Foot Fractures

Editor: Dr. Amy Spencer, PT, DPT, OCS, MTC, CSCS, CKTP - A Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and Certified Manual Therapist. Owner and Physical Therapist, Specialized Physical Therapy in North Reading, MA.

Broken bones or fractures in the foot are very common. Our feet are vulnerable to slipping, twisting, and falling objects. The human foot has 26 bonesand any one of these bones can be fractured.

The foot is divided into three parts: hindfoot, midfoot, and forefoot.

• Hindfoot – The rear of the foot and it made up of two bones: the talus and calcaneus.
• Midfoot – The middle of the foot and is made up of five smaller bones: the navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiform bones.
• Forefoot – The front of the foot which contains nineteen bones. There is a metatarsal for each of the five toes; the big toe is made up of two phalanges, and the other toes each have three phalanges.
• Sesamoid bones – two small pebble-like bones that are found under the big toes. These bones do not perform any necessary function and are often referred to as accessory bones.

Causes of Stress Fractures:

A stress fracture is an overuse injury that progressively develops over time. When foot muscles are fatigued, they are no longer able to properly reduce impact that causes stress to the bones. This can create small cracks or fractures. The most common sites of stress fractures in the foot are the second and third metatarsals. Stress fractures are also common in the heel (calcaneus) and the navicular, a bone on the top of the midfoot.

Causes of Traumatic Fractures:

Broken bones can be the result of jumping or falling from somewhere high up, a collision, a sharp twist of the foot, or a heavy object landing on the foot.

Symptoms of Foot Fractures:

Foot fractures usually result in pain, swelling, bruising, and tenderness at the fracture site. Since your body tries to protect itself, walking may be too painful or you will need to limp to compensate for the injury. If the bones are significantly displaced, or an associated joint dislocation is present, a deformity of the foot may be apparent.

Treatment of Foot Fractures:

Physical therapy can help restore your range of motion, foot strength, and balance after having it immobilized in a cast for weeks. The extent of the physical therapy will increase after the fracture has time sufficient time to heal.

Convenient Physical Therapy Clinic Location: North Reading, MA

Specialized Physical Therapy is conveniently located in North Reading, MA. We proudly serve residents in the neighboring communities including: Andover MA, Reading MA, North Andover MA, Wilmington MA, Boxford MA, Burlington MA, Woburn MA, Lynnfield MA, Melrose MA, Danvers MA, Middleton MA, Topsfield MA, Wakefield MA, and Methuen MA. We offer free and spacious parking located within a few steps away from our clinic’s door.

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