Broken Foot Healing Time

If there would have been a monologue or biography of our legs and feet, they would come out with all the frustration they could. The reason? Simple! They have to bear our weight and how! Moreover, that is not just for a few years! It is for our whole lifetime, that our legs and feet bear our brunt. If that was not enough, we encounter injuries all through our life, from simple twists to fractures and umpteen other foot problems. The time it takes for any injury, to our feet and legs, to heal is nothing as compared to our lifetime. Of course, unless it is a really major one. Nevertheless, the point I actually wanted to put through is that our feet face a hard time till we are mobile and alive. As mentioned, there are injuries on the way and they are the most common ones.

Healing Time for a Broken Foot

Basically, the recovery time for a broken foot depends on how severe the injury is, and how well are you responding to the treatment. These are aspects fundamental to the time required for healing of a foot. To give you an instance, a bone fracture will take more time to heal than a twist or a sprain. There are 3 stages in which healing occurs. These are the following -

Stage 1
As we all know, the first sign of fracture is extreme pain and immediate inflammation. What happens is there is a bleeding in that area, leading to inflammation and blood clotting at that spot. This prepares the base for production of new bone. That is the next stage.

Stage 2
Taking ahead from the first stage, the foundation is set for new bone production. Here the blood clots and inflamed parts give way for fibrous tissue and cartilage. As the healing process starts this soft tissue is replaced by hard, usual bony structure. That can be seen in an X-ray after weeks of injury.

Stage 3
The last stage is bone remodeling. This goes for a few months. That is because at this juncture the bone still has to heal completely and acquire the shape as the original one. It is yet to be compact like the earlier one. In this period, the blood circulation also improves considerably in that area. Finally, when the healing is adequate for the foot to bear your weight, it further helps the bone to get back in shape.

Healing Time by Injury

Fractures
In the way as explained previously, for a fracture to heal, it takes around 6 to 8 weeks. That is to return to basic activities and a bit more and not sports or high impact activities. The age and the overall health of the patient also has to be taken in mind here. Usually, youngsters recover faster than older patients. The time can span even a couple of months, or more as well. This is more so the case with calaneal stress fractures which take time to heal.

Broken Upper Leg
If the upper leg (femur) bone or the thigh bone is broken, it takes around 12 weeks to heal. As it gets complicated with regards to this bone or for example, fibula fracture.

Ankle Fracture
Ankle fractures, which are one of the most common amongst leg and foot injuries has a healing time of around 6 weeks. Although, it will take some more time for an individual to return to sports. That is, if he or she is a sports person.

Foot and Toes
Broken toe and foot, in particular, need 4 to 12 weeks to recover. Likewise, broken toe healing time is around 3 weeks.

In addition to this, rest, immobility, surgery (if applicable) and hot and cold compress can bring the recovery time down. Primarily what you do immediately after the injury, to get the healing process in place, matters a lot. Take Care!