Freibergs disease

I am 28 and have frieberg's, which my doctor says is kind of old for this. I initially got it two years ago, but was only diagnosed with it lat summer.
I wear orthotics now, and that greatly helps with day to day stuff, but my problem is that I really don't DO anything. I walk to and from my car, and maybe a couple minutes at lunch to get a sandwhich.
When I go beyond that.. shopping all day, longer walks, or just wearing slippers instead of my shoes all day, it starts to hurt again. The pain is not usually overbearing, but I don't do anything to taxing to it. It's noticeable, though, and I know it shouldn't hurt from those things. I'm also concerned about it geting worse in the future.
I'm considering surgery because it has been a long time and it is not going away. I just want to not have to think about it anymore, and get back to being a little more active.
How long should I wait before having surgery? I don't want to rush into anything, but 2 years is a long time.

My daughter is 15 and was diagnosed with Freibergs last year during her Freshman year. She was playing HS Volleyball at the time. One day in class, she felt like she had a cramp in her foot and moved it. She felt a pop and then after a vball game later that day, she was in tears from the pain. The symptoms seemed like it could possibly be a stress fracture and since there are times the doctors can't be sure if there is a fracture and they might have said "Stay off of it just in case there is a fracture." we opted to take a wait and see stance so she wouldn't be out of vball. The season was soon over and she saw a orthopedic surgeon and was told immediately that she had Freiburgs. At that point, she had passed the "off the foot for 6 weeks" stage and into the "take it easy" stage. The doctor told her that she could continue playing vball as long as she could stand the pain (this had to do with the fact that she wasn't playing a position where she was doing a lot of jumping), but she also prescribed orthotics for her.

She has been wearing the orthotics now for over a year (just got "molded" for her second pair) and the foot is still healing. The doctor said it would take at least a year for the toe to heal. She has one bone chip that can cause a little bit of pain if someone pushes on it, but other than that, if she wears her orthotics when she wears her tennies, she is fine. She will wear heels once in a while, but not for long periods of time. (She isn't a "heel" kind of girl anyway.) She competed in track at school last spring and cross country this fall. She is now playing vball and track currently.

I was surprised to see that so many of you have had surgery to help with your Freibergs and that you still have pain, since hers has been treated so conservatively and she is almost pain free.

I had/ have freiberg's. I was diagnosed when I was 13 and I had always been walking a lot. I had pain in both of my 2nd toe (next to big toe) and big toe joints (the first joint) in all affected toes. The bone was dying in the joints. I went to a chiropodist and he studied how I walked, he found that I was overly using my second to and under using my big toe, I wasn't rolling right on the toes. I made archsupports for my feet, to put in all shoes, and over time of correcting my walk, and run I now no longer get the chronic pain. I can wear normal shoes (though heels can be a problem over a long period of time.) Before resorting to surgery can I suggest that you all try assessing how you walk.

Hi I'm Rebecca, I'm 22 and I was diagnosed with this disease about 4 months ago. it started in Feb. of 2006 but the pain got so bad that I had to get medical attention. The pediatrist told me that I had freiberg's disease in the head of my second metatarsal joint and she said that I could get custom inserts for my foot. She also told me that they make the inserts at the office so maybe if anyone goes to a pediatrist they could ask if they do that. another option she told me was to get the surgery where they shave the head of the metatarsal down and round it off like it used to be. I haven't gotten any of these things done because I don't have the time to go get surgery or be off of my feet for that long. I did find a shoe that really helps and they are New Balance 600's. they are used by many doctors and nurses who are on their feet all day. they work really well for me but at the end of the day when I take them off I have to move my toes around because the sore toe gets stiff from not moving. my toe has gotten so bad that I can't bend it back or forward with my other toes but with these shoes, I am able to work regular hours on my feet without taking a break to sit down because of the pain. just a suggestion.

I have been diagnosed with Friebergs diseasein both of my feet since I was 16. I am now 38 years old and finally had surgery on my left foot a year ago after years of living with the pain. I have had orthotics for years with limited success. I had noticable bumps that developed on top of the metatarsals on both feet. After years of searching, I finally found a wonderful doctor. He said that I needed surgery because my metatarsal head had fractured so many times that I would have terrible arthritis if I didn't have some of the bone chips debrided. His solution to the problem was a little different than I had read about. When he opend my foot up he took out the multiple bone chips that were inside, then he reshaped the top of the metatarsal and then put a tendon covering over the end of the bone to help create cushion like cartlidge. I have to say that it was a pretty painful recovery but after 6 weeks on crutches my foot felt much better than before the surgery. I can also say that a year past surgery I no longer have the constant burning feeling that I had in my foot for years. I will probably go back in a couple of years to have the other foot fixed as well.

