Spotlight: Metatarsal Stress Fractures (pt. 2)

by | Dec 7, 2023 | Kinesiology, Physiotherapy

Continuing on from our previous post regarding this common area of concern…

The most common treatments for stress fractures include:

  • Rest
  • Icing: Your health practitioner will tell you how often (and for how long) you should ice your injury.
  • Pain relievers
  • Elevate your injury
  • Compression: Involving a compression band or wrap.
  • Immobilization: A cast, boot, or special shoe to support your injury and reduce how much pressure you put on it.
  • Crutches: Your provider may suggest you use crutches to take pressure off your injured bone.

 

There are four general phases along the recovery of such injuries: Acute Phase, Subacute Phase, Advanced Strengthening and Return to Full Activity.

 

Phase I: Acute Phase

  • This phase typically lasts 1-3 weeks, where the injury is most sensitive and rest is required. Modalities such as soft tissue mobilization by a physiotherapist can be treated in conjunction with very light exercise such as cycling. 

 

Phase II: Subacute Phase

  • This phase usually covers weeks 4-6, where patients can begin a gradual return to activity, as long as there isn’t a significant amount of pain. Potential exercises include low impact activities such as swimming or pool running, along with bodyweight squats and single leg heel raises.

 

Phase III: Advanced Strengthening

  • Patients will ramp up their intensity returning to their previous activities, trying to simulate realistic situations at a modified capacity. Key areas will remain the same for strengthening, but will continue to increase overall volume and intensity. 

 

Phase IV: Return to Full Activity:

  • Once a patient is able to handle significant load with minimal to no pain, they can begin progression to full activity. Patient should be able to carry out realistic movements at full intensity before returning to activity at full capacity.

 

It’s important to keep in touch with your health care recovery team and update your physiotherapist/kinesiologist so they can guide you along your road to recovery, rather than simply following the above breakdown. Everyone heals differently, and often there are setbacks along the way. A professional will help adjust your treatment and levels of activity in order to get you back to pre-accident levels of health as quickly as possible.

Please do not use this blog entry as a replacement for an educated health care professional. If you’ve experienced this sort of injury recently, give us a call. We can help!

 

Sam Lee

Registered Kinesiologist