The diagnosis of a fracture, on the outer border of your foot, has been made at you’re A&E Department / Walk-in Centre visit. You will have been provided with crutches and a splint to your foot and ankle. You will be advised to keep the affected foot elevated as mush as possible, and weight bear through your heel on the affected side for the initial 2-3 weeks.
This type of injury normally heals well without any problems. You will experience pain, tenderness and swelling which should gradually settle over a period of 3-5 weeks. Regular paracetamol and ibuprofen or codeine should be taken initially for the first few weeks. You may need to visit you GP should your pain persist. The strapping can be removed once the pain starts to settle.
By 3-4 weeks you should be able to put weight through your toes, and we would expect your pain levels to be reducing to virtually zero around the 5 week mark. It can take up to 6-8 weeks sometimes longer before your walking returns to normal.
As the bone heals a lump will form at the break site which you will notice on the outer side of your foot. From 8 weeks post-injury you can build up your walking distance and possibly start jogging on soft ground from 12 weeks.
Very seldom, fractures of this type can be slow to heal. If your pain is not settling, and your function is not returning to normal by the 12 week mark then you ought to seek a fracture clinic consultant by contacting the Trauma Secretary detail below.
Should you have any concerns or problems please contact the Trauma Secretary on 0191 445 2443.
If you have any ongoing concern or require a fitness to work certificate please contact your GP.