Suggest Treatment For Non Displaced Fracture Of 5th Phalange
Before leaving for home today, I returned to the ER and asked for copies of my xrays. Upon review and some online research this evening, the fracture is not an avulsion fracture of the 5th metatarsal, but appears to be a closed non-displaced spiral fracture in the 5th phalange (bedpost fracture). Bruising is mostly around 5th/4th toes and upwards halfway up foot. Pain is minimal. My questions: 1) Should I see a podiatrist or orthopedist? 2) I am a runner and have many fall runs coming up. When can I run/bike/swim again - should this be gauged by pain or specific time frame? 3) Is there any way to determine how long I need to wear the shoe/use crutches? Both are very uncomfortable - are there any other options? I tried uploading the image but had trouble with this - the file is small. How can I resend???
3-4 weeks of rest is needed.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
You have a small undisplaced fracture of 5th phalange.
1. It is best to consult an orthopedician rather than a podiatrist.
2. You need to avoid running for 3-4 weeks till the fracture is properly healed. You can do swimming after 3 weeks. The pain will subside in a week.
3. You will have to wear the shoe and crutches for at least 3 weeks. Other than that you can go for a plaster but it will be more uncomfortable.
4. You can upload the X-ray image in the box provided on the right hand side of this query page.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal