Crap I think I fractured/sprained my foot! I don't want an xray :(

[Amila]

I was picking berries today up on a hill in flip flops and I caught my foot on a rock and fell forward. I knew I hurt my ankle/foot, but it seemed ok. i took the kids to the pool, had a little tenderness, but seemed fine. well a few hours later and I can hardly walk on it! It is slightly bruised but doesn't appear swollen. It is the bones on the top of my foot. Ugh i don't want an xray- I am 23 weeks preg. How on earth am i going to chase after a 2 and 4 year old......

[paintedfire]

I know you don't want an x-ray, but I think you need to have a doctor look at it. Maybe it's just a sprain. Who knows? But the safest thing to do is to get it checked out. You don't want to ignore it and make it worse in the process.

Good luck! I'll be hoping for the best.

[m0xxie]

Originally Posted by paintedfire

I know you don't want an x-ray, but I think you need to have a doctor look at it. Maybe it's just a sprain. Who knows? But the safest thing to do is to get it checked out. You don't want to ignore it and make it worse in the process.

Good luck! I'll be hoping for the best.

What she said. The doctor may be able to tell if things are strained, sprained or broken without an x-ray, and if not, it is your foot.... very far away from that precious cargo in your belly. Modern x-rays are very localized, and they'll have you all lead-shielded up anyway, perfectly safe. Until you can get to a doctor, be sure to ice it as much as you can... sometimes just the tissues swelling can cause a lot of pain. Also it would be good to elevate it and stay off of it as much as you can (I know, easy for me to say!). Best of luck to you!

[~Adorkable~]

What moxxie said is very true, your ankle is far away and ask them to pile you up with lead blankets, even putting one on your thighs so you can feel better. But stress and pain is not good for you either, so please take care of yourself.

[lunarlady]

If you are really doctor shy, you can wait a little and see. If it is a sprain/strain, it will stiffen up and not really get worse after that. If it is a break, you will get dark lines on your foot, and the pain will increase and become unbearable, sending you to a doc. If it is a break, you should be able to tell the bone that is broken because pressing on that bone will be very, very painful. If it is a strain/sprain, pressing anywhere will hurt, but there shouldn't be spot bone pain.

I'm a little doctor shy myself, but please know that an X-ray of your foot will in no way affect your baby. Hope you feel better soon! Remember to RICE!

[MaerynPearl]

I fell backwards on rollerblades when I was 13 and never needed an X-ray for them to know it wasn't broken at all but rather a contusion (a fancy name for a bruise... but it was a really bad one all over the joints)

To heal THAT... I simply had to avoid using it too much (not totally, just not overdoing it either) and wear a brace to bed to avoid re-injuring it if I rolled over on it.

It hurt a little at first and over time swelled up and hurt worse, which is when my mother took me to the ER.

Most doctors worth their title will be able to spot a contusion pretty easily, whereas sometimes the damage can be bad enough they just aren't sure if it is broken.

[BlackSheepPDX]

I work in sports medicine. Sorry to contradict some PP, but a visual inspection isn't going to tell you whether it is broken or not...sprains can bruise quite a bit, and fractures may not bleed visibly at all. The amount of pain (aside from getting significantly better) isn't even a good indicator of sprain vs. fracture. When you're dealing with the mid foot (which sounds like what you're describing) it can be pretty tricky to separate the two types of injury initially.

Since you just did it TODAY, I would say there's no reason to go running to the doctor unless you're in increasing, throbbing, unrelenting pain...it's not an emergency. Otherwise, I'd advise almost ANYONE to rest it, ice frequently (20 minutes at a time, in a cold/ice water bath of about 50 degrees is enough, and better than an ice pack for an area like a foot), keep it elevated, and wrap it lightly (think snug sock, not TIGHT or constricting) with an ace bandage. Give it a day or so to recover for starters. If it continues to be too painful to bear weight, you'll want to get a doctor to look at it. At that point, if you REALLY don't want an x-ray, the conservative thing to do would be to wear a walking boot in EITHER event (sprain or fracture), to allow the foot to rest and heal.

