Metatarsal stress fractures What are they?

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The danger of this injury is in not detecting it and that what begins with a slight discomfort, which is often felt in another area of ​​the foot or leg, ends up worsening and lengthening in time.

 

Our collaborator Healting, tells us on this occasion the possible causes, treatment and prevention of a metatarsal stress fracture.

As we already know, the metatarsals, located on the soles of the feet, give stability to the footprint and support the weight of the body with each step we take, for this reason they are bones that are subjected to great pressure.

Stress fractures are characterized by not being caused by a major trauma, fall or strong impact and not be of sudden appearance but are caused by microtrauma or repetitive overloads that produce slight damage to the bone. The metatarsal can not be repaired, as there are not enough breaks between sports activities or because of working at very high exercise intensities, especially if jumping or running, and finally it ends up fracturing.

1 image: Fracture of the metatarsal 4º in its most distal part.

The danger of this injury is in not detecting it and that what begins with a slight discomfort, which is often felt in another area of ​​the foot or leg, ends up worsening and lengthening in time.

What causes them?

As for the causes that can lead us to suffer a fracture of this type, we have already talked about two of the main ones, overwork on the area of ​​injury and insufficient rest, but they are not the only factors to be taken into account. Muscle decompensation, poor technique in the sports gesture, changes in the usual training surface and poor nutrition can also lead to suffering, aggravate or perpetuate it over time.

Therefore the prevention of them happens through:

  • Always have a good planning of workouts and rest periods.
  • Use appropriate footwear, for this it is recommended to go to the podiatrist to perform a good analysis of the footprint.
  • Avoid abrupt changes of training surfaces and exercise caution if you train very frequently on hard surfaces.
  • Having a good career technique also adds up when it comes to preventing this type of problem. It is advisable to perform a biomechanical analysis to improve it.
  • Maintain muscle balance and work on empowerment.
  • Proper nutrition can help keep bones in good condition and reduce risks.

What consequences?

The most frequent symptom of a fracture of this type is pain in the distal part of the instep or in the "pad" of the sole of the foot. It is usually a pain that gets worse when standing and walking and the intensity of it can go from light to very acute, depending on the severity of the fracture, sometimes being very localized, sometimes extending to adjacent areas and sometimes preventing the tread and the march.

Other symptoms that may be associated are inflammation and redness of the fracture zone, the possible appearance of hematoma and acute pain on palpation.

How do we treat them?

The diagnosis will not always be simple since it can be confused with other pathologies with similar symptoms, such as some tendinitis, muscle overload or arthritis. It is important to recognize them as soon as possible to proceed with the appropriate treatment.

The first phase of the treatment usually includes rest or discharge through orthosis and sometimes plaster. Depending on the type of fracture, some physiotherapy techniques can be performed already in this phase. Other times it is necessary to wait a few weeks before starting physiotherapy treatment.

The techniques used in Healthing for the treatment of this injury are:

  • Those whose goal is to reduce inflammation and pain such as drainage, high power laser, Game Ready Ⓡ, Vacusport Ⓡ and Diathermy application.
  • Those that are aimed at normalizing all adjacent soft tissues (fascia, muscles, ligaments and tendons), such as manual therapy and neuromodulation.
  • Osteopathic techniques to readjust the system at osteoarticular level.
  • Those seeking to work on rebalancing and muscle strengthening, proprioception and rehabilitation such as the use of Compex Ⓡ, Redcord Neurac therapy Ⓡ and work on Imoove Ⓡ and the Human Tecar Synergy MatⓇ platforms.

Metatarsal Stress Fracture Treatment

2 image: From left to right and from top to bottom: High power laser, Human Tecar Synergy MatⓇ, ImooveⓇ and Game ReadyⓇ platforms.

More information http://healthing.es/

Contact:

Healthing, Calle Serrano, 61. 4th floor - 28006 (Madrid)

Telephone: + 34 91 426 29 24

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