5th metatarsal fracture - have you had one? Questions please...

I'm a first year radiographer, so am perhaps not the best for anecdotal experience but from what I have seen, a fifth metatarsal does heal quite well on its own. I haven't seen a pinning.

It will depend on the type of fracture and whereabouts on your metacarpal it happened. Surgery will not be an easy option and I think they like to avoid it because of the need for further x-rays and the infection risk of surgery.

5 weeks is early days for an adult fracture healing, in my experience.

Hang in there for a couple of weeks and see how you feel then.

I sustained a hairline fracture to the fifth metatarsal ( jones area) last August bank holiday. I did'nt need a cast- just a support bandage and crutches- ohh and strong pain killers!. It took about 10 weeks to feel almost normal. Though it's still does'nt feel healed, still have twinges, most annoying. The reading up i have done seems to suggest healing times vary enormously.

I snapped my fifth metatarsal about 3 years ago.

I never had a plaster cast but was given a 'walking boot" which is a bit like a removeable plaster cast which allowed me to shower etc and was supposedly lighter. (service here in Aus is good- the fitter came to my house!).

Orthapedic surgeon reviewed after 6 weeks and then told me to wear the boot for another 6 weeks. Apparently bones can heal in 6 weeks but this tends to be in kids and where bones are not weight bearing. I wore my cast for about 3 months in all.

I never had physio- but not sure what you can do to exercise this part of your foot!

This will be of no help to you whatsoever, but I cracked my 5th metatarsal when I was 11 years old by falling down a flight of concrete stairs. I was in plaster for 2 weeks and didnt get full use of my foot without pain for about 5. I suspect as I was only 11 iand it was a crack rather than a break that it healed a lot quicker.

Hope it gets better soon though cos its flippin painful x

I fractured mine when my ankle went as I was walking out my parents front door. It hurt like hell and I had to go to hospital by ambulance. I was most peeved when they said I had to walk on it with no special cast thing, no crutches no nothing!! They tend to heal themselves fairly well with no intervention apparently, but mine doesnt sound as though it was as bad a fracture as yours. I was on very strong painkillers for a week or so and it ached a lot for a few weeks but seemed to heal (no one ever checked it) It still aches sometimes though.

Thanks everyone. I guess I was concerned because the specialist originally suggested immediate surgery and then said that he wanted to plaster first and see what happened, so to go back after a relatively short period, see that it was still fractured but then to be told "right thats it, dont need to see you anymore really" was a bit of a surprise.

I am going to give it a few more days and then try some gentle swimming. I need to be more mobile for the beginning of March - got Rugby 7's to go to!! Ha ha.

I have done a lot of reading via google, and treatment seems to vary vastly - from hardly any intervention right through to pinning the bone and everything inbetween. I think my consultant acted with caution in casting and its definitely allowed it to start to heal but the prognosis that it will take at least 6 months to fully get better was a bit surprising.