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

Left foot hurts really bad

by Joel
(Odsan, Castires, Saint Lucia)

Swollen foot

I was doing back flips but did not notice rocks in the ground behind me. On my last flip my left foot landed directly on one and I cried out in pain. But after that I was not able to walk on the foot. The right side of the top of it is now swollen, and I still can't walk on it. Do you think I might have fractured something. This happened today but if it persists I will have to check it out.

I can still move my toes and operate my foot but it hurts to move it around and stand on it. I can put little weight on the left part of the foot, but all in all it is still somewhat painful.

~Joel

RESPONSE

Hi Joel,

The simple answer is that any time there is trauma to the foot there is certainly the chance that a bone may be broken. The foot certainly does look swollen.
Keep in mind because of the nature of your injury there can be other issues besides a broken bone. You may have done damage to the soft tissue of the foot, which is everything other than bone, such as muscle, tendon or ligament damage.
Because you cannot walk on it, the smart move would be to seek medical advice. An x-ray would be mandatory to rule out a fracture of some sort. Keep in mind that if you did sustain a small fracture, there is the chance that it might not show up initially on x-ray.
In either event, more than likely the foot will have to be immobilized with some sort of cast. Depending on the severity of the injury there is also the chance the doctor will not want you to bear weight on the foot because as you can imagine, walking aggravates the problem and produces pain and delays the healing process. So the doctor may put you non-weightbearing with the use of crutches.
If you have not yet sought medical attention and more than 24 hours have passed and you still cannot walk on the foot, then you need to be concerned about delayed healing.
If for example, a bone is broken and depending on the extent of the "break", delaying treatment will only make matters worse.
The sooner an injury is treated, the quicker it will heal.
You apparently are young and so that also works in your favor.
So do yourself a favor and seek medical treatment.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins Medicine

MedlinePlus

Arthritis Foundation

University of Rochester Medical Center

Harvard Health

Drugs.com

American Academy of Pediatrics

Penn State Medical Center

National Institutes of Health

Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

ScienceDirect

Stanford Health Care

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

Institute for Chronic Pain

University of Florida Health

American Family Physician

Cedars-Sinai

University of Maryland Medical Center

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Orthotics for multiple types of foot pain best buy in a pre-made orthotic click link below

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Poland

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anonymous

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New Jersey

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Evansville, IA

Dear Marc

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San Diego, CA

Dr. Mitnick, Just want to say thank you so very much for your quick response and very informative reply! After reading what you had to say, I called the doctor's office and was able to get in and see him the same day as my injury. Toe was x-rayed and luckily, it is not broken or fractured. Very badly bruised and will probably lose the toe nail. And although my toe and toe nail are still very black and blue and very sore, they ARE both starting to feel a little better. So again, thank you! I am so very happy that I came across your website. The service you provide is outstanding and immeasurable!

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Albany, NY

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Whichita, KS

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Boston, MA

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Colorado

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Colorado

Wonderful advice

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This is the best site for foot problem info.

Thank you for this information. This description fits my pain and inflammation behind my 2nd toe perfectly.

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location unknown

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Canada

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North Carolina

Many Thanks Dr Marc!
Thank you for your response. It sounds like a good plan to me. He did not cut the wart out first ...

KG

location unknown

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Bessie Mae

Florida

Dear Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so very much for taking your time to answer my question. You have greatly relieved my anxiety related to the continual tingly I feel in my feet. I will share your response with my podiatrist next week. God bless you for having this question and answer page on your website! Most gratefully,

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New Jersey

Thank you. you were more detailed than what others have told me they finally called from the last xrays and my son is now in a cast for 2 weeks he did have a fracture that was not noticeable.

a mom

location unknown

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Bellevue, WA

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Jodi

location unknown

Left foot hurts really bad

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