The Student Room Group

Have I broken my foot or bruised it? What to do? Help please!

Well I was running round a corner in my house and I hit the inside arch of my foot on the wall REALLY hard. Hard enough that I collapsed onto the floor and lay there for a full minute just clutching my foot in shock.

I now can't put weight on my foot normally but due to having abnormally fexible feet I can just about limp by turning my foot inwards 90 degrees and walking on the outside rim, but I am intermittently getting enough pain from putting weight too close to the place where I hit my foot to make me actually cry out. When I first did it I thought it was just going to get a bit of a bruise but since then it has got more and more painful.

I can point my toes a bit but I cannot flex them back up at all and I can't circle my ankle round. If I try either the pain is on the arch of my foot not the toes/ankle though. I now have this growing bump on the side of my foot where I hit it. This bump has not changed colour at all but is very noticable. I have been icing my foot for a while but it has continued to swell but only in this small area not the whole foot.

My friend's Dad (not a medical professional but someone with 3 very accident prone children) always said the test for whther it was likely to be broken or not was the 'through the roof test' - if you jabbed someone where they were injured would they hit the roof? And I would - I don't even want to touch it!

How likely is it to be broken and how urgently do I need to go to hospital? I am on my own in the house for the next 5 hours barring calling my mum away from work to take me there.

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Reply 1
It could be broken or just badly bruised, either way I think a trip to A and E is in order. Your foot may need to be x rayed to ascertain if there any any breaks in the bone.
Hold on, let me activate my internet x-ray eyes.


O wait i forgot to put in the crystals. give me a moment lolz.
Reply 3
We can't really gauge how likely it is to be broken. I would hazard a guess and say it's not a complete break, you would really really know about it if it was and you would of described some sort of swelling if it was. There is a chance it might be fractured and in that case, if the pain doesn't go down in 24 hours, I would go to the hospital and they will X-Ray and see what's what and most likely pin it and give you some crutches and say don't put weight on it for a while.

I personally wouldn't go running to the hospital at the moment - stuff always hurts more in the first few hours of doing it and there is a chance you've just bruised the bone which can sometime be misconstrued as a break because it does hurt a lot.
Reply 4
Nico_SU
We can't really gauge how likely it is to be broken. I would hazard a guess and say it's not a complete break, you would really really know about it if it was and you would of described some sort of swelling if it was. There is a chance it might be fractured and in that case, if the pain doesn't go down in 24 hours, I would go to the hospital and they will X-Ray and see what's what and most likely pin it and give you some crutches and say don't put weight on it for a while.

I personally wouldn't go running to the hospital at the moment - stuff always hurts more in the first few hours of doing it and there is a chance you've just bruised the bone which can sometime be misconstrued as a break because it does hurt a lot.


Trust me I really really know about this, I cant ignore it because it hurts waay too much. And there is swelling where I hit it, a massive lump. I think I may have fractured my first tarsel if anything. Damn. I'm supposed to be going to France in 1 week. I'm gonna call NHS direct I think.
Reply 5
SpamBa
Trust me I really really know about this, I cant ignore it because it hurts waay too much. And there is swelling where I hit it, a massive lump. I think I may have fractured my first tarsel if anything. Damn. I'm supposed to be going to France in 1 week. I'm gonna call NHS direct I think.


Go to A&E seriously, NHS Direct will tell you to go probably. X-Ray is only way to tell.
python38
Call 999 and ask for advice. Hope you get better soon ^^.


Is the OPs foot hanging from her ankle, connected by a solitary vein, with blood pumping out. Has it turned black or has it been ravaged by a dog?

If not, no, do not call 999. This in no way, shape or form constitutes an emergency.

Btw OP, NHS direct but I think a trip to the hospital may be needed. Good luck!
python38
Call 999 and ask for advice.

You're joking, right? 999 is when you've got someone in a potentially life-or-death situation, not when you have an owwie-boo-boo on your foot.

