Jones Fracture

I fractured the 4th and the 5th metatarsals on my right foot. The 5th is a true Jone's fracture. I wore 4 casts and now I am in an airboot. I was in bed for 90 days since my bedroom is on the 2nd floor. I could not get the doctor to believe me that it still hurts. 5 sets of x rays show "non-union" or nothing has healed. I just want to scream!!!!
I was given the shaft because I have crummy insurance and am out of work. The worst part just happened last week. The doctor insisted the I was healed and the fractured was closed. He is blind. I am going to get the surgery rather than a bone stimulator. I've made up my mind. I've got to get back to work and make money to pay my bills.
I wish you all well.
You probably have better health insurance than I do. :(

Fell off a ladder 7/20, went to the ED same day and had xrays - showed 5th metatarsal fracture. Saw an orthopedic doc on 7/22. He diagnosed it as Jones fracture and put me on an air cast, non-wt bearing and told me to see him after a week. Came back 7/29 for appt., took xrays then we discussed surgery. After 2 days, i had surgery. Best decision ever!!! I was in minimal pain for a couple of days, even went on an 18 hr road trip. Five weeks of non-wt bearing after surgery...on the 6th week, I am walking with the boot but not the entire time. The body needs to know that the foot is still needed so that it will stimulate healing so it needs to be used... listen to your body! My work requires a lot of walking so i am not back yet but hopefully in a week or two. Good luck everyone!

I sustained an acute jones fracture playing rugby in college when I was given the choice between waiting to see if it would heal naturally or get the screw fixation surgery I went with the surgery to skip the extra time on crutches and it was probably the best decision I could have made. My jones fracture was severe enough to cause the bone to shift at certain times throughout the day mainly while I was sleeping which was very painful. It felt better within a few days of the surgery and healed well after the next 6 weeks in a walking boot. I would recommend making surgery your first choice if possible I broke my foot in the spring of 2009 and have had no real serious problems with my foot other than a few rare aches and pains when the weather changes but nothing a couple ibuprofen cannot stop.

now I'm really scared, I was in the first cast 2 weeks and now in the third week of another four weeks. I will get another xray next week and hopefully be put in a walking boot IF I'm healing. So did everyone here REALLY keep ALL weight off the casted foot?
Sometimes I hobble using the casted foot to make it from one spot to another. Is this causing me problems? I have never had much pain, not even when I heard it break, but the ache is no less now than it was 5 weeks ago.

I'm wondering how you did with your fracture because I seem to be in the exact same place as you: stable Jones Fracture, but not told it was of this sort until I asked; just an aircast ; 8 weeks in now, and lots of pain/discomfort when I try to increase weight baring. fracture. Hiw did this go for you? I'm getting very anxious and a bit depressed now frankly ( and am so confused as to whether I am being treated properly or not).

How is yours going?
I'm scared too. I have a stable Jones Fracture, but not told it was of this sort until I asked; just an aircast ; 8 weeks in now, and lots of pain/discomfort when I try to increase weight baring. fracture. How did this go for you? I'm getting very anxious and a bit depressed now frankly ( and am so confused as to whether I am being treated properly or not). I kept off my foot on my own for 4 weeks because it hurt: my doctor just said " keep off it" but without underlining how important that was. I used it as you did after 4 weeks ( at that point no healing on xray though); and then overused it in the weeks following trying to use it more ( I thought I was supposed to). Now 8 weeks in: still in aircast; a lot of discomfort with any significant weight baring. Discussed some of my concerns with the doctor: he says if you don't weight bare you will get bone loss; and weight is important for calcification to build bone. What do I do? Would love tMiao hear how you made out.

Hi guys! I've found reading about others experiences to be extremely helpful for me in dealing with my Jones Fracture. I suffered it about 2.5 weeks ago and actually had surgery on it yesterday afternoon. Now that I'm stuck on bed rest I decided I'm going to chronicle my recovery post surgery. 

 ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

My break was end of Aug 10 days before a trip to Ireland. Limped my way around Ireland in a boot and crutches. Sept the break was worse so surgery and a wheel chair. Other than Dr appts I haven't been out of the house. No significant pain at the incision site but by 6 pm the ball of my foot burns like Hades. 3 months and I going stir crazy! I see the ortho Monday and am really hoping for partial wt. Bearing and the ability to resume driving.

I have a Jones fracture I sustained on December 19th. I was stepping over a curb at night to find that I was stepping down into a 4 foot ditch. Landed on toes and rolled ankle and heard the crack. I assumed I just sprained my ankle as I have done prior and was still walking on it for a couple hours with full weight bearing but definite discomfort. I went to the EL as it became increasingly worse by that 3rd hour. Definite Jones fracture and was sent home in a splint to then contact my ppm for ortho referral.DDidn't get in until the 26th and then they didn't even check it. Sent for a referral to podiatry. While waiting for podiatry to get an appointment I went back to erase on January 5th for pain, swelling and a burning tingly feeling from site through all my toes. Did 2nd set X rays said I was mal or non union. Not sure and had another referral to a podiatrist which is set for the 15th. Almost 4 weeks from injury. My main question is that while I can bear weight at times that even when elevated I have the tingly burning and not sure if that is normal? At this point I have a bulge at the break site that I can feel on the underside of my foot. What are the chances that this will require surgery?

