Metatarsal Stress Fractures – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

• Pathophysiology
• Causes of Metatarsal Stress Fractures
• Symptoms of Metatarsal Stress Fractures
• Diagnosis of Metatarsal Stress Fractures
• Treatment of Metatarsal Stress Fractures
• Other Treatments
• New types of therapy
• More About Your Injury

Diagnosis of Metatarsal Stress Fractures

History

Your doctor in the emergency department may ask the following questions

• How – How was the fracture created, and, if chronic, why is it still open? (underlying etiology)
• When – How long has this fracture been present? (e.g., chronic less than 1 month or acute, more than 6 months)
• What – What anatomy and structure do it involve? (e.g., epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue, fascia, muscle, tendon, bone, arteries, nerves). What comorbidities, economic or social factors do the patient have which might affect their ability to heal the fracture?
• Where – Where on the body parts is it located? Is it in an area that is difficult to offload, complicated, or keep clean? Is it in an area of high skin tension? Is it near any vital organ and structures such as a major artery?
• What is your Past – Has your previous medical history of fracture? Are you suffering from any chronic disease, such as hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, previous major surgery? What kind of medicine did you take? What is your food habits, geographic location, Alcohol, tea, coffee consumption habit,  anabolic steroid uses for athletes, etc?

Physical Examination

Physical examination is done by your doctor, consisting of palpation of the fracture site, eliciting boney tenderness, edema, swelling. If the fracture is in the dept of a joint, the joint motion, normal movement will aggravate the pain.

• Inspection – Your doctor also check superficial tissue, skin color, involving or not only the epidermal layer or Partial-thickness affects the epidermis and extend into the dermis, but full-thickness also extends through the dermis and into the adipose tissues or full-thickness extends through the dermis, and adipose exposes muscle, bone, evaluate and measure the depth, length, and width of the fracture. Access surrounding skin tissue, fracture margins for tunneling, rolled, undermining fibrotic changes, and if unattached and evaluate for signs and symptoms of infect warm, pain, delayed healing.
• Palpation – Physical examination may reveal tenderness to palpation, swelling, edema, tenderness, worm, temperature, open fracture, closed fracture, microtrauma, and ecchymosis at the site of fracture.
• Motor function – Your doctor may ask the patient to move the injured area to assist in assessing muscle, ligament, and tendon function. The ability to move the joint means only that the muscles and tendons work properly, and does not guarantee bone integrity or stability. The concept that “it can’t be fractured because you can move it” is not correct. The jerk test and manual test are also performed to investigate the motor function.
• Sensory examination – assesses sensations such as light touch, worm, paresthesia, itching, numbness, and pinprick sensations, in its fracture side.
• Range of motion – A range of motion examination of the fracture associate joint and it’s surrounding joint may be helpful in assessing the muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage stability. Active assisted, actively resisted exercises are performed around the injured area joint.
• Blood pressure and pulse check – Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength of blood with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body. An examination of the circulatory system, feeling for pulses, blood pressure, and assessing how quickly blood returns to the tip of a toe to heart and it is pressed the toe turns white (capillary refill).

