Fractures
Toetal Podiatry
Podiatry & Foot and Ankle Surgery located in Financial District, New York, NY
About 25% of your bones are in your feet, so it’s easy to see why foot fractures are one of the most common types of broken bones. The skilled podiatrists at Toetal Podiatry, Yekaterina Grauer, DPM, and Vera Malezhik, DPM, diagnose and treat all fractures, from the smallest stress fractures to the most complicated displaced or non-healing breaks. For innovative solutions and personalized care, call the office in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, or use the online scheduling tool now.
Fractures Q&A
What is a foot fracture?
A foot fracture is a broken bone. You can suffer fractures in any of your foot bones, from the tiny toe bones to the long midfoot bones and the ankle joint bones. The most common types of foot fractures are:
Hairline fracture
Hairline fractures are thin breaks that don’t completely divide your bone. They’re also called stress fractures because they can develop due to repetitive stress like running or jumping.
Nondisplaced fracture
In a nondisplaced fracture, the break goes through the whole bone but doesn’t cause bone misalignment.
Displaced fracture
A displaced fracture occurs when you have a complete bone break that causes the ends of the bone to move out of alignment.
Compound fracture
A compound fracture, also called an open fracture, occurs when a broken bone pushes through your skin.
Some fractures, mainly displaced and compound fractures, may heal more slowly than normal. These are called non-healing fractures.
What are the symptoms of a foot fracture?
Foot fractures may trigger symptoms including:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Red skin
- Bruising
- Foot stiffness
- Altered foot appearance
If you have any of these symptoms, don’t try to bear weight on your foot or resume normal activity. This can worsen a fracture considerably, so reach out to the Toetal Podiatry team for help right away.
How are fractures diagnosed?
Toetal Podiatry has two types of imaging in the office for fracture diagnosis. The doctors can diagnose many types of foot fractures using X-ray imaging.
Because stress fractures are so small, they aren’t always detectable with X-rays. That’s where ultrasound imaging comes in. The doctors use the on-site ultrasound for advanced diagnosis when X-rays don’t reveal the source of your problem.
What is the treatment for foot fractures?
Each kind of fracture requires specialized treatment, so your Toetal Podiatry providers formulate a recovery plan to get you back into action as soon as possible.
For stress fractures, you may need custom foot orthotics to diminish the foot’s weight-bearing load, along with rest. For more severe fractures, you may need casting or bracing to stabilize the injury and allow it to heal.
If your fracture isn’t healing properly, your Toetal Podiatry doctor may use bone stimulators, an advanced device that uses electrical current to bring on new bone growth. Another option for non-healing fractures is orthobiologic injections of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
Compound, displaced, and non-healing fractures may require either open or minimally invasive surgery like arthroscopy. The experienced podiatric surgeons use innovative surgical techniques, carefully chosen for your pathology and lifestyle.
To enhance your healing, the surgeons may use intra-op biologics during your surgery.
Toetal Podiatry offers the most advanced and innovative options for fracture healing. Call the office or book an appointment online for help.