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

wondering if i bruised my bone in my foot

by ryan
(st john's, newfoundland, canada)

I was playing xbox yesterday and I had to get up to get the dog. when i got up I dropped the corner of my Xbox 360 controller on my metatarsal bone. it hurt but i didnt pay any mind to it, and i could still walk on it confidently. Later that night I went to bed, but throughout the night the pain kept waking me up, which was wierd because it wasnt hurting to bad earlier. when i woke up in the morning i looked at it and there was no bruising, just a really sore bump about the size of a dime. i have tried to walk on it but cant put any pressure on it due to the pain. even now as my foot sits still i can feel a discomfort in it, not a pain but a slight discomfort. when i do walk i have to walk with my foot sideways and put as little pressure on it as possible.

RESPONSE

Hi Ryan,

In a worst case scenario you may have actually chipped part of the metatarsal bone, possibly from the angle in which the Xbox hit your foot. Short of a fracture it is probably safe to say that you badly bruised the top of the foot.
Obviously, I have no way of knowing what you actually did because I do not have the luxury of being able to examine your foot. Plus, there is no way to know for sure if the bone is broken just by looking at the foot. Only an x-ray in multiple views would be able to spot a fracture.
I am a little concerned that the foot is hurting as much as you state. It is not uncommon for musculo-skeletal injuries to hurt more the next day, but it sounds like your foot hurts a great deal more as you can barely walk on it.
In terms of damage that you may have done to your foot outside of a possible fracture, you would have to consider damage to the extensor tendons which are the tendons that travel over the top of your foot and enable you to bend your toes upward. Damage to the tendons could be severe enough that it would make it very difficult to walk.
Another possibility would also be damage to the superficial veins that crisscross on the top of your foot. They lie just beneath the skin, so if you drop something on top of your foot, it is very easy to damage one of the veins. I do not know if damage to a vein would be severe enough to force you to limp, but certainly an inflamed vein is something you would want to have examined by a doctor.
So, the smart move here would be to see a doctor, let he or she examine your foot, take an x-ray, come up with an accurate diagnosis and then offer appropriate treatment.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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Apr 15, 2012
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thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you, it sounds more like a tendant problem, as the pain I feel and the spot I hit was directely on top of the foot where the lines go down to meet the toe. It is also preventing me from bending my big toe and foot to an straighter degree. As the day progressed and I kept staightening my foot, the pain has subsided a little bit. Still there but the limp isn't as bad. I greately appreciate your help and i will have my family doctor take a look at it tomorrow.

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Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

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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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Colorado

Wonderful advice

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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 ...

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Florida

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a mom

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Jodi

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wondering if i bruised my bone in my foot

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