Imaging

• X-rays – are often taken to evaluate the status of the bones in the foot and to check for a fracture. Usually, three views are taken to help the health care professional and radiologist adequately view the bones. Special views may be taken if there is a concern for a fracture of the calcaneus. X-rays may not be taken for simple toe injuries, since the result may not affect the treatment plan.
• For some foot fractures, X-rays – may not be adequate to visualize the injury. This is often true for metatarsal stress fractures, where bone scans may be used if the history and physical examination suggest a potential stress fracture, but the plain X-rays are normal.
• Computerized tomography (CT) – may be used to assess fractures of the calcaneus and talus, since it may better be able to illustrate the anatomy of the ankle and midfoot joint and potential associated injuries. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used in some cases of foot fractures.
• The Lisfranc joint describes  – the connection between the first, second, and third metatarsals and the three cuneiform bones. A Lisfranc fracture-dislocation often requires a CT scan to evaluate this region of the foot. While X-rays may hint at the damage in this type of injury, the CT scan delineates the numerous bones and joints that may be damaged.
• Clinical tests – such as the use of therapeutic ultrasound and tuning forks are also useful in diagnostic investigations on stress fractures.[rx] When used directly on the site of the suspected lesion, they may trigger or worsen the pain because of the great local osteoclastic reabsorption, which results in injury to the periosteum.[rx, rx] In addition, the skipping rope test (hop test) can be used: this consists of asking the patient to hop on the spot while putting weight on the limb that is under investigation. The test is positive when it triggers strong or incapacitating pain in the region injured.[rx, rx]
• Some laboratory tests – may be useful in investigating stress fractures: serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, and 25(OH)D3. Nutritional markers should be requested in the presence of clinical conditions of weight loss and anorexia. Hormonal levels (FSH and estradiol) should be investigated when there is a history of dysmenorrhea.[rx]
• Computed tomography (CT) – is used mainly when there is a contraindication against using magnetic resonance imaging.[rx, rx, rx, rx] Chronic and quiescent lesions may be more evident in this examination than on magnetic resonance imaging or bone scintigraphy because they present low bone turnover.[rx] Single-photon emission CT (SPECT) has been particularly more useful in investigating stress fractures involving the dorsal spine, and specifically in pars interarticularis (spondylolysis).[rx, rx, rx]
• Nuclear medicine using triple-phase scintigraphy – (technetium-99 m) presents significant sensitivity (74–100%) to bone remodeling and shows imaging alterations three to five days after the start of symptoms. [rx, rx, rx, rx] The radiopharmaceutical becomes concentrated in the regions affected and detects areas of bone remodeling, microfractures of the trabecular bone, periosteal reaction, and formation of bone callus.[rx]
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – is the most sensitive and specific imaging examination for diagnosing stress fractures. It is recommended by the American College of Radiology as the preferred examination in the absence of radiographic alterations.[rx] The abnormalities caused by the fracture can be identified one to two days after the start of the symptoms, with early detection of edema in the bone tissue and adjacent areas.rx[, rx, rx] This examination makes it possible to differentiate medullary damage from cortical, endosteal, and periosteal damage allows gradation of the lesions regarding their severity and prognosis. Intramedullary endosteal edema is one of the first signs of bone remodeling and may continue to be present for up to six months after the fracture has been diagnosed and treated, while the cortical maturation and remodeling take place.[rx, rx] Medullary edema or signs of bone stress may also be present in asymptomatic physically active patients, without any correlation with an increased incidence of stress fractures, especially in the tibia in marathon runners. The fracture line is less commonly visible. It presents sensitivity slightly greater than or equal to that of scintigraphy, but it is considered to be a more specific examination.[rx, rx, rx]

Treatment of Metatarsal Stress Fractures

Fractures of the toe bones are almost always traumatic fractures. Treatment for traumatic fractures depends on the break itself and may include these options:

Initial Treatment Includes

• Get medical help immediately – If you fall on an outstretched leg, get into a car accident or are hit while playing a sport and feel intense pain in your leg area, then get medical care immediately. Cause significant pain in the front part of your leg closer to the base of your leg. You’ll innately know that something is seriously wrong because you won’t be able to lift your leg up above the heart level. Cleaning and treating any wounds on the skin of the injured hand.
• Aggressive wound care – as needed for contaminated wounds. Clear with disinfectant material [rx]
• ICE and elevation – It help for prevention swelling, edema
• Rest – Sometimes rest is all that is needed to treat a traumatic fracture of the toe. Sometimes rest is the only treatment needed to promote healing of a stress or traumatic fracture of a metatarsal bone.
• Elevation – Elevation initially aims to limit and reduce any swelling. For example, keep the foot up on a chair to at least hip level when you are sitting. When you are in bed, put your foot on a pillow. Sometimes rest is the only treatment that is needed, even in traumatic fractures.
• Splinting – The toe may be fitted with a splint to keep it in a fixed position.
• Rigid or stiff-soled shoes – Wearing a stiff-soled shoe protects the toe and helps keep it properly positioned. Use of a postoperative shoe or boot walker is also helpful.
• Buddy taping the fractured toe to another toe is sometimes appropriate, but in other cases, it may be harmful.
• Avoid the offending activity – Because stress fractures result from repetitive stress, it is important to avoid the activity that led to the fracture. Crutches or a wheelchair are sometimes required to offload weight from the foot to give it time to heal.
• Immobilization, casting, or rigid shoe – A stiff-soled shoe or another form of immobilization may be used to protect the fractured bone while it is healing. The use of a postoperative shoe or boot walker is also helpful.
  
