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Fracture of the left 2nd metatarsal
How do I treat a fracture of the left 2nd metatarsal? I injured myself at work with excessive walking and climbing, I'm a letter carrier. I have been off work I and I used a cam boot walker for approx. 3 or 4 weeks. that helped initially but now I am not wearing anything on my foot. Is there anything I can do or wear to help speed up the healing process. I am a 44yr old female. I still have a significant amount of pain present that sometimes goes into my big toe.
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He hasn't instructed me on what to do at this point he basically just told me these injuries take time to heal.I feel like the cam boot helped in the beginning because after wearing it for @3-4wks. I was able to walk without a limp. It's just so big and bulky. I am wondering if there is something smaller that I can wear to restrict the bending and weight bearing impact on my foot. Perhaps a small boot? I saw a few people at the orthopedic surgeon's office come in with a small boot that had velcro straps.
I have seen an orthopedic doctor and he says my xray shows signs of healing but it's been 4mos yesterday since the problem developed. Is there a special kind of boot or shoe other than the big bulky cam boot that I can wear that can possibly help in the healing process?
Have you told your doctor about this? I'm an orthopedic technologist, not a doctor, nurse or PA but I can tell you that sometimes these fractures are slow to heal and they can hurt for quite some time. A fracture in a "healthy" person, meaning no other medical conditions, can take up to 8 weeks to fully heal. It is not unheard of for fractures to take up to 12 weeks to heal. If your foot still hurts a lot it may be time for a new xray to make sure your bones are healing. Your orthopedist can then decide how to proceed with further bracing, casting, etc.
Probably doesn't help much, but I hope I helped.
Probably doesn't help much, but I hope I helped.
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The cam walking boot does not by itself help with the healing process but takes the weight off the affected region i.e. the fracture site, taking off stress and providing an environment to heal. Aside avoiding stress on the foot, other things that can help with healing are taking a healthy balanced diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol etc. If it has been more than 4 months, the option of an external bone stimulator may be considered. If the fracture still fails to heal, surgical repair may need to be considered. You may like to discuss the options with your orthopedician.
Hope this helps.
Take care!