Your foot is comprised of 26 small bones, and any one of them can break if they become overstressed. However, it’s not always easy to determine if you’re dealing with a fracture or a less serious condition like a sprain or a bruise. On today’s blog, we hope to shine a light on some of the ways you can identify if your foot is broken.
Hot To Tell If Your Foot Is Broken
About 10 percent of all bone fractures occur in the foot, which actually seems low considering how many bones are in each of your feet. The most common ways a break occurs is from a high-energy trauma, which can result from things like a car accident, a fall, or contact during sporting activity. Dropping objects on your feet and crush injuries are also common ways people suffer foot fractures.
But how can you tell if your foot is broken? While it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to give a definitive diagnosis without the assistance of an X-ray or another imaging technique, some clues that suggest your foot may be broken and should be examined by a specialist include:
- Intense pain at the moment of injury.
- Pain that doesn’t dull or in fact gets worse after 48 hours.
- Discoloration in one or more areas of your foot.
- Noticeable swelling, as inflammation is an indication of a fracture.
- Inhibited gait or inability to bear weight.
- Visual deformity.
- Audible crack or popping sound at the moment of injury.
- Loss of sensation or numbness in the foot.
Again, these aren’t fool proof ways to determine if your foot is broken, but if you’re dealing with these symptoms, it is in your best interest to undergo an evaluation by a foot specialist. Dr. Silverman can conduct some physical tests and confirm any suspicions with imaging tools to help pinpoint your source of injury and develop a care plan that will have you back on your feet in no time.
For more information about diagnosing suspected foot fractures, or to run a question by Dr. Silverman, give his clinic a call at (952) 224-8500 or leave him a line in the comments section.
