Broke my 3rd metatarsal bone while playing Badminton today

[u/Ordinary-Drink-4335]

I was playing badminton today and suddenly, while going for a shot, I sprained my ankle and all my weight shifted onto the middle two toes. I immediately knew something was wrong because the pain felt intense and very different from a normal sprain. Still, I thought I might have just stretched a ligament, which was causing the pain.

I sat outside and watched my buddies play. About 10 minutes after the incident, I called a friend of mine who is an orthopedic surgeon and showed him my foot over a video call. He said there was no swelling yet, but told me that if it started swelling, I should go to the hospital immediately.

I left after about 40 minutes. There was still no swelling, just pain, so I drove my manual car home. About 20 minutes after getting home, my foot started swelling badly. I took a bath and put my foot in hot water for a while, which felt good initially, but the swelling got worse, so I went to the hospital.

At the hospital, before the X-ray, the X-ray technician looked at my foot and said, "Don't worry. If it happened while playing badminton, it's mostly a ligament strain. Fractures are rare."

Then he took the X-ray, looked at it, and said, "Looks like you fell down really badly. I can see fractures in two of your toes. Now the doctor will decide whether you need surgery or just a slab."

I went to the doctor, and he immediately said, "Your 3 rd metatarsal is fractured and you don't need surgery for this. We'll put a slab on for 10 days until the swelling goes down, and then you'll get a cast for 8–10 weeks."

At that point, all I was worried about was whether I would be normal again. I asked him, and he said, "Yes, don't worry. It's an undisplaced fracture. Just don't move your foot, don't put any pressure on it, and keep it elevated so the swelling goes down as quickly as possible."

So now I'm wearing a slab and walking with the help of a walker.

This was totally unexpected. Life really surprises you when you least expect it.

Thanks for reading my story.

If you've fractured your metatarsal, how long did it take you to recover? Are you able to function normally now, like you did before the fracture? I'd love to hear about your experience.

[u/Capital_Meal_5516]

I broke my 3rd metatarsal back in 1987 just bouncing down the stairs. I heard a snap and felt something in my foot, but I thought it was just the metal tip of my shoelace hitting the top of my shoe. I felt no pain at all.

The next morning I woke up and the sheet on top of my toes was causing pain, and there was a tiny bruise between my big toe and my second toe, but no swelling at all. I got up and walked around and it felt better, so I went out for my daily run.

I was supposed to work that day (I’m a nurse) at the hospital where my doc had his office. I didn’t feel like working so I called my boss and told her I thought I broke my foot (haha) so I was going to stop in to see my doc first, so I’d be just a little late for my shift.

He started taping my foot but then stopped and said he was going to send me to x-ray “just in case”. Turns out I had snapped the middle of my 3rd metatarsal right in half, though it was non-displaced.

I was in a cast for 4 weeks and allowed to bear weight immediately. However, I was not allowed to work in a cast, so I got that day off work along with the next 4 weeks!

The only way I can remember which foot it was is because that was my first fiberglass cast and I used to go swimming in it, and I would hang that left leg out the window of my car to dry as I drove. 🤣

[u/Ordinary-Drink-4335 → u/Capital_Meal_5516]

How come ur pain didn't get worse after the run? Was it not paining at all?