Fractures

Breaking a bone in your foot or ankle can be excruciating and severely limit your mobility. If you suffer a fracture, contact a Capital Foot & Ankle office in Sacramento, Roseville, or Folsom, California. Their team of highly skilled foot doctors offers fast, expert assessment and treatment for lower limb fractures. Call Capital Foot & Ankle today or book an appointment online for first-class fracture repair.

What are fractures?

Fractures are broken bones. These range from stress fractures (hairline cracks in the bones) to comminuted fractures, where bones shatter into many pieces.

One of the worst is a compound fracture, where you can see the bone because of extensive tissue damage. Often, the broken bone protrudes through the skin, which will likely be extremely painful. The exposed tissue and bone are open to infection and severe complications.

What causes fractures?

Fractures happen when the bone is under too much stress. Bones are rigid but have a little flexibility, especially in early life. They’re also strong, so they should withstand considerable pressure unless you have osteoporosis (weakened, brittle bones).

Sudden, extreme force is the usual cause of fractures. Falls, car accidents, and playing sports are opportunities for fractures if the bone comes under enough pressure.

Stress fractures are different because they’re caused by continual or repeated strain. Stress fractures in the foot and ankle are common in athletes, especially those who overtrain and don’t support their feet properly. Skeletal abnormalities can also cause overloading and stress fractures.

What symptoms do foot and ankle fractures cause?

Feet and ankle fracture symptoms include:

• Pain that’s often severe
• Foot and ankle swelling
• Swelling rising up the leg
• Blisters at the injury site
• Sudden bruising
• Difficulty walking
• Inability to bear weight

Stress fracture symptoms differ because the damage develops gradually. Pain eases after rest but gets worse when you move. The area is tender but doesn’t bruise and swell like an acute (sudden) fracture.

The Capital Foot & Ankle team examines your foot or ankle to see if there’s a fracture. They have in-office X-ray machines to quickly review the damage in detail.

How are fractures treated?

Your foot doctor gives you medications to ease acute fracture pain. Fracture repairs vary depending on how severe the break is:

Simple fracture

A simple fracture is one where the ends of the bones stay aligned.

Displaced fracture

If the broken ends of the bone move out of alignment, your foot doctor might be able to perform a closed reduction.

Severe displacement

If closed reduction isn’t possible because the bone is damaged too severely, surgery may be required to do an open reduction with internal fixation.

Call Capital Foot & Ankle today or book an appointment online for expert fracture care.