pain help

[loz667]

hi, i dropped a table on my foot on friday, it has been xrayed but they said it wasn't broken. however it is still so painfull even to put a sock or shoe on.

any help is appreciated

[Tuckamore]

Hi Loz,

Welcome. I am sorry to hear about your injury. Jaybay is correct. Soft tissue injuries can be more painful and take longer to heal then a fracture. Indeed I have heard Medical Practitioners say, "They'd be better off if they would have fractured it..."

The amount of damage done to the soft tissues will often determine the length of time it will take to heal. If you just went to ER for evaluation I encourage you to consult your PCP. He/She can offer suggestions for treatment that may ease you pain, help with healing and speed the process.

It's also true that fractures don't always show up right immediately on an x-ray. However as the bone begins to heal it will be very apparent on film.

Again, I'd contact your PCP and ask for suggestions. Time will ease your pain but in the meantime there may be other things that can be done.

Best of luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
~Tuck  

[Jaybay]

Soft tissue injuries can hurt worse and take longer to heal than broken bones because we tend to keep using the injured body part.  Did your doctor give you instructions like taking over-the-counter meds such as Advil or Aleve and using ice to keep the swelling down?  It might be helpful to ask your doctor for a boot cast anyway just to keep it immobilized for a while while the tissues heal.