Author Topic: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture  (Read 5715 times)

APPST_Paddle

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Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« on: June 19, 2017, 10:15:09 AM »
So, yeah, I'm 36, never broken a bone until now. I'm pretty good shape, so the orthopedist said probably 8 weeks before any water activities (I kite as well as SUP surf), maybe 12 weeks. This is a tough blow, but it could have been a Jones Fracture which requires complete demobilization and no weight bearing for 6 to 8 weeks, luckily I'm in an air boot and can weight bear.

My question is - has anyone had this and how was the recovery, etc.
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Zooport

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2017, 10:55:34 AM »
Oh no, so sorry to hear about that.  Did you do it kiting, SUPing or somewhere else?
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APPST_Paddle

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2017, 01:42:39 PM »
Oh no, so sorry to hear about that.  Did you do it kiting, SUPing or somewhere else?

I wish, I was on my Hamboard that I just got, and I had actually stopped, and just hopped to the side off it and turned my foot, snapped right there. I really like the Hamboard too.

I'm thinking 6 - 8 weeks in a boot, then slowly work back into the water. Kiting will be strapless, SUP will be trial/error.

The good thing is its not a Jones Fracture which would mean 6 weeks of no weight bearing. It was a pretty clean break, no dislocation, and no other issues. Doesn't really even hurt.
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PonoBill

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2017, 03:37:44 PM »
Yup. Everyone hates seeing my feet. There should be at least three people who jump in now with something snotty to say. I am almost twice your age, but by 36 I had an impressive inventory of crushed and broken bones, including impact fractures to the fifth metatarsal on both sides (motorcycle racing). It's one of those things that sticks out in the air waiting to be whacked. Besides just being old, I think they are part of the reason I have balance problems, and perhaps part of the reason why I supinate--no support on the outside edge of my foot. When I did it, the doctors basically said: "nothing I can do, suck it up". I guess now they do something. I can't really comment on recovery since I didn't do anything but take Advil, but it hurt for about three months and my foot lands funny on both sides--kind of hits and spreads out. Any doctor can look at either of my feet and in five seconds say "broke your fifth metatarsal, eh?" I've broken multiple toes too, so they all have funny angles. I guess my dream of being a foot model lies in tatters, though maybe the toenail fungus put paid to that anyway.

8 weeks? Wow that sucks. Summer is 13 weeks. I'd say start bargaining with your doc. 4 weeks max and tape it up.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2017, 03:40:20 PM by PonoBill »
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APPST_Paddle

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2017, 05:10:43 PM »
Yup. Everyone hates seeing my feet. There should be at least three people who jump in now with something snotty to say. I am almost twice your age, but by 36 I had an impressive inventory of crushed and broken bones, including impact fractures to the fifth metatarsal on both sides (motorcycle racing). It's one of those things that sticks out in the air waiting to be whacked. Besides just being old, I think they are part of the reason I have balance problems, and perhaps part of the reason why I supinate--no support on the outside edge of my foot. When I did it, the doctors basically said: "nothing I can do, suck it up". I guess now they do something. I can't really comment on recovery since I didn't do anything but take Advil, but it hurt for about three months and my foot lands funny on both sides--kind of hits and spreads out. Any doctor can look at either of my feet and in five seconds say "broke your fifth metatarsal, eh?" I've broken multiple toes too, so they all have funny angles. I guess my dream of being a foot model lies in tatters, though maybe the toenail fungus put paid to that anyway.

8 weeks? Wow that sucks. Summer is 13 weeks. I'd say start bargaining with your doc. 4 weeks max and tape it up.

Yeah, negotiations begin on my 3 week checkout. Far as missing out on summer, I'm in South Carolina, so.............while I am missing out on prime kiteboarding season, surf not so much. I should be good to go for fall/tropical season. My main worry is my wife has a trip out to southern California first week in August and I was wanting to spend the week SUP surfing up and down the coast, so that may somewhat be in question.

From a pain standpoint - it really isn't bad. I haven't had too many ailments somehow, but I base most of my pain on kidney stones being the most pain I've experienced and then compare everything to that.
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Tom

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2017, 06:46:05 PM »
I broke my 2nd metatarsal  windsurfing, got my foot stuck in a foot-strap when I was pitched over the board while hooked in to my harness. It was broken in 5 places and I had to have a pin in it until it healed. This was my worst sports injury ever, on crunches for moths and took a year to get 90% recovered. I still, after 20 years, have to wear orthotics. I even wear them in my booties while surfing. Feet are extremely complicated and if you don't repair then and recover properly you can have terrible back pain and other consequence.

PonoBill

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2017, 07:26:36 PM »
By far the most painful injury I ever suffered, by a factor of ten, was hitting the footpeg of a downed motorcycle with my right big toe in a motocross race. I pushed the Distal Phalanx into the Proximal Phalanx (first big toe bone through the joint, splitting it open and shoving it into the second big toe bone) and turned my sesamoids loose to wander around on their own. No one saw anything happen, I didn't crash, I just wandered off to the side of the track and pitched off my bike, thrashing around like a lunatic.

The doctor cut my toe open and put everything back where it was supposed to be, He told me later he was making it up as he went along, because he had never heard of anyone doing that, and couldn't find anything about it in his reference books. Funny thing is that both of my big toes look abnormal, and the one that looks worse is the left one, which has never been injured. The right one looks better.
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APPST_Paddle

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2017, 06:47:51 PM »
Has anyone with broken foot come back with any sort of support in a bootie? I'm asking because I have a trip with my wife to SoCal that will be exactly 6 weeks after the break and I'd love to surf. In fact, if I'm not out of the boot by then, we will probably re-schedule, it's just a bit tricky because it's a work trip for her too.

Any thoughts?
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SUPcheat

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2017, 07:46:24 PM »
Feet are pretty sturdy all considered.  They do have a large representation in the 'sensation and pain' homunculus (distorted map of the human body in proportion to nerve sensation for different parts of the body) in the brain, which means they are also disproportionately painful when injured.  The big toe is prettty big on the homunculus.

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PonoBill

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2017, 10:54:54 PM »
Being serious, I'd say this is one of those injuries that might plague you later if you don't listen to your doc. I have knee and hip issues that docs say come from the ankle and foot injuries I had when I was younger.  I also had to switch out the foot pads on my kiteboard so I can get my feet into them--my feet look like I have flippers on them. They don't look like anyone else's in my family, so my theory is the fractured metatarsals contribute to the duck foot shape.

Supcheat--My experience supports the Bigfoot homunculus
« Last Edit: July 02, 2017, 10:59:11 PM by PonoBill »
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APPST_Paddle

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Re: Broken 5th Metatarsal - Dancers Fracture
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2017, 05:04:42 AM »
Being serious, I'd say this is one of those injuries that might plague you later if you don't listen to your doc. I have knee and hip issues that docs say come from the ankle and foot injuries I had when I was younger.  I also had to switch out the foot pads on my kiteboard so I can get my feet into them--my feet look like I have flippers on them. They don't look like anyone else's in my family, so my theory is the fractured metatarsals contribute to the duck foot shape.

Supcheat--My experience supports the Bigfoot homunculus

Ha, yeah luckily I switched to riding strapless roughly 80% of the time anyways, so I'm thinking no straps for 3 months or more. I'm mainly thinking about SUP surfing, I'm goofy footed so this would be the outside of my front foot. May make going backside kinda painful. I'll talk to my dr this week, hoping that 6 weeks after I can get some flat water paddling in and walk in a supported shoe, maybe start surfing again at 8 weeks.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

 


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