Fifth Metatarsal Treatment Question

What Ive been told repeatedly  by people (and am experiencing) is that the foot and bones take a really long time to heal.  People who have had bunionectomies have told me that their foot did not stop swelling and did not feel normal for 1-3 years!   I think Drs far underestimate healing - not sure if it’s on purpose- because you would think they would know.   You could always go for a second opinion to someone else 

Not necessarily! In 2015 I fractured my 5th metatarsal. It was a bad one - displaced. I was put in a cast for 6 weeks & at the 6 week checkup there was no sign of healing so the consultant wanted me in a cast for another 4 weeks. I panicked & paid for a private consultation. The new consultant told me bones don’t tend to start growing until 6 weeks anyway. He also tested my calcium & Vit D levels & put me on high doses as this helps with bone healing. He also took the cast off & put me in an aircast boot telling me to walk as much as I could for 2 weeks then transitioned me into a shoe. The walking can stimulate bone growth & indeed it did work for me. I’ve recently had to have foot surgery (other foot!) which included breaking my heel bone & realigning it along with doing the same to my 1st & 4th metatarsals & an ankle ligament reconstruction.  My consultant said the same thing & I was told to start partial weight bearing in an aircast boot at 4 weeks post op & full weight bearing in the boot 6 weeks post op, again transitioning into a shoe at 8 weeks post op. So what your doctor is saying sounds right & it may also be worth checking your daughters Vit d & calcium levels. She’ll need more than usual probably anyway to help her bones heal. Hope this helps. Best wishes. 

From what I've heard, fifth metatarsal fractures take a bit longer to heal than other bones because there's less blood circulating to that part of the foot, so that might explain why the doctor added another two weeks to the recovery time (I'm currently three and a half weeks into recovering from a 2nd/3rd/4th metatarsal fracture and the doctors told me I was lucky it was only the middle three, as the fifth is the most common and also the most complicated). Broken feet are awful - wishing your daughter all the best in her recovery!

My biggest fear of her foot stepped on happened last week!! We got an xray and it appears like everything is still okay - still healing.

Update - she is cleared to try dancing again!! Three weeks out of boot - total seven weeks since injury!! I would recommend the bone stimulator to everyone!!