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Is it normal for toes to be stiff and swollen 4 and a half weeks after breaking your foot?

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braginskayas
braginskayas

Long story short, I broke my foot four and a half weeks ago and have been wearing a boot for most of that time (was only diagnosed with the fracture 4-5 days after the injury happened). Orthopedics said it should heal without surgery as the bones (2nd/3rd/4th metatarsals) weren't displaced and said that I could walk in the boot as pain allowed, but I'm scared of doing further damage so I've been minimally weight-bearing so far (resting the foot on the floor for balance when standing but not putting any real pressure on it). I'm trying to ease into walking with crutches instead of hopping but I'm still not putting much weight through my foot at all - I've got visions of fully putting my foot down on the floor and feeling the bones crack!

My real concern at the moment is this: how normal is it for your toes to be swollen and stiff this many weeks later? The rest of my foot isn't very swollen most of the time (although still faintly bruised), but my toes look puffy and I only have a very limited range of movement in them. I could wiggle my toes when I first had the injury but it hurt a lot so I stopped doing it, and now when I try it's almost like the joints are locked in place and I can't bend them past a certain point. Is it just due to the muscles and tendons seizing up and weakening from lack of use, or should I be worried?

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1 Reply

  • Readybluedragon
    Readybluedragon braginskayas

    Posted

    Quite normal for swelling. I had my third round of foot surgery in November. Each surgery the swelling of the toes has been normal. Sometime they look like cocktail frankfurt sausages. It can take several months for your foot to resemble normal. Weight bearing is ok with crutches as your arms take alot of the weight. Good luck with your recovery. Just be patient and remember feet are so complicated due to number of bones and take ages to heal.
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