It will also give injured skin a chance to recover. Elevating your leg and keeping it immobilized for several days will decrease swelling. If the skin around your fracture has not been broken, your doctor may recommend waiting until swelling has gone down before having surgery. Your doctor will review the details of your injury and talk with you about the risks and benefits of surgical versus nonsurgical treatment. Nonsurgical treatment of some fractures, however, can also lead to long-term complications, such as pain, arthritis, and a limp. Surgery to repair a calcaneus fracture can restore the normal shape of the bone but is sometimes associated with complications, such as wound healing problems, infection, and nerve damage. If the bones have shifted out of place (displaced), your doctor may recommend surgery. During this time, you will not be able to put any weight on your foot until the bone is completely healed. You may have to wear a cast for 6 to 8 weeks - or possibly longer. A cast, splint, or brace will hold the bones in your foot in proper position while they heal. Your doctor may recommend nonsurgical treatment if the pieces of broken bone have not been displaced by the force of the injury. Your doctor will discuss the different treatment options with you. In general, patients whose normal heel anatomy is restored have better outcomes, and in most cases, recreating the normal heel anatomy involves surgery. Your doctor will consider several factors in planning your treatment, including:īecause most calcaneus fractures cause the bone to widen and shorten, the goal of treatment is to restore the normal anatomy of the heel. Your doctor may share both your X-rays and CT scans with you to help you better understand the nature and severity of your injury. This information will help your doctor recommend the best plan for treatment. A CT scan will produce a more detailed image of your foot than an X-ray and can provide your doctor with valuable information about the severity of your fracture. Because of the complex anatomy of the calcaneus, a CT scan is routinely ordered after a fracture has been diagnosed on X-ray. An X-ray can show whether your calcaneus is broken and whether the bones are displaced.Ĭomputed tomography (CT) scans. X-rays, the most common and widely available diagnostic imaging technique, create images of dense structures, such as bone. Imaging studies will help confirm the diagnosis of a calcaneus fracture:
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