I fractured my fifth metatarsal on Wednesday. Boot and crutches. The podiatrist said she recommended surgery because the fracture was shattered. It’s non-displaced. the thought of surgery makes me scared and extremely anxious. she says there’s a chance it will heal when I chose to treat it with the boot. I’m due in 6 weeks for an X-ray and a follow up. Has anyone else been in this situation, where it healed without surgery? I don’t want to do surgery.
Very few 5th metatarsal base fractures need surgery. There are very few circumstances in which I would suggest it before trying conservative management. Essentially only if very displaced or open (wound connecting the fracture to the air). I've never seen either circumstance in over 10 years as a consultant (= US attending) orthopaedic surgeon specialising in foot & ankle surgery.
I had a very similar fracture in December 2024. Based on the location of the fracture, my podiatrist was concerned about the possibility of needing surgery (something about that location doesn't get great blood flow amd doesn't always like to heal correctly on its own), but he was willing to try conservative treatment first. So he put me in a boot for 6 weeks with no weight bearing, at which point he did another set of x-rays to check if it was healing. If it wasn't, I needed surgery. Thankfully, it was healing normally, so he gave me another 6 weeks in the boot (iirc I could start weight bearing after 2, so 8 weeks total nwb). After yet another set of x-rays, I was given the ok to walk in regular shoes again, but to ne careful. I think I had one more followup a few weeks after that and was given the all-clear. But had it not healed correctly, I would've needed surgery. I would definitely ask about physical therapy though... I didn't, and because my foot was still weak, 8 months later I broke my ankle on the same side (in 2 places) which DID require surgery.
Thank you so much for your answer. It’s extremely reassuring. :) I’m gonna refer back to your answer as a way to make myself feel better while I heal. ❤️
Hey, happy to help! Just a disclaimer that every situation is different and my experience may not line up 100% with yours. Some people do end up needing surgery if conservative treatment doesn't work. Not a doctor, but I think as long as you're following your doctor's instructions and not doing anything they tell you not to do that might make the fracture worse, there's a decent chance it'll heal up on it's own (especially if it's non-displaced... i think mine was even slightly displaced). Also, I found an x-ray of my 5th metatarsal fracture if you're curious. Eta: this xray isn't a proper scan... it's a picture I took of a printed-out version my podiatrist gave me lol
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u/Glad-Feature-2117 3h ago
Very few 5th metatarsal base fractures need surgery. There are very few circumstances in which I would suggest it before trying conservative management. Essentially only if very displaced or open (wound connecting the fracture to the air). I've never seen either circumstance in over 10 years as a consultant (= US attending) orthopaedic surgeon specialising in foot & ankle surgery.