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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

fracture of base of fourth metatarsal

hi,I am Swetha

I am 21 years,I had fractured my forth metarsal of my left foot 4 months back.i was with a pop cast for 6 weeks and later was able to walk properly in few weeks. for the past 1 month the left feet is paining,its not exactly paining at the fractured point but at the base.there is lot of burning sensation and the pain seems to be of nerves not of bones.i consulted my doctor but there is no use the pain still continues, i was asked to go for physiotherapy,when i consulted the PT he told me to do iceing nthing much than that,i had taken many tablets but its of no use.the burning sensation still continues.Please can you help me out with this.

RESPONSE
Hi Swetha,

My first thought would be the burning is somehow related to the trauma you sustained a few months ago, even though apparently you went for a month without any pain after the cast was removed and then apparently out of nowhere this new pain started.
Did your doctor re-xray the foot when you recently visited him again?
Do you recall the cast possibly being too tight when you were wearing it?
Sometimes the cast, if improperly applied can cause local irritation to the area and in your case might have aggravated one of the superficial nerves that runs in that area.
I do not know what type of doctor you went to originally but you need to see a doctor who specializes in musculo-skeletal injuries, not a general doctor.
If this type of doctor determines there is nothing seriously wrong with the area such as a fracture that has not completely healed, then an injection of cortisone into the burning area may go a long way towards relieving your symptoms. Short of a cortisone injection, oral anti-inflammatory medication (assuming you can tolerate them) may also be very beneficial.
To be very honest I am surprised The physical therapist did not offer you any treatment other than icing the area.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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fracture of base of fourth metatarsal

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