What Is It?

Your foot has five long bones called metatarsals, numbered from one to five. These bones connect your foot's middle part to your toes. They can break from accidents like a heavy object falling on your foot, twisting it, or even overusing it during activities like running. How doctors treat the broken bones depends on the injury's location and movement of the joints in that area.

Figure 1: The location of the five metatarsals are labeled 1 through 5.

How It Happens

Bones can break from accidents like something heavy falling on your foot or twisting it. Sometimes, too much activity, like too much running, can cause a stress fracture.

Figure 2: Fractures of the 1st and 2nd metatarsals.

Figure 3: Fracture of the 5th metatarsal.

Figure 4: Stress fracture of the 2nd metatarsal.

First Steps

If you break a metatarsal, you might go to the emergency room or see your regular doctor. They will take x-rays to check the broken bone. They might give you a splint, crutches, and pain medicine. You should keep your foot up and use ice to help with swelling and pain.

Treatment

Most broken metatarsals can heal without surgery. You might need a special shoe, boot, or cast. Your doctor will tell you how much weight you can put on your foot. As the bone heals in eight to twelve weeks, the pain will get better. For stress fractures, you need to rest and stay off your foot for several weeks.

Some broken metatarsals need surgery. This can happen if the bone sticks out through the skin, or if the broken parts don't line up well. Surgery can help realign the bones and hold them in place with pins, plates, or screws. A special kind of break called a Jones fracture might need surgery, especially for athletes or people who need to get back to their activities quickly. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment for you.

Figure 5: 5th metatarsal Jones fracture.

Recovery

If you have surgery, you'll need to stay off your foot for about six to eight weeks. You might have a cast or boot to protect it. Pins might be removed after six to eight weeks, while plates and screws might stay in. Your doctor will check your healing progress.

Long Term

Most metatarsal fractures heal well, and people can get back to their activities without problems. Sometimes, the bone doesn't heal right, and you might need more treatment or have to change your activities. Some people might have pain even after the bone heals.