Broken foot

[stlcard1521]

I was play wrestling around with my girlfriend a few days ago, and i tripped on something on the floor and my knee came straight down with all my weight onto her foot (yeah I'm real popular with her parents now). She had previously broken that foot about 2 years ago. Its hurt a lot for her to walk on since the injury is swollen. She went to her regular physician today who said the bones were probably cracked and there was nothing they could do. he didnt even bother xraying it or anything. it looks like there is an indentation on the top of her foot (its in the bone, not just from the swelling) and you can clearly feel a bone that is lower on the ball of one of her toes directly under "the dent." I really thought the doctor should have xrayed that to see the extent of damage, but he said it if the bone was dislocated it would pop into place and it didnt matter, and she should just use flat bottomed shoes for a few weeks until the pain subsides. are there any podiatrists out there by chance that have an opinion on the matter? thanks for the help.

note: the other thing that bothered me was that she said the doctor brought a book in and kept looking through the book, which makes me think he doesnt have much experience treating foot injuries.

[myproblem]

You need an orthopedist to look at it, and yes, he definately should have x-rayed it.

[stlcard1521]

i actually did offer to pay for the xray. they have one of those insurance plans that you have like a $2000 annual deductible, so they pay full price until it hits that. what she said was that the doc said "she could get it xrayed, but it would mostly be out of curiosity, it wouldnt change the way they treated it." no idea what the cost is, id imagine atleast $100-200

i dont know her doctor, she likes him though. it just bothered me that she said he kept reading out of a book, and i think any time if you have an injury where the foot's anatomy looks diffrent it should be xrayed, but like im not an expert at all on this stuff and maybe the doc did the right thing, just hoping to verify that he did.

[myproblem]

If I were in her shoes (no pun intended), I would just want a look at it to be sure that it was nothing too serious that would require surgery or something.

[stlcard1521]

are you a doctor?

[myproblem]

No, sorry. I do have a lot of medical knowledge, but I'm mostly self studied except for a couple of college courses.

[stlcard1521]

No need to apologize, I appreciate the help I was just wondering.

I'm kind of in a similar boat. I'm in pharmacy school right now so I have a little bit of knowledge of this kind of stuff, but not nearly as much as a doctor would. I just think there should have been an X ray done, and I was wondering if its routine *not* to do an x ray for a broken foot (the doctor said the treatment/prognosis wouldnt change with or without an xray, which is why my gf didnt want to pay to do it). Just seemed werid to me, especially considering that there is obviously a bone that is broken or dislocated and I was hoping another doctor or podiatrist patrols the boards and would mind giving a second opinion on that. I just want to make sure it heals correctly so she doesnt have foot problems in the future.

[myproblem]

There is a podiatrist who posts from time to time. Try posting a new question specifically asking for help from a podiatrist. How much would an x-ray cost her? Doesn't her insurance cover it? It might get you back on her parents good side if you were able to pay for the x-ray for her. I still think it would be a good idea. I can't see what it would hurt anyway. Also, maybe her Dr. isn't that good. I've had a few that were below average if you know what I mean.

[maryheather]

myproblem is exactly right--she should see an ortho. doc.  I have a broken bone (called a cuneiform bone) on the top of my right foot that was broken.  Actually, it shattered, and there is nothing they can do for me as far as casting, etc.  But there is physical therapy available, and she should at least be in some type of orthopedic boot/shoe to eliminate pressure on that part of her foot until it has time to heal.  

[stlcard1521]

thanks for the help, think I talked her into seeing a podiatrist if things dont seem to improve in a week

[hyepod]

HI...I'm the podiatrist.  She needs Xrays immediately.  If the bones are broken and also are displaced, you do not want them to heal in the incorrect position.  The healing will begin just a few days following the fracture.  If broken bones are horribly displaced, they may never heal without surgery.  In both cases (fracture and dislocation), there is the possibility of compromised circulation due to stretching or pinching off of the blood vessels in the injury area.  If there IS a fracture, and the bones are in great position, she may need only a surgical shoe.  Depending on what shows on Xray, a cast might be needed, or even surgery.  In the mean time, she should rest, ice, and elevate.  She needs 3 Xray views, which typically cost a total of about $125-$200.  However, there is also going to be a bill from the radiologist who reads the Xrays, if this is done at a hospital. I don't know what they charge, but I think it is relatively reasonable.  If you go to a podiatrist's office, they will probably have a foot Xray machine.  There would not be a radiologist charge.

[maryheather]

So great to have you posting on the forum.  Thanks for your input, and I've decided to go see a podiatrist about my foot, b/c the ortho guy is doing nothing!!
Have a great day and thanks for posting.
MH

[KC1989]

I've jammed my left foot a couple of weeks ago (toes first into the a large heavy ottoman.) OUCH!   My foot is still hurting when I walk and I feel "popping" every time I bend the upper part of my foot.  The pop seems to be coming about 1 1/2" behind my 3rd toe.  I've tried staying off of it, but my job requires me to be on my feet most of the day.  Should I boot it and if so, for how long?  
I have not been to the doctor yet.  (I've broken toes before and they typically say they can't do much for that- just keep foot flat and tape toes...)
Is this pretty much the same thing?

thanks!