Answers to Common Foot and Ankle Injury Questions

Foot bone fractures are usually sustained in a single, physically traumatic event. Knowing the type of injury is important for diagnosing this medical issue. If the injury entailed crushing, bending, twisting, or stretching—such as falling from a height, accidentally kicking something hard, or twisting or spraining an ankle—it’s possible you have broken a foot bone.  

Beyond the incident itself, symptoms can further indicate if your foot, toe, or ankle has a broken bone. Sharp pain at the time of the occurrence is a key indicator. So too is increased pain when pressure is applied to the area. For this reason, it will likely be quite difficult (and perhaps even impossible) to walk or support bodyweight. 

Other signs of a broken foot bone include bruising in the affected area, deformity in the foot (which likely indicates a compound fracture), or—in severe cases—a fractured bone piercing the skin. In the event of an “open” or “complex” fracture, you need to take measures to lower infection risk and then seek immediate, emergency medical assistance.  

If you suspect a “closed” broken bone in your foot or ankle, come see us as soon as possible. We will perform diagnostics and treatment to ensure the broken pieces line up for proper healing, and then immobilize the area to prevent the broken bone from shifting out of position. 

Your feet and ankles are complicated structures, with each one being comprised of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. These lower appendages face tremendous forces—even during a typical, non-workout day—that can total several hundred tons. As such, there are numerous reasons as to why your foot might hurt. 

When we diagnose the source of your foot pain, we will consider an area of different factors to establish a root cause and how to resolve the problem for you. The area of the foot, nature of the pain (i.e., dull vs. sharp), and origin of the pain are all clues to indicate what is wrong. 

Your best course of action for a hurting foot or ankle is to simply come see us for a professional evaluation. We will take the time to listen to you—to fully understand the nature of the problem and how it may have developed—and then provide our recommendation for the best path forward. (The good news is that “the best path” usually isn’t surgery!)