Foot and Ankle Fractures Specialist in Walnut Creek CA

A minor ankle or foot fracture won’t necessarily prevent you from walking, but if you know you have a fracture, suspect you have one, or have significant pain and swelling, you shouldn’t be walking unless you have medical support. Walking on a fractured ankle or foot could make it significantly worse and prevent it from healing properly. You should seek professional care at an urgent care center or a podiatry clinic like ours.

It’s possible to have a fracture and not even know it until it becomes worse and the symptoms become unbearable. It’s even possible to be able to walk right after getting a fracture. But if you have the symptoms of a fracture, even if they’re minor, you should see a professional. The symptoms of a minor fracture are swelling, bruising, pain, limited mobility, walking difficulty, or an inability to move the injured body part.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a significant fracture, you’ll need to avoid walking for a few months until you heal.

It can take about six weeks or longer for a patient to heal from a fracture. This varies depending on the severity of the fracture and whether any ligaments/tendons were involved in the injury and need to heal too. When you’re seeing a professional about a fracture, the professional will monitor the healing with regular X-rays. Of course, the professional will provide treatment to help you recover quickly!

Treatment really depends on what kind of fracture you have and its severity. For example, if a break extends into a joint, this will have to be treated differently than a break that doesn’t. When a fracture is minor and the bone hasn’t shifted out of place, nonsurgical and even very conservative treatment will work. This may simply mean resting, icing the area, compression of the injury, and elevating the injury while you heal. In other minor cases, a splint, cast or fracture boot may be necessary to help a patient recover, and pain medication will help to control the pain. Physical therapy can speed up return to activity after the fracture has healed.

In cases of a significant fracture, surgery may be the best option for treatment. Surgery can repair the fracture as well as any ligaments, muscles, and/or tendons that were also damaged.

Here at Bay Area Foot and Ankle Associates, our podiatrists handle foot and ankle fractures regularly, so they can easily identify the type of fracture you have and make the right recommendation you’ll need for treatment. Also, since podiatrists are fully capable surgeons, one of ours can provide surgery if you need it. If you have a fracture from a while ago that hasn’t healed properly, one of our professionals can help you, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

Yes, we do! Bay Area Foot and Ankle Associates has two foot and ankle fracture specialists in Dr. John W. Scivally DPM FACFAS and Dr. Robin K. Lie DPM. Either of the doctors would be happy to see you for an evaluation, treatment, or any other service you need. We may be able to see you even today for a minor (non-life-threatening) emergency.

Our clinic has multiple locations in the Walnut Creek CA area. Please see our Locations page for the location nearest you, then call us at that location to find out when we can see you, or to book an appointment with us. We’re available to you Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

We look forward to helping you with your injury soon here at Bay Area Foot and Ankle Associates! For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 2227 Olympic Blvd, Walnut Creek, CA 94595. We serve patients from Walnut Creek CA, Brentwood CA, Concord CA, Pleasant Hill CA, Antioch CA, Alamo CA, Danville CA, Pittsburg CA, Oakley CA, and surrounding areas.