New bruising 16 weeks after break?

Posted , 2 users are following.

Sustained a displaced spiral fracture of my 5th metatarsal back in July.

My specialist said that swelling is to be expected and that it will just slowly get less and less.

But I'm noticing new bruising after walking on it. I'm now 16weeks post injury and the last thing I expected was to still get new bruising?

Does anyone know if this is typical? I'm no doctor (obviously) but I thought bruising was the result of blood under the skin... Surely the break isn't still bleeding? =/

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    It shouldn't be, BUT

    If the MT did not join, as you walk the bone may be puncturing the small blood vessels. I am assuming the fracture was set.

    I must say you had an excellent specimen of a 5th MT displaced spiral fracture.

    kind regards

    judith

    • Posted

      IThe 12 weeks x-ray still showed a significant gap but the specialist was content that the milky appearance was enough of a sign of healing that intervention wasn't required.

      I was placed in plaster for 6 weeks but didn't have surgery to set it. I have been advised probably should have happened from the offset but cos I didn't, revision surgery will be based on symptoms only.

      When I do a job I do it well haha

    • Posted

      Emmy! You just keep that wonderful spirit up.. goid on you!

      Given your xray, so was I or that you were not kept in the cast longer...this side of the pond the ortho docs like 8-12 week range, or so it seems...are they now going to pin it?

      hugs

      judith

    • Posted

      I'm from NZ and it really does seem that the public system has a set way of doing it and they don't deviate from that. I was under the public hospital initially and when I went for my 6 week appointment, they took the cast off and THEN x-rayed. As soon as the cast came off I knew it was no where near ready. (6-week x-ray attached). 

      From there, they put me in a moon-boot and said 'we'll review in another 6 weeks and see how we go'. At that point I went private... (Thank goodness for our awesome injury insurance system here!)

      So at it was at like 7 weeks post-break that I was back into my own shoes and told to just try and get back to normality. 

      I see the private specialist again on the 24th so only a week and a half away. See what he has to say about the new bruising. Still cant really flex my toes up and down like my good foot =and the range of motion in the pinky toe is like almost non-existent

      I really doubt that any intervention will happen now. I don't know if I would want to go back to square one at this point either. Especially coming into summer.. 

      Thanks Judith =)

  • Posted

    ugh!

    On my left foot, I simply had the wee toe amputated...have never experienced any further difficulty.

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