Broken foot bones / foot fractures

So, here’s the situation... about four days ago, I went and broke three bones in my right foot—specifically the second, third, and fourth toes. The intense pain has finally started to subside, which is a relief, and right now my foot is encased in a heavy cast. My doctor told me I have a follow-up appointment in a week, so I'm just sitting here waiting. I was wondering if anyone else here has dealt with something similar? How long did it take for you all to fully recover? And there's one more thing 😁... I've heard rumors about these specialized plastic braces or walking boots that you can actually take off. Has anyone actually seen one of those or heard anything firsthand? If they tell me at my check-up in a week that I need another cast (which, honestly, I am praying won't 😁 happen), I might try to ask if I could use one of those plastic ones instead. It would be so much easier to actually be able to wash my foot, you know? 😁 Thanks in advance for any insight you can give me! 😁

You gotta buy the plastic ones yourself; there's almost always an alternative to standard plaster. For me, the real nightmare was the heat—I can't stand wearing plastic or synthetics, but they basically told me to just suck it up and deal with stinky feet in a traditional cast... It wasn't my foot bone, though, it was my ankle, so I can't really help you there.

I broke a bone in my foot about eight years ago. It wasn't one of the toes, just some other bone in the midfoot.

If you look at the X-ray, the fracture is barely even visible, yet I was stuck wearing this flimsy, soft cast all summer long. They set it, then when I went back for a follow-up two months later, they told me I had to wear it for another month. They wouldn't even let me wash my leg😁, if you can believe that😲.

Man, I honestly cannot wrap my head around the idea that I’d have to be stuck in a cast for two or three whole months. Some of my buddies at work are telling me it might actually heal in just three or four weeks... and I’ve been falling down those late-night internet rabbit holes where people claim that since it isn't one of those major weight-bearing bones, it shouldn't take nearly that long to mend. They say it's more about just resting it for a few weeks, which would be a total lifesaver if that's true 😁. I also heard you can pick up one of those plastic splints at a local CVS or Walgreens instead. Honestly, with this heat hitting us, my feet already smell pretty bad in this cast, so a splint sounds way better. Plus, I figure it'd be so much easier to actually take a shower if I could just pop the plastic off—or maybe just let it air dry? I don't really know how those things work, but it sounds a hell of a lot more manageable than this heavy thing

It depends. You might not need to. I actually broke mine right where all those bones meet up.

http://curriculum.pgwc.gov.za/site_u...of_feet--0.jpg

The ones I broke in that photo you posted—the part labeled "proximal phalanges"—well, even though I’m just some total amateur ( 😁 ), I can tell they aren't those massive, heavy-duty bones that take forever to knit back together... Honestly, the doctors over at Mayo Clinic didn't give me much more than a vague, "Just come back in a few days and we'll see," which was about as helpful as it gets. Sorry, I know I'm being a pest again 😁 😁. On the bright side, I'm trying to stay optimistic that I might be able to put some weight on my foot in maybe two or three weeks. Sure, I'll probably be limping like a wounded soldier, but at least I'll be mobile! If I'm stuck stuck inside the house unable to do anything, I am seriously going to lose my mind. 😁 😁 And honestly, if they tell me I need a cast, I’d much rather drop $200-$$133 on one of those high-tech plastic braces I heard about from some buddies than have them go full construction mode and cement my leg into a heavy plaster cast. That would be an absolute nightmare

Well, this happened to me. Just two days ago... total disaster. I stubbed my left pinky toe on the corner of a piece of furniture and really slammed it. It hurt like hell, but I didn't think it was anything major, so I didn't bother seeing anyone. Then, by the second day, this massive bruise showed up, it swelled up like crazy, and the toe just doubled in size and turned this deep purple color. I started to panic a little, so I finally went to see my primary care doctor. Now... well, she told me it’s probably a small fracture, but she said she wouldn't send me to the ER unless I insisted, since you can't really immobilize that specific part of the foot anyway. She recommended strict rest for two weeks, ice packs twice a day, some topical ointment, stuff like that. Apparently, it isn't a huge deal, and the healing process should take about four to six weeks. She mentioned I might be limping for up to six weeks (in a best-case scenario), and the foot pain could linger for a few months 😢

So now I'm hobbling around feeling like I'm a hundred years old. Luckily, I have a week of vacation coming up at work, so I don't have to worry about taking sick leave... but it's still pretty uncomfortable.

From now on, I'm sticking to wearing hard-soled slippers around the house. If I had been wearing something more supportive instead of just going barefoot, this probably wouldn't have happened. 😳

She doesn't necessarily have to send you to trauma; you can just head straight to the ER on your own...
If I were in your shoes, I’d go get an X-ray just for my own peace of mind. It seems a bit hard to believe that a GP would claim a fracture can't be immobilized...

