Fractures

About Fractures

If your symptoms point to a foot or ankle fracture, the most essential step is to schedule an examination at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic. Our doctors offer comprehensive care for a broken foot and ankle bones. If a severe fracture needs surgical repair, you can depend on the expertise of Our doctors, who’s board-certified in foot, rear foot, and ankle surgery for over 25 years. Don’t wait to get help for a potential fracture. Call Our Doctors at the Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic, in Mill Creek, Washington or request an appointment online today. We have same-day appointments available!

Fractures Q&A

What type of fracture might I have?

You can break any of the bones in your foot and ankle:

Ankle fracture

Ankle fractures involve a break in the tibia, fibula (the leg bones that comprise the ankle joint), or talus (the bone between the heel and leg bones).

Toe and forefoot fractures

These fractures involve the toes and the bones connecting the toes to the bones in the middle of your foot.

Midfoot fracture (Lisfranc injuries)

The midfoot refers to the small bones over the top of the arch.

Heel fracture

The heel (calcaneus) is so strong that it takes a high-energy event to cause a fracture. These fractures are severe and usually require surgery.

What causes foot and ankle fractures?

Foot and ankle fractures are often caused by:

• Direct blow to the foot
• Twisting, rotating, or rolling the ankle
• Tripping or falling from a height
• Impact during an accident (car accidents or falling from a height)
• Repetitive activities

If you don’t rest between repetitive athletic activities, you’re at risk of developing a stress fracture.

What is a stress fracture?

Stress fractures develop when you frequently repeat the same movement, and the stress causes a tiny crack in the bone.

Without rest, the small crack can become a complete bone fracture. Running often causes stress fractures, but the force of walking and jumping can also lead to stress fractures.

What symptoms do foot and ankle fractures cause?

Broken bones cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Pain (immediate and often severe)
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Tenderness to touch
• Inability to put weight on the foot without pain
• Deformity (if a bone is dislocated)

Stress fracture symptoms develop slowly, causing pain that improves with rest and worsens during activities.

How are foot and ankle fractures treated?

While a stress fracture heals, you must change your activities and wear a brace, protective footwear, or cast.

Broken bones must be immobilized while the fracture heals. If the ends of the bones are aligned and close together, immobilizes them with a cast or walking boot.

However, if the bones are displaced (out of alignment), your provider must realign them either by performing a closed reduction of the bones to get them in better alignment or perform a surgery using rods, plates, and screws to hold the bones in place during healing. This procedure is called an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure.

Closed reduction requires numbing the affected area with a local anesthetic and then Our doctors can manually re-align the bones placing them in the proper orientation to allow successful healing.

At the first sign of a fracture, call Our doctors at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic or request an appointment online.