Hi my names Samantha, and I'm 20 and I was diagnosed with freibergs disease last august. I realized that i was having pain in the middle of my right foot at the end of my school semester of college. It got so bad to the point i couldn't walk anymore and i would cry with every step i had to take going to class. After i was diagnosed my doctor made me get a series of xrays and mris on my foot while having me in an orthopedic boot and realized that my bone marrow in my 2nd met. was really black and the head was deteriorating in the xrays and mris. Instead of a cortisone shot he scheduled me for surgery figuring that was the best way to approach the situation. The surgery was supposed to just place a bone in the middle of the 2nd metatarsal to add extra support but when he went in there my bone just fell off because it was so badly dead. My DR said it was the worst case hes ever seen. He ended up taking the new bone he had and used disolvable stiches to tie the bone around the good bone in my foot and reshaped everything from there. Its been 7 months since and its still a little sore, but its a different type of pain, a healing pain and i really believe that the surgery saved me from losing the everyday physical activities that I do. I definatly recommend this type of surgery for severe freibergs disease because i started going to the gym recently and my foot is getting stronger and less and less painful every day and I know it will just take time for everything to be almost back to normal. Although i have limited flexibility in the second toe right now, it gets more flexible every day. I am a Pharmacy Technician and i am on my feet for long periods of time. It was something that hurt me a lot at first but now does not hurt me at all. The only thing with this surgery is that you need to make sure you wear comfy shoes and flip flops that are only fabric and you should be fine. I have had no problems really since and now barely any pain.

firstly i would like to thank everyone for their imputs, it has reali given me insight to what my options are... i am 19 years old and female....

I was told at age 13 that i had fractured the 2nd metatarsal in my left foot during surf life saving down the beach. I was told nothing could be done and due to my commitments to my sport i put up with the server pain and running in bare feet on the sand.

at 15 more tests/x-rays were done and this is when they told me i had friebergs and that the said a fracture because i was so young my bones had not fully developed.

anyways i had orthodics inserted and it was FANTASTIC, expensive but very good. until.... i was at work and tore the ligament in the same ankle. was in plaster for 3 weeks and crutches for another 3weeks. i had physio then went and saw a physio specialist, not sure the diference but it cost more...

the pain stopped from the 2nd toe... whether it was because my ankle REALLY hurt and I just coulnt notice it or both caused both pain, i would walk on the outside to relieve the pain on my toe but pain in my ankle occured, it was a lose-lose situation.

i found a foot surgeon who goes overseas to operate, so i was assuming he would help and he did... my concern was my ankle, i needed a reconstruction and he said while i was under he would fix my toe, i didnt really go into what exactly but the word fix sounded good.

i had the operation and it was all good, my ankle is at its best it will ever be andi had a pin put in my 2nd toe... however the pain has returned, also with the numbness of my 3rd and 4th toe... i cannot bend or more my 2nd toe without pain and am getting sharp pain to walk in my big toe.

my surgeon tells me that i require the same operation on the 3rd toe, then down the track the 4th then the 5th... its like a domino effect...(unhappy)

i cannot wear orthodics because it puts pressure on my ankle and am thinking if it needs to be removed or be made into a fake toe, i realli dont care... the beauty of the human body is realli not wat im thinking of, im only 19 and love sport and have been living in pain since i was 13!! put me out of my misery...

thanks for reading :-)

My name is Martha and I am from Ontario , Canada and 2 weeks ago I had surgery for frieberg's Infraction that my Dr said I probably got when I was 15 or 16 yrs old (I am 37 now)

I just woke up one day 2 years ago adn my left foot was hurting. I have had everything from orthotics ($700.00 later) to cortisone shots to throwing out ALL of my shoes to LIVING in running shoes!
I am in pain now after the surgery but that is because I am not on crutches(I am a big woman and those are hard to manage LOL!) and have a cane and when I walk on my foot it does get swollen ! I have avascular necrosis on my second metatarsal and if I did this PAINFUL surgery for nothing I will DIE!!!!!!
I had to quit my daily workouts, gained 30 pounds and am miserable around my family becasue I jsut want to CHOP OFF MY FOOT! (seriously!!)
I had to quit my full time job and only sit now....
I get an xray in 2 weeks to see where the screw is that the Dr put in and see the bone shaved down that he did during the surgery....
He also said he lifted the 2nd metatarsal or soemthing like that????
This is an orthapedic surgeon that I went to (waited to see him 4 months!) and went to 2 podiatrists here in Canada and no one knew what I had!



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Hello, I am 21 years old and have had the disease since i was 14. I had surgery the year between my 8th grade and freshman year of HS. I was avtice in volleyball, gymnastics, and track. I has surgery to remove the debris that was floating free in my toe (i think maybe two of them, im not sure) but it was a very sucessful surgery. the pain of the surgery was next to none, i dont think i even had to take a pain pill and i have a VERY low pain tolerance. I have had to stop gymnastics due to the repetive pressure and movement on the joints, that was the most recommended solution. it is advised to avoid repitition and jumping on the foot. but as of the time of my surgery, i HAVE had pain, but nothing that would require me to request the surgery again. before the surgery, i would have to slide down the stairs on my bottom in order to get up and down because it was far too painful to walk on it. the main time that i have pain now, is when the weather changes....and living in kansas, that is far too often!! I am always able to predict when it wil rain because my foot will begin to hurt. but i recommend having the surgery if it is offered, i think it made a world of difference and i was young and still benefitted from it more than any amount of harm it may have caused. I hope this helps, it is nice to know that there are others out there dealing with the same problem, when i was diagnosed i was told 1 in every 10000 had this problem!

