The 2 Types of Full Foot Fractures
Closed or Simple Full Foot Fracture:
A closed foot fracture does not damage the surrounding tissue or skin of the foot. Typically, this means that only the broken bone or bones have become damaged.
Open or Compound Full Foot Fracture:
An open foot fracture causes damage to the skin and surrounding tissue of the injury. Generally speaking, open foot fractures are more serious than closed, or simple fractures. This is due to the fact that in most cases the break is more severe in order to break through the skin and tissue. An open fracture is also more susceptible to infection due to the open wound and the damage to the soft tissue of the foot.
Foot Fractures in Athletes
Athletes often suffer from stress fractures, as the pain can be mistaken as a strain or sprain and be overlooked as a ‘lesser injury’. Stress fractures are often harder for the patient to diagnose, because there is no single action that caused the break. Overuse or repeated stress over time are the most common causes of this sort of foot injury.
Three factors play into the likelihood of developing a stress fracture to the foot;
- Frequency of impact to the foot
- Duration of impact to the foot
- Intensity of impact to the foot
All three of these factors relate to the impact you place on your foot by repeatedly participating in activities such as running or jumping. For example, a hurdler would generally have a higher intensity of impact, but a long distance runner would have a higher duration of impact since they run for very long distances without rest.
If you are suffering from any sort of serious foot pain, and you suspect you might have suffered either a full foot fracture or a stress fracture, we recommend seeing a medical professional as soon as possible for an accurate diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation plan.