Symptoms of a foot fracture

Symptoms of a foot fracture can vary and depend on which part of the foot is damaged. The middle part of the foot is still vulnerable and the most common fractures are the talus, navicular, calcaneal, cuboid bones, as well as the phalanges of the fingers and metatarsal bones. Even a minor injury to one of the areas disrupts the normal support function of the entire leg. This occurs due to the specific and complex anatomical structure of the foot.

Fracture ossis pedis – fractures of the foot can be divided into several types according to symptoms, diagnostic methods and treatment methods:

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Symptoms of a broken foot (talus)

This type of fracture fracturae ossis tali is rare in clinical practice, but if diagnosed, it is a severe injury, a serious fracture. Most often, the neck of the bones is damaged, less often - the block of the talus. Fractures of the posterior process of the bone are considered unique clinical cases. The cause of the injury may be a fall and landing on the heels, leading to a compression fracture of the body of the talus. If the cause of the injury is too active a load on the foot (flexion), then the neck of the bone is subject to a fracture with a subsequent complication in the form of a backward dislocation of the bone block. Symptoms of a foot fracture of this type are typical and similar to the signs of other injuries to the skeletal system. This includes swelling at the site of injury, pain upon palpation, hemarthrosis (bleeding into the joint cavity), decreased mobility of the foot, and changes in the contours of the joint. It is extremely difficult to differentiate a talus fracture from a fracture of the distal anterior or posterior edge of the tibia, or from an ankle injury. Often, such signs are taken into account as symptoms of a similar injury, and in combination with other information, they are the basis for an erroneous diagnosis, for example, a sprain or ligament rupture. To exclude an error, a detailed survey should be conducted and the symptoms of a foot fracture should be specified. Characteristic symptoms of a foot fracture in the talus area: increased bleeding and severe swelling in the area of the inner part of the shin, often these signs expand to the lower third of the ankle joint. A fracture of the bone neck is characterized by valgus deformity (bumps and protrusions), and the anterior zone of the ankle is the most painful. If the posterior process is damaged, severe pain is observed in the area of the Achilles tendon, on both sides. Pain can also be caused by tapping during examination, especially on the heel. It is also necessary to pay attention to the skin, which in case of a neck fracture has a pale, bluish tint and visually looks stretched. The primary diagnosis is confirmed by an X-ray, which also needs to be carefully studied. Often, a fracture of the posterior process looks like a sesamoid triangular bone, which is an additional process of the talus. A fracture of the posterior part visually differs from the sesamoid bone, it looks a little jagged. To clarify the diagnosis, images are taken in two projections together with an image of a healthy foot.

Symptoms of a foot fracture (calcaneal)

At first, swelling occurs at the site of the injury, then a hematoma may appear in the malleolar region. The contours of the heel are smoothed out due to swelling, and pain is felt when palpating the heel. Symptoms of this type of foot fracture are characterized by very rapid spread of swelling and severe pain in the heel area when walking. If the fracture was complex, compression, the longitudinal arch of the foot begins to flatten, the injured foot is visually very different from the healthy one. If the injury affects the back of the heel with displacement of the fragments, the pain increases and goes to the gastrocnemius muscle. The diagnosis is clarified using an X-ray, which is done in two projections.

Symptoms of a Fracture of the Foot (Navicular)

The cause may be a severe injury caused by a heavy foreign object, compression. Less often, the injury occurs indirectly - with active, excessive flexion of the sole. As a rule, such fractures are combined with injuries to the cuboid bone, possibly with a fracture of the sphenoid bone. The damaged fragment of the navicular bone begins to shift inward and to the rear. Swelling is small, as is the pain. Walking is painful for the victim, but the injury does not limit movement. A palpable protrusion may serve as a sign - a dislocation of the fragment at the site of injury and a typical preference to step only on the heel when walking. The diagnosis is clarified using an X-ray examination.

Symptoms of a foot fracture (cuboid and wedge)

The symptoms of a foot fracture of this form are difficult to diagnose, they are very similar to a navicular bone injury. The difference may be pain, which is localized in the outer area of the foot in case of a cuboid bone injury, and inside the foot in case of a sphenoid bone fracture. It is also necessary to differentiate the sesamoid bone from the fracture and visually visible fragments of the cuboid and sphenoid bones on an X-ray.

Symptoms of a broken foot (metatarsus)

This is the most common type of foot fracture, with the 1st and 4th bones being particularly frequently injured. In the case of direct trauma (being hit by a car, falling with a heavy object), polyfractures can be diagnosed, i.e., trauma to all metatarsal bones. Symptoms of a foot fracture depend on the severity of the injury, these can be multiple swellings, severe pain, and the inability to step on the foot. X-rays are taken from both sides - oblique pronation at an angle of 50° and the dorsal plantar side.

Symptoms of a broken toe

As in the case of damage to the metatarsus, the phalanges are injured directly. The proximal phalanges are most susceptible to fractures, less often the distal ones. The rarest case is a fracture of the middle phalanx of the toe. Symptoms of a foot fracture are typical for minor fractures, the pain is bearable, there is practically no swelling. The diagnosis is confirmed by X-ray.

The symptoms of a foot fracture are very diverse; a careful examination by a surgeon, an X-ray examination, and, of course, the timely request of the victim for medical help help to differentiate them.