Hey my names Nicolle. I'm 17 years old & was diagnosed with Freiburg Disease when I was 15. I've read every single 1 of these comments, & the hospital hasn't told me anything about the operation, the doctor just said it might not work. Maybe it works differently in US than UK, because i live in the UK. If people has had the operation, can you tell me everything you went through with it, & the name of the operation. :)

My Dr here is Canada is from the UK and is now living here in Canada and I have had Freibergs for many years (I am 37 yrs old now) he says I had it once I was a teenager it just never really bothered me until last year.
I had a cheilectomy along with a oestomy(sp??) on my second metatarsal. The surgery was painful but I lived through it! I am 11 weeks post op now and just removed my aircast today!!!!!!
My advice is GET RID OF ALL FLIP FLOPS and NEVER go around barefoot!
I have a medium scar on the lateral(top) part of my foot (I had 12 stiches) and I have a one inch screw in my bone(no I can't feel it!!LOL!)
My foot still swells at night when I have been on it all day!
I had to be OFF my foot for 4 weeks (grrrr) and used a cane (crutches were too hard for me!)
LISTEN to the Dr and don't expect miracles because feet tak a LONNNNNNNNG time to heal!!!!!
I could not live with the pain any longer so the cortiseone injections and the orthotics doid nothing for me! I HAD to have the surgery (last resort)

Good luck hon!

Martha
Ontario Canada


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hi, my name is Tara and im 13. o think that i have freibregs.

i hurt my foot in october last year and it has been hurting ever since. the doctor finally gave me an xray a week ago and he told me that i had avascular necrosis of the third metatarsal. he told me to go and google it so it did and it came up with this. does anyone have any suggestion about what to do??

I am now 34 years old and I was diagnosed with Freibergs when I was 19. I had excruciating foot pain and the x-rays showed that my 3rd metatarsal had disinigrated. I had surgery to remove the joint entirely and nothing was put in its place. I was surprised to hear about the surgical and non-surgical options others had because I was not given any other options.

The surgery was excruciatingly painful and the recovery took over a year. However, with the exception of the first couple of weeks, I never really stayed off of my feet as I was working as a waitress and gonig through university. After the first year or so, my foot got much better. About 5 years later I had problems with my knee on the same leg and had some damaged cartilage removed - I have always wondered if the damage came about because my foot is weak on that side.

My surgery was successful and although my foot looks a little bit funny - with one shorter toe, I am pleased with the outcome. If you are experiencing chronic pain, I would recommend seeing about having the joint removed - it helped me!

hi Tara, i am Chloe i am 12 yrs old and two days ago i was diagnosed with freibergs disease i also have it in the third metertarsal just like you, i've been also searching google for answers to what i could do to help it without bars in my shoes or an operation... i have a big fear of seargeons so i desperately don't want an operation but i have read all the posts and all the people have had operations... i am going to see a bone specialist in a few weeks see what he has to say... i would advise you not to do any exercise ... maybe tell your friends what's going on just so that they know your not blowing them out or not wanting to be seen with them... good look Tara

xX Chloe Xx

Hi, I'm Sammy and I'm 16. Around 2 years ago, I started to get a pain in my 3rd metatarsal joint, and it swelled up, but was a hard swelling. For a year, I kept going back to the hospital and doctors, because they couldn't understand why I kept arguing that it really, really hurt. Reading other responses, I must have been lucky, because mine hasn't really stopped me walking or anything, which is another bonus, because I'm a dancer, and have been since I was 2; in september I'm going full time at a dance college. So anyway, another year passed, and eventually they came up with the suggestion of freibergs disease. I was losing mobility in that part of my foot, and again, lucky for me, after talking to a foot specialist, he said that not moving it may cause it to seize up more, so I continued to dance regularly on it. I have now been waiting for an operation on it; at first recommendation, the doctors decided that they would be inserting a metal plate and stuff, which I was not entirely happy about, but over time, it has actually begun to heal itself. When I say heal, I mean, its almost built itself back or something, it's odd. However, after less pain, and more mobility, I found out that in this joint, the bone actually had oles in, which wasn't the most positive news I've ever recieved hahaa. So after another trip, the doctors said that all they would have to do is shave down the dodgy head of the metatarsal joint. And this is what I am having tomorrow, with an estimated 2 - 3 week recovery period, so with any luck, I'll be starting dance college properly come September!

To any other sufferers, keep going back to your doctors, don't let them say there's not much to be done, because there is. I went again and again, and finally they agreed to do something. Although the routine is apparently not too difficult, it is quite rare, and perhaps this is why many doctors are reluctant to offer surgery straight away.

Good luck guys, I hope you can get it all sorted x