Bruising or tenderness of the foot. Numbness, coldness, or bruising. Large wounds or exposed bones. Increased pain when active, and decreased pain with rest. Difficulty walking or bearing weight.
If you have crutches around, use them.
Sudden increases in activity can also cause stress fractures. For example, if you’re usually fairly sedentary but take a hiking holiday, you might end up with a stress fracture. Osteoporosis and certain other conditions that affect bone strength and density make you more prone to stress fractures. Trying to do too much too soon can cause stress fractures. For example, if you’re new to exercise and start trying to run a 10k every week, you could end up with a stress fracture.
The pain may feel deep inside your foot, toe, or ankle. Pain isn’t just weakness leaving your body. If you experience consistent foot pain, especially if it’s even during everyday activities or persists when you rest, see your doctor. Ignoring it could lead to worse injury.
Sharp pain when you touch an area of your foot or ankle isn’t normal. If you experience pain or tenderness when you touch your foot, see your doctor.
When using crutches, put your weight on your arms and hands. Do not put all your weight on your armpits, which could hurt the nerves that are in your underarms. Follow your doctor’s orders! Failure to comply with keeping your weight off the foot is the number one cause of delayed healing and re-injury for fractures.
If you are scheduled to undergo surgery you may need to stop taking medication a week before the surgery takes place. Consult with your doctor or surgeon. [16] X Research source Take the smallest dose possible to manage your pain. Stop taking NSAIDs after 10 days to avoid complications. Your doctor may also recommend upping your consumption of calcium and vitamin D, which are both crucial for bone health. [17] X Research source
A good example of a stretch is the towel stretch. Sitting on the floor with one leg straightened, loop a towel around the ball of your foot. Hold on to the ends of the towel and pull the top of your foot towards you. You should feel the stretch in your calf and down into the heel. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3 times. [22] X Research source
An example of a strength exercise is the marble pickup. Sit in a chair with both feet flat on the ground and put 20 marbles on the ground in front of you. Place a bowl near the marbles. Pick up the marbles one by one with your injured foot and place them into the bowl. You should feel the exercise on the top of your foot.
