If you participate in a lot of high impact activities you may be susceptible to a stress fracture in your foot. A stress fracture is a tiny crack in one of the bones in your foot. It is usually the result of improper training, over training or not wearing the right footwear for your activity. If you suspect this a stress fracture in your foot, talk to your doctor about the available treatments. You need to take care of your injury so it does not get worse.
Rest
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, you must rest your foot and avoid the activities that caused your injury until it heals. Continuing to work out with a foot stress fracture can lead to the bone weakening and a more severe break. Each case is different so there is no set time on how long you will need to curb your activities. It may be a matter of weeks or a couple of months. The sooner you get off your foot, the faster you will heal. With severe stress fractures you may even need to wear a cast and completely immobilize the foot for a period of time. If possible, you do want to keep active and stay in shape. Swimming, biking and other non-impact forms of exercise are good choices. Your doctor will monitor your progress and tell you when it is appropriate to resume normal activities. However, you will need to build back up gradually to avoid fracturing the foot again.
Ice and Medication
A stress fracture can cause pain and swelling. In the initial phase of healing you may need to apply ice packs several times during the day to bring the swelling down. If your symptoms are interfering with daily life you may need to take pain medications or anti-inflammatory drugs to help control your symptoms. If the pain or swelling is severe, a cortisone shot may also be tried. However, caution should be used as strong anti-inflammatory medications may weaken your bones.
Proper Footwear
The Sports Injury Clinic recommends seeing a podiatrist to help learn how you can prevent future stress fractures. A podiatrist is a physician that specializes in foot care and can analyze why you injured yourself. He can watch how you land and walk on your foot. He can also detect problems such as a flat foot or a tendency to pronate or supinate (roll in or out). All of the above can place excessive stress on the foot and contribute to a stress fracture. Your podiatrist can then recommend the proper foot wear and/or orthotic that can support your foot and correct any improper movements.
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
After your injury fully heals your doctor may prescribe a period of physical therapy, or if your injury is not too severe, exercises you can do at home. To help regain the range of motion in your foot you will need to stretch each day as well as before and after activities. The Hospital for Special Surgery claims that you will need to do a variety of exercises to help strengthen the muscles of the foot. Changing up your routine from time to time and developing stronger muscles will play a large role in preventing future injuries. Talk to local trainers in your area that are knowledgeable about the sport you participate in for recommendations on exercises specific to that sport.
