 4 types of fractures?
Although there are many types of bone fractures, there are four main categories a fracture usually falls under: displaced, non-displaced, open and closed.
Can you walk on a broken toe with a broken foot?
If you have a broken toe, you can usually still walk and not be in too much pain. A broken foot will be overwhelmingly painful to walk on. Boots will often mask the pain of a break by providing a degree of support; removing them after a suspected fracture is the best way to diagnose the injury. 2
What are the signs and symptoms of a foot fracture?
What are the signs and symptoms of a foot fracture? Tenderness over the injured area Foot pain that increases when you try to stand or walk Numbness in your foot or toes
Can a CT scan pick up a fracture in the foot?
Another option for suspected fractures in this area of the foot is to have a CT scan. Computerized tomography has the ability to better visualize the cortex (outer surface) of bone and may be able to pick up fractures where the MRI failed.
What are some common misconceptions about foot fractures?
The other misconception that patients have is my ability to look at a foot or toe and tell if it is broken. The only way to know is through an x-ray (sometimes small fractures will not show up and a bone scan or MRI need to be performed to find the break.)