OP, if you have any neighbours or friends who could give you a lift to A&E, I would encourage you to try to arrange something with them fairly soon. If I was in your situation, I would want to seek medical advice as soon as possible. If you don't have any acquaintances to give you a lift, then try to find a SENSIBLE number to call, since it's not an emergency.

Edit: NHS direct is a good idea.
Reply 8
I'd hazard a guess at a mild break, sine you can't put weight on it (I'm no expert tho!) When your parents get back, go to A&E, & in the meantime keep icing it and take painkillers!
Reply 9
SpamBa
I can just about limp by turning my foot inwards 90 degrees and walking on the outside rim


How long ago did you do this? If it's recent and swollen up quickly it's likely to be a bruise on the surface of the bone or maybe even a chip or small fracture.

I can point my toes a bit but I cannot flex them back up at all and I can't circle my ankle round
.

Is this because it's too painful or are you actually unable to?

How likely is it to be broken and how urgently do I need to go to hospital?


Go to A&E and tell them you think it's a break and they'll examine you. Believe me, I know. :smile:
Reply 10
do not call 999 as its not an emergency.... i wouldnt even bother with NHS direct personally as they neither can tell you whats wrong with your foot over the phone... they will just tell you to get it checked out.

call a friend of family for a lift to A&E.... or (heavens forbid) a taxi
Reply 11
Samalama
Is this because it's too painful or are you actually unable to?


Both - I can flex them up a teeny bit and that is very painful but I cannot physically get them to move any further.

Update: have called NHS Direct. They are very annoying. It is a 0845 number and I had to listen to 1.5 minutes of swine flu related stuff before I got to talk to a guy. And now he has established there is genuinely something wrong I have to wait 45 minutes for a nurse to call me back :frown: but I can wait since I'm not about to die.

Seriously, I am soo screwed if it is broken because I am supposed to be going to France next Sat for a language course. If it is broken I hope it is one of those minor ones where they can just boot-and-painkiller me up so I can still be off *pleasepleaseplease*
Reply 12
stupid question but i presume youve already taken paracetamol and ibuprofen?????
Reply 13
python38
Maybe try icing it (or whatever he suggested), sitting down near the phone (I'm no doctor, but obviously taking weight off your foot would help), taking some painkillers and distracting yourself with something till they ring back?


I've been icing it since I started this thread and it hasn't helped. Especially since the weight of the ice cube (its a block of cubes) directly onto my injury is too painful to bear.

I've got the phone by me!

Pankillers are FAILING. As is distraction. It hurtees too much :frown: :frown:

They should ring back in the next 20 minutes which in my current state might as well be an hour! If they haven't called back my 2 I will have to call my mum and get her to take me to hospital. Becuase I do not want to end up there on Fri night. And there is also a huge lack of parking at the hospital which may mean I have to hop (given up on limping!) quite a way to make it in :frown:
I did something like this playing football where my foot simultaneously smashed into another lad's leg, the ball and the floor and it turned out I had ligament damage. That was 4 years ago and even now there are some days when it hurts especially if i'm playing football or rugby on a hard pitch.
Reply 15
How the hell do we know? Go to A and E.
Reply 16
NHS were really unhelpful. Yes, I know to ice an elevate my foot. FFS I am trying to work out whther it is broken. He said, if it gets worse call us back. I was thinking, um, this IS getting worse that is WHY I am calling you.

I think I'm going to call my mum because the last thng I want is for it to get worse and end up in A+E at 9pm on Fri.
Go to A&E in a taxi and meet your mum there. Time is of the essence if you're in that much pain xx
Reply 18
Mum is refusing to come out because I am 'not suffocating' and I have no money for a taxi and no friends to get me there. SO I am stuck here until she gets home and realises I cannot actually walk. Only 3.5 hours :frown:
Reply 19
oh NHS direct were unhelpfull.... oh what a supprise!!!!!!!!

have you rung your mum yet?? seriously get down there. A&E starts filling up with drunks from about 5 o'clock onwards at the weekend!!!!

Get it x-rayed.... even if its as simple as a sprain, they might still give you some crutches to help you get about a bit.