Foot bone crack

The legs are an organ of support and movement, and the feet are their anatomical part with important functions: to impart stability to the figure, to be shock absorbers, to carry more physical activity. They consist of various bones (there are 26 of them in all), which, unfortunately, are subject to injury. One of the injuries is a fracture of the foot bone, in other words - a partial violation of the integrity of the bone. Medical terminology is called incomplete fracture.

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Epidemiology

According to statistics, fractures and cracks in the foot account for 10% of all bone injuries. Most often, adults are injured of this kind.

[2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]

Causes of the foot bone cracks

What can cause a crack in the foot? The most common causes are:

• kick;
• jump from a height;
• fall of a heavy object;
• stumbling on an uneven surface;
• hitting the foot on a stone or other hard object.

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Risk factors

Older people are most susceptible to cracks and fractures, since their metabolic processes are slowed down, bone density is reduced (osteoporosis), the ability of rapid regeneration of injuries, as well as those suffering from arthrosis is lost.

Other risk factors include sports, certain types of occupations associated with physical labor, excessive drinking, illness, causing impaired coordination of movement, dizziness.

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Symptoms of the foot bone cracks

The first signs of a crack in the foot is pain. It can be both acute and dull, tingling. Strengthens when walking, felt on palpation, and at rest may be insignificant. There may be swelling of the foot, redness, hematoma.

Forms

The foot is a complex musculoskeletal system and a crack can occur in any place. The following types of bone fractures exist:

• on the toe - toes help keep balance. They consist of tubular bones. All but large are formed by three phalanges, which ensures their mobility. Having received a bruise, the patient feels pain in the foot, especially when walking, swelling, blueness of the skin increases. A damaged finger may assume an unusual position relative to the foot;
• The bones of the little toe of the foot - a small toe is often injured; when walking barefoot, it becomes most vulnerable when hitting hard objects or a football. Injury is manifested by pain, increasing its size, blue in the face;
• in the calcaneus - makes itself felt with pains in the heel, a significant restriction of movement. There are bruises in the heel part and on the sole of the foot;
• metatarsal bone - the middle part of the foot, which is 5 short tubular bones. Their fissure is manifested by difficulty when stepping on the foot, edema can spread to its back side. Pain resembles a feeling when stretching;
• The 5th metatarsal bone is localized under the little finger, so the pain is concentrated in the outer part of the foot, which increases with the load. Causes lameness, walking turns it into a sharp, at night whine. There is swelling and discoloration of the skin;
• the talus - the main bone of the skeleton of the foot, consists of the body and neck. The neck is most often damaged due to a fall from a height. Manifested by pain, tumor, difficulty in movement;
• navicular bone - it is the smallest among all the bones of the foot, but it plays an important role, because attached to it is a tendon that holds its arch. When cracks pain occurs, especially under load, swelling, extending to the ankle;
• cuboid bone - refers to the bones of the tarsus of the foot, connected to the two metatarsal bones (4th and 5th) and heel. Sharp pain, extensive swelling, inability to step on the leg without pain - manifestations of fractures and bruises;
• cracks in the bones of the foot skaters - the cost of the sport. The most frequent are fractures of the middle part of the foot, and the reason for this lies in large loads, jumping on an unstable support - the ridge blade.

Complications and consequences

Fractures and bone fractures of the feet can lead to dangerous consequences and complications in the absence of timely qualified medical care. This is fraught with stiffness of the joints, their deformity, post-traumatic arthrosis, secondary infection. The most dangerous is blood poisoning.

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Diagnostics of the foot bone cracks

For first aid, contact a traumatologist or surgeon. Diagnostic measures to determine the nature of damage include history taking, examination, and palpation. The ability of the foot to exercise motor function, the sensitivity of the limb is checked, the presence of external injuries is determined.

The most accurate diagnosis will determine instrumental studies: radiograph in several projections, computed tomography.

The fracture of the foot bones is differentiated with a fracture, contusion, and tendon damage.

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Treatment of the foot bone cracks

Unlike fractures with cracks, gypsum dressings may not overlap, and the foot is simply fixed with a bandage. Crutches are used to reduce the load on the lower limb.

Anti-inflammatory drugs can help prevent infections with damage to the nail plate or soft tissue.

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Medicines

Since cracks and fractures are accompanied by pain, for its removal can be taken painkillers: analgin, pentalgin, ketanov, solpadein, sedalgin.

Ketanov - refers to non-narcotic painkillers. It is taken on a tablet (10mg) during or after meals every 4-6 hours, but not more than 40mg per day. For children under 16, pregnant women do not apply. Contraindicated in bronchial asthma, an open ulcer, severe cardiac, renal or hepatic failure, blood clotting disorders. The maximum course of application is 5 days.

To relieve the inflammatory process, reduce puffiness, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used: nurofen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, indomethacin, ortofen.

Ortofen - a drug with a pronounced anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effect. It is used in effective doses (100-150mg) in a short period of time. For children, starting from 1 year, the dose is calculated as follows: 0.5-0.2 mg per kilogram of body weight, divided into 3 doses. The drug is not prescribed for pathologies of the stomach and intestines, angina pectoris, transferred heart attacks, abnormal liver functions, kidneys, carrying a child, and breastfeeding.

