Yup, it's a stress fracture. After about two weeks of denial, I finally sucked it up and went to the health center on campus where I got an X-Ray; they told me it looked normal, but that I should try to see an orthopedist. Luckily there's a walk-in clinic just outside College City where I was able to see someone that afternoon. She confirmed that yes, technically the X-ray looked normal but that stress fractures don't usually show up on them anyway...regardless, I was having sharp, localized pain right along my third metatarsal (a.k.a. prime stress fracture location). So chances are good it's broken. To be fair I think she was being particularly cautious given that I showed up hollering "I NEED TO BE CURED BY MY VACATION IN TWO WEEKS." Hence the boot.
I am handling it better than I thought. This is turning out to be a useful exercise in curbing my longstanding exercise compulsion. No running obviously, but it's the lack of walking that is really testing me. Usually I trek all over the place - to campus, to my job, to the grocery store on the corner, to friends' apartments in my neighborhood, etc. And sometimes I take a lap around the block just because I'm feeling antsy or claustrophobic or fat or whatever. So even outside any "formal" exercise I am pretty active in my day-to-day life, but with this damn boot I am basically doing no walking whatsoever and it is a STRUGGLE. I am not one to sit still or veg on the couch. Especially in summer when it is sunny and nice out! BUT the best thing I can do is chill out and give my foot a break for a hot sec to just like relax and heal and not be so damn STRESSED. Thank goodness for Netflix and books and podcasts and blogs and other forms of distraction for this crazy kid.
And hey, at least it isn't crutches and a cast, right?
Yuck! Unsolicited stress fracture advice-- don't use NSAIDs if you can avoid it and when you are outta the boot hard soled shoes (<3 dansko mary janes) are really nice for metatarsal stress fractures. Honestly, hiking shoes with good lugs are usually pretty hard soled too and will likely feel decently nice. And if you're doing any amount of walking with the boot, try to wear a shoe on your non-booted foot that's about the same height, on your SI joint will hate you.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better and don't go too crazy in the interim!!
unsolicited advice much appreciated, thank you!! why no nsaids? I was taking advil and icing the first couple days but stopped when it didn't seem to make a difference painwise. Also I'm sure I made things worse by walking around on it for over a week before going to the doctor, oops.
DeleteTheres some decent lit that says it delays healing- none of the orthos here let us use it for any bone stuff. Idk if i believe it, but I'd tylenol/ice helps I'd stick to that. http://m.bjsm.bmj.com/content/39/2/65.full
Deletehuh interesting! I will be stocking up on tylenol then. thanks!!
DeleteDid you get the stress fracture from the walking... or were you doing some running? Confused! And hope it heals quickly! Vegging out isn't SO bad. I really excel at it. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo I think the running is what did it...I did two harder runs on consecutive mornings (usually only run every other day) in worn out sneakers on concrete (a.k.a. perfect storm for injury...). My foot started hurting later in the day after the second run. I figured it was just a random niggly injury that would get better on its own. I stopped running after that, but I tend to walk a lot in my daily life and tend to wear crappy shoes with no support (flip flops, flats, etc.) PLUS I went out a couple of nights in heels, so my poor feet took quite a beating even after the initial injury. I didn't actually go to a doctor until two weeks after I first noticed the pain, and that's when I got the boot. So, it's hard to say what did the most damage. I think the running instigated it and all the walking probably aggravated it. Ugh I'm dumb.
DeleteAnyway thanks :) I am learning to veg a little better... House of Cards is getting devoured.
It’s good that you sought help with different doctors, as one of them might see something that the others might have missed. It isn't enough to have a single medical opinion and be content with it. These injuries aren't made readily apparent by cursory inspection, so you should seek the right one for your problem. Take care!
ReplyDeleteClinton Bashir @ U.S. Health Works