I’ve neglected this blog for a long while and the reason, as you might be able to guess, is that everything is just kind of normal now. But let me update you on how I’ve been since my last post…
The Dr. Scholls inserts worked really well on my plantars fasciitis. Initially, the inserts stopped the pain for a while, but after a little but the pain would come back. But then they started working for longer and longer, until they stopped the pain entirely. It only took a couple months for it to go away, as I recall. I just kept using the inserts every day. Recently in the past couple weeks, I was noticing other pain in my foot, so I started taking the inserts out of my shoes and the pain went away. Now it seems like I don’t need them at all.
Does that mean I never feel foot pain? No, I do sometimes feel tinges of pain. When I walk barefoot I can feel the break point. If I walk a lot (like out and about with shoes on), sometimes my foot my hurt a bit, but not enough to limit me from anything.
It’s been more than a year at this point since I broke my foot, and I have to assume I will always feel small tinges of pain at the break point. If I bend my toes toward me, the pain increases enough that I worry about re-breaking my bone (unlikely, but now there’s this feeling of the bone in my foot that did not exist before I broke it).
All in all, I’d say all my decisions (no surgery, work my way up slowly) worked out fine. As I am sure is apparent from my blog, those few weeks where I had no independence self-sufficiency or mobility were really, really hard at times. But when you get back to normal, that time wasted disappears quickly and you sort of forget about it. And, at the time, I didn’t realize I gained a bit of weight and that was a rude awakening when I started to go out again and some of my jeans were tight, haha. But I was motivated to lose it and got back to my pre-break weight.
Hello and welcome to the people who found this blog and apologies for no updates or replies to comments lately. Just kind of neglected this. But any way I can help people in similar situations, I’d be happy to. I know what overwhelming feeling at the beginning where you are trying to figure out what to expect and what to do. It’s tough, but you’ll probably be ok!
Broken Fifth Metatarsal 
Hey, it’s really good to hear from you! I’m so glad that all is turning out well for you and that life has returned back to ‘normal’. I was quite concerned when I last wrote to you as you had the plantar fasciitis and then I didn’t hear anything, so it’s really great to hear you have recovered well. I was only thinking about a week ago: ‘this time last year …’ It gave me a little shudder! I just want to say a big thank you for your blog. It really helped me at a time when I was in a bad place. Having someone to share it with who I felt really understood what I was going through as they were experiencing similar was a source of comfort. Since I’ve recovered my family have confessed I was a total pain! It was horrible at the time and although more or less a 100% recovered physically, emotionally & psychologically it took its toll and I will never forget it. My heart goes out to anybody who gets this break because although it seems small, the impact can be ‘big’ in other ways.
Like you, I’m really relieved I didn’t have any surgery. The bone (double break) healed in its own sweet time. Eight weeks is a long time to be in plaster and then another few weeks in a boot, then learning to walk on it again – arghhhhh! The memories!! But as I say I have no regrets. Also like you I get the occasional ‘twinge’; it doesn’t hurt, but I’m aware of it, it can ache, just a bit, but it’s totally bearable.
Thank you so much once again for your blog, it really was a great help to me. Now it looks like you will be helping others also which is amazing. Through your blog you will help them to get through tough times and that it WILL be over; at the time it seems to go forever – there were moments I really wondered if my foot would ever heal and I might still need surgery. So thank you for being there when I felt quite often like dispairing!
We are now fast approaching Advent and Christmas will soon be upon us. I’m sure this year will be a much better Christmas for you and you won’t have to travel on a plane in a boot! I wish you a happy and blessed time with your family and a mich improved foot!
God bless,
Tracey 😊 p.s. I see you have a new president!! We also have Brexit here so it looks like lots of changes are afoot for our two nations 🇬🇧🇺🇸
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Hey Tracey, seems I missed this comment, but how have you been? I assume the foot has been all better? Glad we got through our broken foots together!