Edema can be removed diuretics: diakarb, furasemid, mannitol.

Diacarb is a diuretic, a pill is taken once a day in the morning. It is advisable to drink the following every other day or two. Contraindicated in liver cirrhosis, urolithiasis, diabetes mellitus.

Calcium preparations are capable of accelerating bone fusion: calcium D3, nicomede, calcium gluconate, calcemin.

Calcemin - calcium in the preparation increases bone density, vitamin D3 improves bone quality, zinc eliminates defects, copper prevents demineralization, manganese normalizes the production of components that improve the formation of bone and cartilage tissue. I take pills before or during meals, 1 piece twice a day, for children up to 12 years old - once a day. Up to 5 years, do not apply, pregnant women - only on prescription. From adverse reactions extremely rarely allergies can occur.

Applying cooling ointments and gels will help to anesthetize (menthol ointment), warming - to increase the blood flow to the injured site, and thus have an anti-inflammatory effect (fast-gel). You can also use ointments containing bee or snake venom (cobratoxan).

Fastum-gel - colorless mucous almost transparent. Apply a thin layer to the surface of the skin up to 3 times a day, lightly rubbed. Slowly enters the general bloodstream, so side effects from the internal organs are extremely rare. Sometimes rare local reactions are possible.

There is no data on the effect on children, therefore it is better not to apply gel to them. Pregnancy and feeding also does not allow its use.

Kobratoksan - ointment, which involved the poison of the cobra, menthol, methyl ester of salicylic acid. A small amount of it, corresponding to the match head, is lightly rubbed into the skin. It does not apply to children under 5 years old, if they are allergic to poison, abrasions, scratches, during pregnancy and lactation. The drug can cause a burning sensation, redness. In this case, it is better to remove it with a cotton pad from the surface of the skin.

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Vitamins

The following vitamins will accelerate bone healing: B6, B9 (promote the formation of collagen in them), D, K2 (prevents calcium from leaching from the body), ascorbic acid. Minerals will strengthen their calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and copper will help their absorption.

They should get into the body both with products containing them and with vitamin-mineral complexes.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapeutic methods allow you to quickly deal with the problem, remove unpleasant symptoms, shorten the period of bone fusion, restore limb functions, prevent complications.

UHF, interference currents and low-frequency magnetic therapy will reduce puffiness and pain. Ultraviolet erythemal irradiation will improve blood circulation and mineral metabolism. After 3 days after the injury, physiotherapy exercises can be applied under the supervision of a specialist.

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Alternative treatment

People know that the eggshell contains a lot of calcium, which is necessary for strengthening the bone, therefore, from fracture, since ancient times, various recipes with its presence are used:

• the shell (the film is removed beforehand) is dried, carefully ground into powder and poured with a small amount of juice squeezed from a lemon, taken in a spoon daily;
• the powder from the shell is mixed with lemon juice, after 2-3 days there are added fresh eggs (5pcs.), 2 tablespoons of honey, 50g of cahors, lemons (3 fruits). After thorough mixing, you can take 30g each day.

To speed up bone splicing, a highly concentrated jelly welded from the bones and tendons of animals is also used. Its therapeutic effect is based on the presence of collagen in them, which synthesizes connective tissue, which replaces the crack space.

Promotes healing solution mumiyo (10g per half liter of boiled water). Drink it regularly on an empty stomach in the morning and evening on a teaspoon, washed down with warm tea with honey.

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Herbal medicine

In case of fractures and bone fractures, gadgets, compresses, baths of decoctions and infusions of herbs that have a beneficial effect on the regenerative processes in tissues that relieve pain and inflammation, and also take them inside, are resorted to.

For outdoor treatment, ivy-shaped, blood-red geranium baudura is used, and the golden rod is used for internal treatment, and calendula, sea buckthorn, dog rose, marsh.

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Homeopathy

For those who believe in the power of homeopathic remedies, if the foot is cracked, the following drugs can be recommended:

• arnica - taken a quarter of an hour before meals or one hour after 3 drops, dissolved in 10 ml of water, three times a day, the first time after the injury is possible more often, until the pain decreases. Children and during pregnancy do not use;
• symphitum - every day several times a day is applied to the area of damage, it speeds up healing;
• eupatorium - produced on the basis of a medicinal plant stevia purpurea, has a similar effect to arnica. It belongs to alkaloids, therefore it is not desirable for children and expectant mothers, as well as for long-term use by people with a diseased liver;
• Calcium phosphoricum - calcium phosphate in low dilutions, mineral salt, forming solid bone tissue, accelerates splicing. For different age groups, the dose is different. So, young children can take 1 tablet 2 times a day, between 1-5 years - twice, 4-11 years - four, older - 6 times.

All homeopathic medicines can not seriously harm health. Hypersensitivity to their individual components will manifest allergies, which serves as a signal to stop treatment.

Surgery

As a rule, an incomplete fracture does not require surgical intervention.

Prevention

Comfortable shoes can reduce the risk of injury, especially when playing sports. For each sport its specific type is made. It is undesirable to play football barefoot, which sometimes children do. Before heavy physical exertion, bandages or fixation bands on joints should be applied.

Forecast

Properly organized rehabilitation increases the favorable prognosis for recovery without undesirable complications. In most cases, it is possible to achieve complete recovery.