metatarsal stress fracture anyone???

[upsidedownfrown]

Anyone had a stress fracture? I know everyone is different but what did it feel like? For a few weeks now I've had this achy feeling on top of foot above 2nd or 3rd metatarsal. Halfway between toe joint and ankle. It's fine in morning but then the more I physically do, the worse it gets. It never gets to excruciating pain where I can't walk or anything. But gets painful enough that I feel it with every step. I work very part time at school as a play lead for y3 and y4 so I have 2hrs a day of literally running around after 100 children. I play football, basketball, tennis, skipping, run races with them for the entire 2 hrs over lunchtime, just stopping to get my breath now and again. So it's lots of running around on concrete. They're very enthusiastic kids so it's quite a workout! (love my job!) And I'm not sat in my bum the rest of the day... I'm doing the usual housework, shopping, chasing after my 3 kids and I don't drive so walk everywhere. I remember feeling it after work before the Easter hols and then during the hols, I only really felt it after long trips to the park or a day out somewhere. We had some chill out days at home and had days with friends or family over and my foot was fine in those days. Then back at work and its every day again. At first it was at the end of work but now it's during work so getting painful more easily/quickly. Does this sound like astress fracture ?

I'm planning on taking a trip to gp soon butif he sends me for xray, stress fracture often doesn't show does it? Or if it does, it shows bone callous where its healing so surely they wouldn't be able to do anything if it was healing already anyway ? What's the treatment for a stress fracture? I love my job but obv don't want to really damage my foot. If they boot it, I'll still go to work but will obviously not run around and just organise games with my loud voice and trusty whistle and watch from the sidelines! If they don't boot it, I forsee lots of kids thinking I'm fibbing about a sore foot! Haha

[SauvignonBlanche]

I had one, my symptoms sounded like yours pain but manageable, I was on my feet all day as a nurse and cried by the end of the day.

X-ray revealed nothing but an MRI showed a stress fracture, I was in an air cast boot for a few weeks but was still able to work, initially doing admin duties then back on the ward after a few weeks but still in the boot. My consultant was happy and I was looking after his patients!

He later diagnosed me with flat feet which could have been the cause and I was fitted with orthotic insoles.

[upsidedownfrown]

Oh no! Glad you got on ok with boot! How long did you have to wait for mri? Did you get one quicker cos you're a nurse?! I don't have flat feet , have quite a good arch, and wear decent enough shoes for work but I think I'm quite heavy footed if that makes sense? Think I should see gp sooner rather than later by sounds of it

[upsidedownfrown]

Oh, and I do have one leg slightly shorter than the other. Not terribly. I thinks that's quite normal. Just a slight difference that others can't see but you can feel if you stand with your feet together. It's my foot on shorter leg that's hurting! Poor little short leg

[SauvignonBlanche]

I got my MRI very quickly as I was slotted into a last minute cancellation which was possible as I was on site.

The relief of discovering that I wasn't going mad and there was something actually wrong with me was nothing compared to relief my foot felt being in the air cast boot, it took a good while to heal and the pain came back after I first came back out of the boot and had to stop wearing it again but it didn't stop me from doing anything.

I would definitely go to the GP sooner rather than later and don't be fobbed off, mine squeezed my foot, made me cry and said it was a soft tissue injury. I had to go back and ask for an referral to the orthopaedic surgeon who had organised my X-ray.