• Casting, or rigid shoe – A stiff-soled shoe or another form of immobilization may be used to protect the fractured bone while it is healing. The use of a postoperative shoe or boot walker is also helpful.
• Stop stressing the foot – If you’ve been diagnosed with a stress fracture, avoiding the activity that caused it is important for healing. This may mean using crutches or even a wheelchair.

Do no HARM for 72 hours after injury

• Heat—hot baths, electric heat, saunas, heat packs, etc has the opposite effect on the blood flow. Heat may cause more fluid accumulation in the fracture joints by encouraging blood flow. Heat should be avoided when inflammation is developing in the acute stage. However, after about 72 hours, no further inflammation is likely to develop and heat can be soothing.
• Alcohol stimulates the central nervous system that can increase bleeding and swelling and decrease healing.
• Running, and walking may cause further damage, and causes healing delay.
• Massage also may increase bleeding and swelling. However, after 72 hours of your fracture, you can take a simple message, and applying heat may be soothing the pain.

Medication

The following medications may be considered by your doctor to relieve acute and immediate pain, long term treatment

• Antibiotic – Cefuroxime or Azithromycin, or  Flucloxacillin or any other cephalosporin/quinolone, meropenem antibiotic must be used to prevent infection or clotted blood removal to prevent further swelling, inflammation, and edema.
• NSAIDs – Prescription-strength drugs that reduce both pain and inflammation. Pain medicines and anti-inflammatory drugs help to relieve pain and stiffness, allowing for increased mobility and exercise. There are many common over-the-counter medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They include first choice NSAIDs is Ketorolac, then Etoricoxib, then Aceclofenac, naproxen.
• Muscle Relaxants –  These medications provide relief from spinal muscle spasms, spasticity.  Muscle relaxants, such as baclofen, tolperisone, eperisone, methocarbamol, carisoprodol, and cyclobenzaprine, may be prescribed to control postoperative muscle spasms, spasticity, stiffness, contracture.
• Calcium & vitamin D3 – To improve bone health, blood clotting, helping muscles to contract, regulating heart rhythms, nerve functions, and healing fractures. As a general rule, too absorbed more minerals for men and women age 50 and older should consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day, and 600 international units of vitamin D a day to heal back pain, fractures, osteoarthritis.
• Neuropathic Agents – Drugs(pregabalin & gabapentin) that address neuropathic—or nerve-related—pain. This includes burning, numbness, tingling sensation, and paresthesia.
• Glucosamine & Diacerein, Chondroitin sulfate – can be used to tighten the loose tendon, cartilage, ligament, and cartilage, ligament regenerates cartilage or inhabits the further degeneration of cartilage, ligament. The dosage of glucosamine is 15oo mg per day in divided dosage and chondroitin sulfate approximately 500mg per day in different dosages, and diacerein minimum of 50 mg per day may be taken if the patient suffers from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and any degenerative joint disease.[rx]
• Topical Medications and essential oil – These prescription-strength creams, gels, ointments, patches, and sprays help relieve pain and inflammation in acute trauma, pain, swelling, tenderness through the skin. If the fracture is closed and not open fracture then you can use this item.
•  Antidepressants – A drug that blocks pain messages from your brain and boosts the effects of endorphins in your body’s natural painkillers. It also helps in neuropathic pain, anxiety, tension, and proper sleep.
• Corticosteroids – Also known as oral steroids, these medications reduce inflammation. To heal the nerve inflammation and clotted blood in the joints.
• Dietary supplement – To eradicate the healing process from fracture your body needs a huge amount of vitamin C, and vitamin E. From your dietary supplement, you can get it, and also need to remove general weaknesses &  improved health.
• Cough Syrup – If your doctor finds any chest congestion or fracture-related injury in your chest, dyspnoea, post-surgical breathing problem, then advice you to take bronchodilator cough syrup.