Your comment made me laugh because it’s hard to believe I’ve endured three years of Tr*mp and you’ve endured three years of Brexit, haha. I think I’d rather have my broken foot back and go back to before these messes happened! But I have to admit, it’s been great walking and when I think of my broken foot, I think of how down in the dumps I was.
Hope you’re well!
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Hi I have been reading your blog ever since I had 5th metatarsal fracture exactly 2 months back, I missed couple of steps on my staircase and had this fracture, I am on aircast boots and since it was a hairline fracture I could walk a little more than others in the same situation. Doctor says it’s healing after seein my second X-ray but to my eyes it looked the same after 4 weeks!! Yesterday after 8 weeks for the first time I wore normal sandals and I think I put a little more pressure and gosh suddenly there was a shooting pain on my foot!! Now I am so worried and I am hoping that I did not re-fracture my foot again I’m so so scared! Question to you is did you ever feel pain after 8 weeks or any other time during your recovery stage?? Any tips will be helpful as this is worrying me a lot! Glad to read that you are back to normal! Thanks in advance!
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Yep, one night I yanked on my blanket and my foot was on the blanket, and it bent my toe back. It was a horrible pain and I went to the doctor concerned I damaged the break site further, but they said it looked fine. I think I mentioned it in a post. Sorry for the delay in responding but I hope your recovery has gone well!
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Same break of 5th metatarsal , and xray at 6 weeks looked same as 2 me week!!!😩😩😩. When did yours start to show healing?? So frustrated as avid runner, exerciser……
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Hey, I missed the comment. How did things end up going? It feels like it’s going to take forever to heal itself and then eventually it goes and you quickly get back to normal and forget all the time you missed. Still to this day I can feel a tinge of something where I broke my foot, especially when I am barefoot, but everything’s been back to normal. I almost forget how miserable that first few weeks had been. Hope all is well with you!
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Hi, thanks for your blog. It kept me less pessisimist about the lack of apparent progress even on my 12th week xray. I was walking without any boot since 6 weeks at the recommendation of my doc. I thought he was wrong, and even more when he said, after this xray, that there was no apparent progress, but that I could start running lightly. I trusted him, and on the 16th week, the xray finally showed great progress. I am back to a normal running schedule and will start intervals soon this weekend, 20 weeks after the fracture.
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Great news! It’s now almost two years since the break and it almost doesn’t affect me whatsoever. I can feel it every so slightly if I jam my baby toe or bend it a weird way, but it’s rare. All the ill effects of the break seem to basically be gone.
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JUSt had my 6 week follow up and doctor said no change In X-rays . 😩😩😩 when did yours start to heal did you do anything different?
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This is so cool! thanks for blogging about this!
I had a similar fracture, 5th metatarsal fracture, actually mine looks worse. I was worry cuz my 4-week xrays looked a lot like my 1st xrays. But I guess its kind of normal. My 4-week xrays look a lot like your 7-week xrays. so I guess Im on the right path. Im starting to find out that blogging and sharing your story can be very powerful and helpful to other people!
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It definitely seems like some people heal faster than others! I think I should’ve started walking on it sooner than I did and it might’ve helped it along had I put some weight on it. But I was scared because of how painful it was initially – I couldn’t even get a sock on. Meanwhile, my uncle broke his foot (which I blogged about too) and he was walking around on it in socks and shoes and didn’t realize it broke.
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I’m so glad I found this. I have been wondering if I should do something like this but I just.. didn’t. I broke my 5th metatarsal 6 weeks ago and I just went to the dr and he wants me to be non weight bearing for another 3 weeks because my xrays look almost exacty the same which he was shocked by but after reading your blogs I realize is probably just the way it goes sometime. My fracture looks almost Identical to yours! It’s been emotionally so hard! I’m 30, I was hit by a car in 2013 and broke my knee, in 2015 i fractured my ankle, and 6 weeks ago I fractured my metatarsal. What a nightmare. I’m a physical theatre artists so its pretty important I heal well. I was surprised they didnt do surgery either. Anyway, thanks for all your words! They are helping me be patient!
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