Did you land badly on your heel and now it hurts to step? The doctor explained how to act and what to fear

You didn't get on your heel well, and now she hurts? Do not rush to write it off as a slight bruise. Russian traumatologist orthopedist Maxim Banetsky told what to do in such a situation, writes sb.by.

If it hurts to step on the heel after the impact, it is important to unload the foot as much as possible, Maxim Banetsky advised:

- Don’t try to “check” if you can walk. Any load can aggravate the damage. Move on one leg or use a support: ask someone to put a shoulder, take a stick, an umbrella - anything to avoid leaning on an injured heel. It is allowed to lean slightly only on the anterior part of the foot (on the fingers), if this almost does not increase the pain, but it is better to avoid the load altogether. Go to the emergency room or traumatologist as soon as possible. This is the most important step.

At the same time, the doctor warned that pain and swelling in the heel can be both with a bruise and with a fracture (including without displacement). Only a doctor can accurately determine the nature of the injury.

- Mandatory diagnostic methods: firstly, x-rays are the basic method, but do not always show minor or stress damage, and secondly, computed tomography (CT) is a more accurate method, especially if there are doubts. It is advisable to do a CT scan with a simulated load: this helps to see the hidden displacement and assess the stability of the bone, the traumatologist added.

He told how dangerous heel bone fractures are:

- Even if it seems that “it is possible to advance slightly”, a fracture without displacement can become unstable and shift later. This has serious consequences:

Displacement of foot structures. Due to the incorrect position of the heel, blood vessels and nerves can be compressed - this leads to shots, numbness of the sole, chronic pain. Disturbance of the joint surface between the heel and ram bone. If there is a “step” (unevenness), arthrosis and constant pain develop over time. Thrombosis is a complication. With fractures of the heel, thrombosis sometimes develops - this is a contraindication to early surgery.

How to treat such injuries

The tactics depend on the type of damage:

Bruised. The main thing is to unload the heel. Helps special orthopedic shoes, in some cases - shoes with high heels (so that the heel is not loaded). Treatment is conservative, but long: you need to wait until the swelling of the bone goes away. Fracture without bias. Apply plaster fixation and walking on crutches. Be sure to take control pictures (X-rays or CT) to notice a possible displacement in time. Displacement fracture or unstable fracture. Surgical treatment is shown: the surgeon restores the anatomical shape of the bone. It is especially important to carry out surgery in the first 1-2 weeks, before the bone has become rotten due to osteoporosis. Old fractures (after 3-5 months and later). In this case, a powerful bony callus is formed, and the operation becomes more difficult: you have to “disassemble” the incorrectly fused fragments and collect them again, sometimes using the patient’s own bone tissue.

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