5th Metatarsal Problem

Hurt my foot on a building site in June, a huge metal fence hit me on the heel and i could hardly walk.
I went to GP following day convinced it was broken but they said despite the swelling there was no bruising so most likely a bad sprain, not a fracture.

Basically it got slightly better but not much...

I went to see Physio couple of months after and they diagnosed it as my 5th met and gave me exercises to do, they warned me that blood flow is poor in that area so recovery can be slower. They did an ultrasound and confirmed that there wasnt a fracture.

I got a bit frustrated so a month or so after i went back and asked for someone else to look at it, they reported the same thing and gave me an elastic band to try and to continue with the exercises. They also said massaging the area myself would help so i have tried this and it does seem to help but walking around on it and moving brings the pain back.

So six months down the line it just doesnt seem to be getting better, i have tried running a couple of times when it actually felt ok but the pain comes back.

Its definately on the 5th met side so there is an issue there but sometimes i get pain in my heel and somtimes on the other side of my foot.

I can obviously continue with the exercies etc but i have lost faith, it doesnt feel like its improving at all and there may be something else wrong but im not sure what to do.

I just expected it to be healed by now, i have never had an injury like this - it just wont go away. I look at runners now and i honestly feel like its all over, i wont be able to run again. what if i fractured it originally and it hasnt healed properly?

Hi there, it might be useful to search the site on '5th Metatarsal' as there are probably others who have had this issue that you can talk with too. When running you land on the outside of the foot and so there is a pot of pressure on the joint where the 5th Metatarsal meets with the heal bone. You might have an instability there which could be helped with some more rigid taping support before running. That too might help restore some normal joint mechanics as well. If you are in any doubt as to a fracture or not I'd suggest a bone scan or at least an MRI. These should confirm or rule out any major issue still there in the area (pain aside) which mentally can be a good thing. If we can rule out the bone issue then I'd get a good sports physio who works with runners and taping to take a look to see if they can work with your joint to support the mechanics. It also might be that a slightly different trainer e.g one with more heel height like a Nike Air Pegasus might reduce load on that area and reduce the pain. Do let us know how you get on.