Metatarsal does sometimes need surgery if the metatarsal injury or fracture is severe enough.
However for less severe metatarsal injuries or fractures they don't always require surgery and can sometimes heal with just a cast or boot.
Metatarsal injuries are sometimes serious and require surgery to treat and sometimes metatarsal injuries are minor and less serious and only require a cast or boot to heal.
However if you do have a metatarsal injury you should always see a doctor or go to the ER for treatment as you can't always tell if it's serious or not without imaging tests and an exam.
The treatment for metatarsal conditions such as metatarsalgia include rest, elevating your leg after standing or walking, applying ice packs for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day and taking pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
For metatarsal fractures you often need a boot or cast or in severe cases surgery to heal and fix the metatarsal fracture.
Metatarsal pain feels like a sharp, burning and aching or even shooting pain in the ball of your foot which is located between your toes and the arch of your foot.
The metatarsal pain can get worse when you run, walk, flex your feet or stand.
Other symptoms of metatarsalgia or metatarsal injury or fracture are a feeling of having a pebble in your shoe, numbness or tingling in your toes and the area of the foot that is affected may also feel tender when you press it.
If a metatarsal fracture or metatarsal injury is left untreated the bones may not heal correctly or in the right or correct alignment.
What you should not do with a broken metatarsal are getting your cast or splint weight, cut or stick things into the cast, you should also avoid excessive walking, and avoid impact activities such as running, dancing, jumping etc for at least 3 months.
You should avoid getting water under you cast or splint as it can cause your skin to hurt and itch.
You can tape some plastic over the cast or splint when bathing.
Also you should rest your foot and elevate it to reduce pain and swelling and use crutches to support your body weight if walking is painful.
Full recovery from a metatarsal fractures can take 4 to 6 months.
And without proper treatment for the metatarsal fracture the bones may not heal correctly or in the right or correct alignment.
The causes of a metatarsal neck fracture which is a bone in your foot include over stress of the bone from extreme weight gain, sudden twisting motions or walking long distances.
A sudden forceful injury like dropping things that are heavy on your foot, falling or kicking a hard object can also cause a metatarsal fracture.
If the metatarsal fracture is unstable or displaced then surgery with open reduction and internal fixation is often needed to realign the bone fragments and stabilize the metatarsal fracture.
A metatarsal fracture can heal without surgery if the metatarsal fracture is minor.
For minor metatarsal fractures they often just require a boot to heal and you may need crutches for awhile.
In more severe cases the metatarsal fracture may require surgery to fix and heal.
You can walk on 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.