A fractured calcaneus or broken heel bone tends to be an extremely disabling injury.
Heel fracture treatment.
Nonsurgical treatment is possible if the pieces of the broken heel have not been displaced.
Pain will come on gradually over time and will often be made worse with weight bearing activity such as running and jumping.
The recovery time for severe or displaced and open fractures of calcaneus or heel bone is usually more.
It may be difficult to differentiate between a bruised heel and a stress fracture.
Nonsurgical treatment of some fractures however can also lead to long term complications such as pain arthritis and a limp.
Fractures of the calcaneus may or may not involve the subtalar and surrounding joints.
Think of the calcaneus as a hard boiled egg.
Surgical treatment of calcaneus fractures usually involves making an incision over the outside of the foot and placing a metal plate and screws into the broken heel bone.
But even with appropriate treatment some fractures may result in long term complications such as pain swelling loss of motion and arthritis.
Your doctor will attempt to restore the normal alignment of the bone and return the cartilage surface as close to normal as possible.
Calcaneal fractures can also occur with other types of injuries such as an ankle sprain.
Its outside layer is hard and.
Types of calcaneal fractures.
Calcaneus stress fracture symptoms.
A smaller number of calcaneal fractures are stress fractures caused by overuse or repetitive stress on the heel bone.
Surgical treatment is warranted for calcaneus fractures which are displaced or open in nature as these fractures result in damage to the internal structures of the foot which may also need to be repaired.
Consent to exams and tests to determine how severe the fracture is.
Treatment depends on the cause and severity of your injury.
Allow the doctor to examine your heel and provide as many details as you can about how the injury happened.
Treatment involves immobilization with a cast splint or brace for six to.
Calcaneus fractures can be quite severe.
Symptoms of a calcaneal stress fracture may be similar to that of a bruised heel.
Recovery after calcaneus fracture.
Moreover the rehabilitation depends largely on the severity of the injury and the type of fracture occurred.
Heel bone fractures are notoriously difficult to treat and usually require prolonged healing times.
The right treatment will depend on the nature of your injury.
Treatment focuses on restoring normal heel function and correcting any deformity.
Treating a calcaneal fracture is extremely tricky because the fracture is rarely a clean break like you might see in a broken shin or arm.
Surgery to repair a calcaneus fracture can restore the normal shape of the bone but is sometimes associated with complications such as wound healing problems infection and nerve damage.
