Amount of pain in fractured 3rd and 4th metatarsals

[Crucio]

I was wondering if anyone here has broken their foot before. I went to kick someone in the head during sparring, and somehow ended up hitting their elbow. I continued class, and then wrapped it, and experience a fair amount of pain, but nothing like a broken ankle or arm. If i press on the 3rd or 4th metatarsals, It is very tender, but i am able to walk still, although with a slight limp. Should i get them xrayed? or if it was fractured would it be much much more painful.

 

It is also difficult and stiff and semi-painful to lift my last 3 toes.

 

Also, how easy is it to fracture your breastbone. I was hit with a hard right punch in the chest, i was being careless, and missed the block, Now after a week, it is easier to breath, but whenever i do a big yawning stretch, i sometimes recoil from the pain. Only then tho.

 

Note, i think my instep may have lost some of its conditioned padding, as i haven't done tkd in about a year and a half. I was doing muay thai and only using shins and knees, and then about 6 months ago, i did knee surgery. About 2 weeks ago, i started tkd again, and i think i was a little overzealous, and forgot that maybe my insteps weren't as hard as they were.

 

Anyways, thanx for any help.

[Crucio]

one more thing i had no swelling. in either places. could a foot be sprained?

[delta1]

Crucio, if you have any doubts (and you obviously do) see a doctor.

 

It doesn't sound like anything is broken- no swelling in the foot and your chest pain is getting better. But who can say over the net? And different people have different signs for the same problems sometimes.

 

One of the primary signs of a broken bone is crepitus. You can feel the fractured ends as they move and rub together. If you feel or hear this, you probably have a fracture. But just because you don't feel it doesn't mean everything is ok. Some fractures, like a torsional or greensplint fracture, may not do this. And even a simple break may not exhibit crepitus for a number of reasons.

 

Another sign might be a knot, or lump at the site of the suspected fracture. If you see this, definately see a doctor. If a bone end works its way through the skin, of course, it would be safe to assume you now have a compound fracture which you definately need to have treated .

 

You should be careful with hard strikes to the sternum. A blow to the heart can irritate the nodes that trigger your heartbeat. This can cause dangerous arhythmias/disrhythmias (wierd heartbeats) that may not show up till much later. Also, at the top of the sternum is a flat protrusion called the manubrium, and at the bottom is a point called the xyphoid process. Either can be broken and can cause seriouse injuries.

 

As for kicking with the instep, especially to hard targets, you do so at your own risk. The metatarsals are relatively fine bones and are easily dammaged. I doubt you could ever adequately develope the instep to protect these bones.

 

Hopefully someone with more exprience tha me (like NinjaNurse) will see this and give you some advise. (If they do, I apologise for my spelling- it's been a while since I had to use these terms ). But I'm betting they'll tell you pretty much the same. See a doctor!

[ninjanurse]

Delta is right. Tarsal bones are easily fractured so you may want to see a doctor. 3-5 days is a good guage of when an injury should start to improve...if longer you should have it checked out!

 

[shotochem]

I can feel your pain!!!!!

 

It happened to me a while ago and it was quite sore and tender for 2 weeks and I coulldnt go hard with it for a month.

 

Thats a pretty tender area with a lot of little bones to damage. People tend to forget that kicking people is not the same as kicking a soccerball. Ice it, rest it then dont kick anything solid with it until it doesnt hurt or you will reinjure it again.

 

If it swells or doesnt improve in a couple of weeks see the doctor.

 

Good Luck.

[Crucio]

hey thanks alot for the posts. I hurt it wednesday, and its still tender, and now it has swollen up. Not as much as say a sprained ankle, but enough that i cant see my tendons, and veins barely. I can walk ok with a shoe. but barefoot, its still limping. im getting it checked by a doctor tomorrow.

 

Correct me if im wrong, but youre supposed to hit with the cuniform and navicular bones, respectively right? Cause that, and my shin, is always where i aim. i just got unlucky this time when the person stepped back.

 

About my chest, 2 weeks and still sore, but nothing like a broken rib. I think its just bruised, im fine. I just cant wait to start training again. luckily, if worse comes to worse, i can still ride a bike, ect.

 

btw, foot diagram = http://www.podiatrychannel.com/Images/ftbns_tpvw.gif

 

[Crucio]

its just a sprain. cant spar for a month

[delta1]

Correct me if im wrong, but youre supposed to hit with the cuniform and navicular bones, respectively right? Cause that, and my shin, is always where i aim. i just got unlucky this time when the person stepped back.

 

Like Vince Lombardi said, "You make your own luck!"

 

This has allways been one of my main objections to kicking with the instep to targets anywhere near a hard part of the body. In the dynamic atmosphere of a fight it is too easy for things to go wrong. Instep kicks are good to some targets. But shin kicks or the ball of the foot are better to any targets that are hard or too close to hard areas.