What to do after an Emergency Room or Urgent Care Visit? – “ I have a foot Fracture”

Chances are you had an injury, went to the emergency room with swelling, bruising and pain. X- rays were performed and with little other insight they discharged you in some type of splint and crutches and instructed to follow up with a Podiatrist/Orthopedist

Many questions are racing through your head. What happens now? Do I need surgery? How long is this injury going to put me back?

In general it is important to know that fractures come in all shapes and sizes and management of fractures are highly dependent on what bone is involved. If you have a foot fracture, I do recommend you see a Podiatrist as we are fundamentally trained on the anatomy of the foot and ankle. Our Doctors at Advanced Podiatry are surgically trained and deal with these injuries on a day-to-day basis if an operation is deemed necessary,  but our goal is to avoid unnecessary surgery.

Although you had x rays in the ER or Urgent care, I have seen many injuries that were missed, misclassified and vice versa,  overplayed on occasion. We perform our own imaging or review your existing imaging to best classify the type and severity of your injury.

Management of a particular fracture may be unique based on you , your goals and the type of activities you do. Many athletes wish the quickest return to recovery with decreased risk of reinjury, due to their high level of activity. These patients may actually do better with surgery and get back to their level of sport quicker and more confidently. Certain fractures almost always need surgery such as 5^th metatarsal Jones fractures which is notoriously slow to heal and always has better patient reported outcomes in the literature if surgically corrected.

It is important to know that a timely consultation is of utmost importance. If surgery is required our goal is often to perform the procedure within 2 weeks of the injury as this is important for a smooth outcome and can diminish some complications. But also, if we manage you conservatively with a boot or cast, making that decision early and implementing it, can potentially shave weeks off your recovery.

My colleagues and I are passionate about foot and ankle traumatic injuries and strive to get you back to a 100% recovery. Surgery is not necessarily a bad thing, it can often be done minimally invasively and can reduce the risks of abnormal healing or for the more athletic population return you sooner to your high level of sport.

After your ER/ Urgent care visit seek a specialist’s help as soon as possible. I advise a surgically trained Podiatrist as this our niche and our passion. Choosing a plan of action within the first couple days can make all the difference. We often offer same day appointments for these type of injuries for that exact reason. I hope this helps provide you some clarity. In summation, do not delay your treatment, Advanced Podiatry will get you into the office in a timely manner and choose a individually tailored plan of action to get you healed and back in action!