I broke my left 5th metatarsal about four years ago - it was not a "Jones" fracture, and healed itself after 7 weeks in a Cam Boot.  Fast forward to November 2013, and I broke my right 5th metatarsal in the dreaded Jones fracture location.  I went to the ortho and, because I am active (run 3-4 days /week), he recommended that I go ahead and have surgery since non-surgical recovery can run up to 16-20 weeks.  In response to the quesion of why I have now broke the same bone on each foot, he suggested that it was an issue with my heels pronating in a way that exposes the outside of my foot to extra stress.  The doctor recomended surgically altering my heel bone position with a surgical procedure known as "calcaneal osteotemy."

Overwhelmed with his surgical recommendations (and thinking that I was historically a fast healer from my first fracture), I declined surgery to see if my Jones would heal on its own.  Eight weeks later, it had not.  Two months of wasted time on crutches, I opted for the surgery (a screw in the 5th metatarsal and the heel surgery).  Post surgery was rough - two weeks on my back with the foot elevated and in a hard cast.  The hard case is now removed and I am in another Cam Boot for another 10 weeks (a total of 12 weeks post-surgery on cruthes, with gradual increase in weight bearing after 6 weeks of true non weight bearing). 

In all, I will have spent more than five months on crutches following a relatively minimal injury.  If you have a true Jones fracture and you have an active/athletic lifestyle, I would recommend the surgery.  The immediate two weeks post-op are going to be trying times, but that recovery outweights the extended recovery time accompanied by the uncertainty and frustration of waiting for the bone to hopefully heal on its own (together with a relativel high possibility that you are wasting time and will need surgery anyway).

[Also, the calcaneal osteomy surgery that I had feels much more painful than the screw that I put in my 5th metatarsal.  Hopefully, that painful heel surgery will reduce the chances of re-fracturing my 5th metatarsal again, but I am not sure I would make the choice of doing that surgical procedure  if I had to do things over again]

I had my Jones Fracture June 29th in Afghanistan. I was put into surgery and screwed.

I was on crutches (non weight bearing) for 4 weeks, then 3 weeks with a walking boot.

After that I went back and got re-evaluated, and was told I was good to go. I went back to Crossfit and wrestling, NO PROBLEMS. Literally; NO pain, NO swelling, NO residuals.

Two weeks ago (7 months after original injury) I took a step. I say again, I. TOOK. A. STEP. I felt a slight "pop" in my foot. Minor pain when standing, MAJOR pain when flexing. Went to podiatrist for X-rays. Broke it again, same place, from the pin out.

Now I am in a walking boot for another 5 weeks before X-rays to see where I am at.

This sucks.

I had a jones fracture, which resulted from marathon training. In hindsight, I think I had a stress fracture, and didn't know. I quit the marathon training, as I could barely walk at the end if each run. Fast forward five months, during which I lightly trained, and I rocked to the side of my foot walking off a dance floor barefoot. Acute jones fracture. X-rays revealed it the next morning. I began with a hard cast, non-weight bearing. I rented one of those wheely things you put your knee on and wheel around on, as crutches were impossible with three kids under the age of six. Within two weeks I ditched the cast for a boot, but kept the wheely. At my six week checkup, I had no bone growth. At my 12 week checkup, I had no bone growth and started to use a bone stimulator. Four weeks later, and six weeks later, still no bone growth. At this point, I almost had a mental breakdown. I knew nothing had been working. I had stopped using the bone stimulator. I tried acupuncture to help the blood flow. I think I wenT five times. At 22/23 weeks, I had X-rays again. The doctor literally could not believe it. He said I had 75% bone growth. At 26 weeks, I was considered healed and returned the wheely. In hindsight, I'm glad I don't have a screw, but if the would've told me what I was in for, I probably would've opted for the screw ASAP. 8 years later, today, I am back in a boot for a stress fracture in the same spot:). Luckily I knew what I felt and didn't let it get into a full blown acute stage! Be patient,.. It's not the end of the world, and it will get better!!

I had forgotten about this post till I got a reminder. I am the guy above who broke it in AFG. Update:
I went back after getting it looked at and there was no healing (Xray and CT) so I was given a choice. Wait a few weeks in a ortho boot to see if it healed up some more with use of a bone stimulator, OR, surgery.
I chose the stimulator, then immediately regretted it. I ended up having to wait a few weeks to get a surgery date and just had it done last week. It hurts, bad. But I was told that in about 12 weeks I should be good to go back at 100%, so we will see.

As an aside, my ortho. advised me no lateral activity/stress for 1 year post fracture. No sports, impact aerobics or lateral movement, twisting, etc. while weight bearing. There is an 80 percent chance of rebreak in the first year. Your doctor should have told you no basketball for one year. Shame on him/her!

I sustained a Jones fracture on Aug 6 (15 weeks ago).  I was in a splint for 1 week.  I had a screw placed and was non-weight bearing for 6 weeks (in a removeable boot).  At the end of 6 weeks, I was able to walk using the rocker boot.  I used that for 2 more weeks.  At the end of the boot period, I was placed in a surgical shoe or an additional 4 weeks.  I have now been in regular tennis shoes for almost 3 weeks.  I go back on Monday for an xray.  When I had one at the 9 week post break appt, the fracture was showing very small signs of healing (calcification).  I'm nervous for my apt on Monday.  I don't have pain, but I can definitely 'feel" where the break is.  At least the swelling has finally gone away, so that gives me hope.  At my appt on Monday, I will be 15 weeks post break and 14 weeks post op.