A person can walk with a metatarsal fracture although if you have a metatarsal fracture you should avoid any excessive walking or putting weight on your foot until it heals.
With a metatarsal fracture you will need to rest from any activities for 3 to 4 weeks and often need to use a boot or crutches for a short time until you can walk without pain.
You can also apply ice or a cold pack to your foot for 10 minutes to 20 minutes, every 1 to 2 hours for the first 3 days and propping your foot up on a pillow to reduce swelling can also help.
You can move your toes to a certain degree with a broken metatarsal.
In more severe cases you may not be able to move your toes as much or at all but in less severe cases you can often still move your toes some.
A broken metatarsal can cause pain although it does not always prevent movement of your toes entirely.
A metatarsal neck fracture takes between 8 to 12 weeks to fully heal depending on how severe the metatarsal neck fracture takes.
Minor metatarsal neck fractures may heal within 6 weeks and others take up to 8 to 12 weeks to fully heal.
A metatarsal neck fracture is a break in the narrow "neck" section of one of your metatarsal bones in your foot.
The metatarsal bones in your foot are the bones that connect your ankle to your toes.
An injury that causes a metatarsal neck fracture are often direct trauma to the foot such as from dropping a heavy object on your foot, kicking something hard or twisting your foot forcefully.
This can cause the metatarsal neck bone in the foot to fracture and cause swelling and pain in the forefoot area.
The neck of the metatarsal bone is also the narrowest part that is located just before the ball of your foot.
The most affected bone is the fifth metatarsal bone which is the most commonly fractured metatarsal bone.
Treatments for a metatarsal neck fracture include wearing a cast or walking boot, with limited weight bearing for several weeks as the fracture heals.
And in more severe cases where significant displacement occurred, surgery may be required to realign the bones and to also stabilize them using pins or screws while they heal.
Most cases of metatarsal neck fractures often affect more than one your metatarsal bones and are caused by dropping a weight on the instep, kicking or loading when on tiptoe.
Most cases of broken metatarsals can heal without surgery.
Although you still might need a special shoe, boot, or cast.
Your doctor will also tell you how much weight you can put on your foot as it heals.
As the metatarsal bone heals in eight to twelve weeks, the pain will get better.
If the pain does not get better you should see a doctor about it and let your doctor know.