Treating athletes with 5th metatarsal fractures:
Fractures occurring in the base area of the 5th metatarsal are a difficult burden for athletes. The area lacks a healthy blood supply and a tendon attaches at its base. The tendon, if not immobilized in a cast of boot, will keep pulling on the fracture fragment. This repetitive pulling keeps the fracture from healing well. Conservative treatment for competitive athletes, and NOT the average joe, have been found through research to be inadequate.
This fracture can take close to 8 weeks to heal and has a higher rate
of fracturing again, especially with early activities. Surgical intervention, therefore is the way to go. One recent podiatric journal stated that on average the athletes they operated on took a mean of 9 weeks to return to activities – some were even close to 14 weeks of recovery! The only benefit of having the fracture surgically fixed is to hopefully heal the fracture sooner and prevent a recurring fracture. In a nut shell, it is a tough injury and a tough recovery regardless of if you do surgery or not!
More on common injuries to athletes here.