If it really is a broken bone, the ER will handle what needs to be done. At the very least, you'll get a proper medical leave and they'll perform a follow-up before clearing you to return to work. If you head back to the job too early with a fracture that hasn't fully set, you could end up with long-term issues.

On the bright side, if it isn't broken, at least you know you don't have anything to worry about.

Back when I suspected I had a fractured bone in my hand, the nurse at my doctor's office wouldn't even give me a second look; she just sent me straight to the ER to get imaged and treated immediately.

As for my experience with broken foot bones and various types of casts, my mother once broke a bone in her foot and it took two full months for everything to heal properly.
She used one of those waterproof synthetic casts over the summer, which she actually tried to swim in. If I knew then what I know now, I would have told her not to swim in it—the heat and moisture trapped under that plastic gave her skin burns on her leg. It took another month just for her skin to recover. (It was one of those versions you can't take off, designed to be water-resistant.)
The one upside to that type of cast is that it is significantly lighter.

ironsurfer8 said:She doesn't necessarily have to send you to trauma; you can just head straight to the ER on your own...
If I were in your shoes, I’d go get an X-ray just for my own peace of mind. It seems a bit hard to believe that a GP would claim a fracture can't be immobilized...

If it really is a broken bone, the ER will handle what needs to be done. At the very least, you'll get a proper medical leave and they'll perform a follow-up before clearing you to return to work. If you head back to the job too early with a fracture that hasn't fully set, you could end up with long-term issues.

On the bright side, if it isn't broken, at least you know you don't have anything to worry about.

Back when I suspected I had a fractured bone in my hand, the nurse at my doctor's office wouldn't even give me a second look; she just sent me straight to the ER to get imaged and treated immediately.

As for my experience with broken foot bones and various types of casts, my mother once broke a bone in her foot and it took two full months for everything to heal properly.
She used one of those waterproof synthetic casts over the summer, which she actually tried to swim in. If I knew then what I know now, I would have told her not to swim in it—the heat and moisture trapped under that plastic gave her skin burns on her leg. It took another month just for her skin to recover. (It was one of those versions you can't take off, designed to be water-resistant.)
The one upside to that type of cast is that it is significantly lighter.

I don't know. I trust her judgment. 🤷 Besides, my finger isn't broken because I can still move it, and honestly, it's pretty painless compared to the other spot. The pain has actually dialed down quite a bit today, so I think I might be okay like this.

So perhaps it’s just a bit of lingering discomfort,

but honestly, that mobility test is completely useless. I could move my arm just fine, even with a hairline fracture in the joint,
and my mother actually walked right through the front door after fracturing a bone in her foot.

ironsurfer8 said:So perhaps it’s just a bit of lingering discomfort,

but honestly, that mobility test is completely useless. I could move my arm just fine, even with a hairline fracture in the joint,
and my mother actually walked right through the front door after fracturing a bone in her foot.

I just got back from the ER. The real issue is that the anxiety of actually going to the emergency room is worse than just dealing with a few days of pain. But, I went anyway. Turns out, I actually broke a finger. They didn't give me a cast or anything, though—it’s exactly what my primary care doctor told me would happen. She said there’s no way to immobilize it properly. I can get a doctor's note for work if I want, but I don't really need one. So, yeah, I guess my GP isn't totally useless after all. I just traumatized myself sitting in a waiting room for three hours only to be told the exact same thing and have nothing done for me. 😁

Morgan Gonzalez56 said:I just got back from the ER. The real issue is that the anxiety of actually going to the emergency room is worse than just dealing with a few days of pain. But, I went anyway. Turns out, I actually broke a finger. They didn't give me a cast or anything, though—it’s exactly what my primary care doctor told me would happen. She said there’s no way to immobilize it properly. I can get a doctor's note for work if I want, but I don't really need one. So, yeah, I guess my GP isn't totally useless after all. I just traumatized myself sitting in a waiting room for three hours only to be told the exact same thing and have nothing done for me. 😁

I'm sorry you had such a rough experience at the hospital (though, strictly speaking, you aren't obligated to go to the ER; you can always head to whichever urgent care clinic is in your network)

but I still think you did the right thing by going.
Now you know for sure it's broken, you have the X-rays, and you know you need to be careful (you wouldn't want to accidentally bump it while walking around in a week or two). Plus, you can schedule a follow-up scan with them in four to six weeks to check on the healing process,
and you're also entitled to physical therapy afterward if needed.