eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Trauma & Orthopedics

Fracture, Foot: Follow-up

Author: Robert Silbergleit, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Feb 6, 2009

Follow-up

Complications

  • Compartment syndrome is the most dangerous acute complication of foot fractures. This syndrome is associated primarily with midfoot fractures sustained as the result of a crush mechanism. Clinical signs include marked swelling (early) and neurovascular compromise (late). Recent data emphasize that compartment syndrome is a subjective clinical diagnosis. Measurement of compartment pressures may provide useful supplemental information, but pressure thresholds defining compartment syndrome in lower extremity fractures are elusive16 and the osseofascial spaces of the foot are not distinct or isloated.17 Suspicion of compartment syndrome warrants emergent orthopedic consultation; treatment is fasciotomy when the diagnosis is confirmed.
  • Long-term complications of foot fracture
    • Arthritis
    • Infection
    • Nonunion or instability
    • Gait disturbances

Prognosis

  • Prognosis of foot fracture is generally excellent with appropriate treatment.

Patient Education

  • Proper instruction in crutch-walking is required for those unable to bear weight.
  • For excellent patient education resources including crutch walking instructions, visit eMedicine's Breaks, Fractures, and Dislocations Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Broken Foot.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to note fractures because radiographs not obtained or misread
  • Failure to consult or refer to an orthopedic surgeon when necessary
 


More on Fracture, Foot

Overview: Fracture, Foot
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Fracture, Foot
Treatment & Medication: Fracture, Foot
Follow-up: Fracture, Foot
Multimedia: Fracture, Foot
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

broken foot, toe fracture, broken toe, first metatarsal fracture, internal metatarsal fracture, fifth metatarsal fracture, proximal avulsion fracture, Jones fracture, Jones' fracture, fracture at Lisfranc joint, fracture at tarsometatarsal joint, talar fracture, navicular fractures, calcaneal fractures, March fracture, pseudo-Jones fracture, tennis fracture, posterior process fracture, Shepherd fracture, transchondral talar dome fracture, osteochondral talar dome fracture, intraarticular joint depression fracture, compartment syndrome

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Robert Silbergleit, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School
Robert Silbergleit, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, National Association of EMS Physicians, Sigma Xi, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Society for Neuroscience
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Francis Counselman, MD, Program Director, Chair, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Francis Counselman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Emergency Physicians, Norfolk Academy of Medicine, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Tom Scaletta, MD, President, Emergency Excellence (EmEx) (www.emergencyexcellence.com); Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Rush Medical College, Cook County Hospital; Chairperson, Department of Emergency Medicine, Edward Hospital; Past-President, American Academy of Emergency Medicine
Tom Scaletta, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD, Medical Director, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

 
 
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