What To Eat and What  to avoid

Eat Nutritiously During Your Recovery

All bones and tissues in the body need certain micronutrients in order to heal properly and in a timely manner. Eating a nutritious and balanced diet that includes lots of minerals and vitamins is proven to help heal broken bones and all types of fractures. Therefore, focus on eating lots of fresh food produce (fruits and veggies), whole grains, cereal, beans, lean meats, seafood, and fish to give your body the building blocks needed to properly repair your fracture. In addition, drink plenty of purified mineral water, milk, and other dairy-based beverages to augment what you eat.

• Broken bones or fractures bones need ample minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, boron, selenium, omega-3) and protein to become strong and healthy again.
• Excellent sources of minerals/protein include dairy products, tofu, beans, broccoli, nuts and seeds, sardines, sea fish, and salmon.
• Important vitamins that are needed for bone healing include vitamin C (needed to make collagen that your body essential element), vitamin D (crucial for mineral absorption, or machine for mineral absorber from your food), and vitamin K (binds calcium to bones and triggers more quickly collagen formation).
• Conversely, don’t consume food or drink that is known to impair bone/tissue healing, such as alcoholic beverages, sodas, fried fast food, most fast food items, and foods made with lots of refined sugars and preservatives.

Surgery

Treatment decisions have their basis on the anatomic zone of injury, the social and medical history of the injured patient, and evidence of radiographic signs of healing.

• Nondisplaced zone 1 injuries – can be treated conservatively with protected weight-bearing in a hard-soled shoe, walking boot, or walking cast. Progression to weight-bearing as tolerated can initiate as pain and discomfort subside over 3 to 6 weeks. Fractures involving 30% of the articular surface or with an articular step off over 2 mm have treatment with open reduction and internal fixation, closed reduction, and percutaneous pinning, or excision of the fragment.[rx]
• Nondisplaced zone 2 injuries or Jones fractures – may also be treated conservatively with 6 to 8 weeks of non-weight bearing in a short leg cast. The physician may advance weight-bearing status as radiographic evidence of bone healing appears. Indications for surgical interventions include the high-performance athlete, the informed patient who elects to proceed with surgical treatment, or displaced fractures. There are many forms of surgical interventions, including intramedullary screw fixation, tension band constructs, and low profile plates and screws. Surgical management of high-performance athletes minimizes the risk of nonunion and prevents prolonged restriction from physical activity.
• Diaphyseal zone 3 stress fractures – paint a more complicated picture for the patient and physician. A trial of conservative management with non-weight bearing in a short leg cast may be the initial therapy, however, immobilization for up to 20 weeks may be necessary before there is observable radiographic union, and even then, nonunion development is not uncommon. High-performance athletes or individuals with Torg Type II or III fractures may require surgical interventions. Surgical options include intramedullary screw fixation, bone grafting procedures, or a combination of the two.[rx]
• The bone grafting inlay technique – requires removing a 0.7 by 2.0 cm rectangular section of bone at the fracture site and replacing it with an autogenous cortical cancellous bone graft of the same dimensions taken from the anteromedial distal tibia. The medullary cavity must be curetted or drilled until all of the sclerotic bone has been removed and the medullary canal reestablished prior to inserting the donor graft.
• Nondisplaced dancer’s fractures – and other fractures of the fifth metatarsal shaft and neck receive the same treatment as nondisplaced zone 1 injuries. Weight-bearing status can advance as tolerated by pain. If evidence of delayed union or nonunion exists, surgical interventions may be required. If there is more than 3 mm of displacement or angulation exceeds 10 degrees, the fracture should be reduced and splinted.[rx] If the fracture remains mal reduced or there is evidence of loss of reduction on follow-up radiographs, surgical interventions with percutaneous pinning or plate and screw fixation should be a consideration.

Patients treated with intramedullary screw fixation or bone graft inlay technique should remain non-weight bearing in a plaster splint or short leg cast for six weeks with a gradual return to sport or activity.[rx]

Other Treatments