I think if it wasn't initially terribly painful to walk on, my gut instinct is that it's bruised and sprained (even if it doesn't look it right now) and that it will probably be just fine, though it may feel progressively crappier for the first 24 hours or so.

Hope this helps. I'll keep an eye on this thread if I can offer any more advice.

[Rhannie]

I hit my toe pretty badly the other day and the doctor said he wouldn't do x-rays unless absolutely necessary. He basically took a look at my foot, moved it around and decided that he would treat it the same way whether it was a contusion, sprain or fracture--immobilize it, ice it and avoid any unnecessary stress to it. I'd say your doctor could do the same unless he suspects a total break or some other complication.

[Just1More]

I'd apply arnica cream regularly. It's best done immediately after an injury, but I've seen it work amazing things. (It speeds up the flow of white blood cells, so the debris from an injury is carried away faster. The injury heals faster, and the pain is lessened significantly.)

You know when a child falls and hits their head on something and there is an instant large purple knot. More than once, I've applied arnica, and within 15 minutes there is no evidence there was an injury. Dd2 got her arm pinched in a double stroller. It nearly took off a very deep chunk of skin. It was purple and awful looking. We put the arnica on (not on the broken skin), and she didn't bruise. She still had the cut, of course, but no discoloration whatsoever.

Anyway, ad off...

[VillageMom6]

<--------- Heads to store to buy arnica cream!

[snowcrocus]

Ask about getting an MRI instead. MRI's can image bones as well as soft tissues, and you can probably do it without contrast dye.

[TonyaW]

I'm not a doctor and don't know for sure, but my thought is that if it is broken it would be immediately painful to walk on. A sprain takes a little more time to swell and become more painful. That has been my experience but you might want to look into it more. Also, I have heard it over and over that if you can't move it, it is broken. Something else to check into. I know that is what I would do if I was pregnant and deciding whether to go to the doctor.

[~Adorkable~]

i hurt my ankle a few years back, it was so painful i could not stand or get myself across a room just an hour later and for weeks

it was not broke but badly sprained, from braking things and badly spraining them i would say sprain hurt way more!

an xray will nat harm your baby, tell them your preggo and they will take tons of care with you.
if its sprained, make sure not to stay of it for too long, the moment it can bear weight it needs to start moving, i was told to wear a walking cast and stay off it for many weeks and really messed it up, my physical therapist later explained how much harder of a climb back to normal i had because i had let it get so stiff

[34me]

My dh broke his foot in December (we think) and walked on it for two months until he jumped on a loading dock and really broke it. He walked on it for another week until he got an x-Ray and MRI to confirm the break(s). Not being able to walk on it doesn't distinguish one from the other. If it's not getting better, I would get it checked. From dealing with my dh foot bones take a looooong time to heal.

[HeatherB]

So sorry! I sprained my ankle (again) 2.5 weeks ago. It's finally starting to feel normal. I did rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) from the moment I got into the house, and also took lots of arnica and a couple of other homeopathics for sprains. After about 2.5 or 3 days I could put a little weight on it and hobble a tiny bit, and it's improved since then, though been stiff still. It definitely takes time to heal, but I do think moving around and using it helps.

Also, I've done this before while pg and gone for the x-rays, with heavy shielding, and baby is fine (he's 8 now!). I didn't go this time because I knew it was just a sprain - I've done it too many times to count. But, if it keeps getting *worse*, I'd be inclined to have it looked at.

[Amila]

Hey thanks for all the replies! I rested it and woke up the next morning and the pain was nearly gone! i walked on it totally normal, so it must have not been as bad as I thought- i really thought I was going to have to go in. How strange, right? I am so thankful I didn't need an xray or cast, ugh. i can't imagine being that immobile, while pregnant, and taking care of two little ones, plus not being able to drive! Whew!

[BlackSheepPDX]

Yay! Glad it got better. I suspected it would.

I've tripped or been "flat tired" in flip flops and it hurts something AWFUL.