A Jones fracture is a type of ankle sprain that occurs when the foot twists outwards and overstretches the outside ligaments. It can be caused by excessive side-to-side motion, sudden stopping, or jumping too high.
The pain may not appear until hours after the injury but will gradually worsen with movement. This article outlines what to do if you suspect you have sustained this type of injury and how to heal a jones fracture faster than usual.
10 Things You Can Do to Heal Jones Fracture Faster
1) Rest:
Resting is the best way to heal any type of injury. Try and reduce your activity for a week or two, especially if you think you may have fractured your bone.
2) Ice:
Apply ice on the injured area as soon as possible after sustaining an injury, such as a Jones fracture. This will help prevent swelling and speed up the healing process.
3) Elevate:
Elevating your injury can also help reduce swelling and pain, so try to elevate it above heart level if possible after sustaining an injury such as a Jones fracture.
4) Compression:
Compressing the injured area will help keep blood in the area damaged and promote faster recovery of the bone. This can be done by applying compression with a bandage or wrap or using an ACE Bandage to provide the right amount of pressure.
5) Ibuprofen:
Ibuprofen is a painkiller that can be taken to help reduce swelling and inflammation in the affected area.
6) Cold Packs:
Cold packs are another way to reduce swelling and provide relief from any discomfort you may experience while recovering from your injury.
7) Activity:
After the bone has healed enough for physical activity, it is important not to stress the injured area too much with heavy lifting or work that requires repetitive motion. Light exercise can be done after about six weeks with a doctor’s approval.
8) Lightweight Wheelchair:
If you are unable or unwilling to walk due to discomfort on your foot, a lightweight wheelchair may be helpful as well. This will allow for mobility and weight relief.
9) Padding:
If you are experiencing pain from the injury, padding can be used in your shoe to provide some cushioning and reduce pressure on the injured area of your foot.
10) Diet:
The diet should include foods with high levels of vitamin C, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and sulfur for faster recovery. Olive oil is a good source of monounsaturated fats, which are necessary for bone health. Fish provides protein and omega-three fatty acids, both of which are needed to promote healthy joint function.
Jones Fracture Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments:
Jones Fracture Causes:
Some of the most common causes for this type of fracture include falling on an outstretched hand or catching one’s toe in between two surfaces. Other possible reasons are slipping and landing hard from a height, running into something with too much force, tripping while walking fast, or playing sports like football and rugby. A fall onto the pavement is also considered among the leading factors that can result in a Jones fracture.
Jones Fracture Symptoms:
The symptoms typically appear within minutes after trauma occurs, such as when one has been hit by foul play on purpose (in incidents where it could not have been anticipated). Initial signs may vary depending on how severe the injury was but might include pain at the breakage site, swelling near the joint, and difficulty in moving the injured joint.
Jones Fracture Treatments:
Some typical treatments for Jones fractures include casting to immobilize the fractured bone, surgery if there are complications with healing that might not be fixed by a cast, or “walking boots” when one can still walk. How long it takes to heal such an injury can depend on many factors such as how severe it was at the onset, which part of the body has been affected (e.g., bones near joints), and whether or not proper care was taken after being hurt including ensuring all swelling goes down before applying any pressure.
Things to Consider When Having Jones Fracture
- Younger bones heal faster than older ones.
- More calcium makes for better healing, so it’s important to get enough of this nutrient from diet and supplemental sources (along with vitamin D).
- The more breaks a fracture site has experienced beforehand, the slower that break will heal.
- A person who exercises regularly will often have stronger muscles supporting their joints; these muscles help ensure joint stability while moving around during everyday living activities.
- There are a few medications that can help reduce pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) include ibuprofen and acetaminophen, topical analgesics like lidocaine patches or creams, opioids for severe cases, and muscle relaxants.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Until You Can Walk on a Jones Fracture?
Walking is often possible in the first week after injury. If it causes pain, then you should avoid walking as much as possible for the next few days or weeks, depending on your fracture. However, certain steps can be followed which will make healing faster and less painful.
Resting your leg properly by elevating it with pillows, applying ice packs every two hours for 15 minutes at a time, using crutches if needed to reduce weight-bearing until you’re able to walk without them again. The use of immobilization devices like splints, casts, braces, slings, etc., helps keep the affected area stable to avoid any further injury.
How Do You Know if Your Fracture Is Healing?
Fractures heal at different rates depending on the severity and length of time before proper treatment, but most will show signs of healing within one month’s time after being injured. If it has been more than a week since an injury occurred, there should be some type of sign indicating that bone healing is taking place; this may include redness around the break or increased warmth near the site.
Should You Care for Your Extremities After a Fracture?
It is essential that you take care of the area that was fractured, so it doesn’t heal improperly or potentially develop other complications due to neglect. We encourage people with fractures or injuries on their feet to keep them elevated above heart level when resting at night by using a sofa bed recliner chair, which also makes getting up and down easier since there are no footrests blocking movement. If you don’t have access to these types of chairs, then a propping pillow or some other type of padding under the injured leg will work.
How to Know When You Should See a Doctor?
If your pain continues for more than two weeks, if it remains severe, or if there is any redness in the skin near where you fractured yourself, then we recommend that you visit an ER as soon as possible so they can take x-rays and make sure there are no complications due to neglecting care.
If the fracture was only slight or occurred a while ago but has now become painful again, it’s time to go back and have them reassess what happened before. Sometimes people just need one small adjustment like getting their foot rewrapped with new bandages or changing medications; sometimes, caregivers may not be providing the right kind of support to the injured leg.
Can a Jones Fracture Heal in 4 Weeks?
Jones fractures can heal in just four weeks because they are not very serious injuries, and the bone heals quickly. The human body is capable of incredible things, so even if you have this type of fracture, it’s possible for the injury to be completely healed within four weeks. This recovery time is due to how long it takes for cartilage cells from around bones that were fractured or broken down during an accident or sporting event to grow back together.
If you want your Jones fracture healed in less than four weeks, there are some ways that you can do this yourself at home using natural remedies! One way would be by applying dry ice on top of the injured area, which will turn into gas and numb the area. You can also use a bag of frozen vegetables to apply pressure on top of the injury, while iced-pack ice cubes are used for shocking therapy in order to decrease swelling.
Conclusion
Jones fractures are a common injury in athletes of all levels. They occur when the tibia or shin bone is broken near its lower end and can lead to complications if not treated properly. The good news is that with proper care, your Jones fracture should heal within 8 weeks! We have given some tips and discussed some important information on how to heal a jones fracture faster that will help you recover from this type of injury.
However, some people may require surgical intervention because their pain doesn’t go away after several weeks or months of resting alone. In these situations where surgery might be recommended by a doctor as well as other circumstances, such as an open wound near the fracture, the healing process will take a few months.
