Foot Injury--how long to wait?

[LongArm]

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a particular spot on the ball of my right foot right behind my big toe was hurting a good bit whenever I flex my toe back and when I put weight on my foot from certain angles. I am assuming it's a stress fracture from my running and have abstained since last week to try and let it heal (I moved to the elliptical trainer for some low-impact work).

I'm fairly new to foot injuries. How long should I give it before I start running again--and how long should I wait before I get it checked out by a Doc? It doesn't hurt very much when I'm walking--only when I'm pounding pavement (or treadmill).

Thanks,

LongArm

[janda]

sounds kind of like turf toe, a common injury where your toe gets bent back too much, called turf toe cause it happens a lot on turf,
do you remember this happening?

like you said it could be a stress fracture but it does not sound like a bone injury.

either way i would get it checked out before you continue running, continued stress on a foot with a stress fracture can turn into a clean break, with a stress fracture you would need about 6 weeks off from the pounding of running, aqua jogging and the elliptical are good in the meantime.

bottom line - get that xray, don't want to make the situation any worse, if it is not a fracture, ask the doc but you should be able to run as long as you can tolerate the pain

good luck

[Chez]

Originally posted by janda
either way i would get it checked out before you continue running, continued stress on a foot with a stress fracture can turn into a clean break, with a stress fracture you would need about 6 weeks off from the pounding of running, aqua jogging and the elliptical are good in the meantime.

Ditto that. I'm currently recovering from a stress fracture in my foot (one of my metatarsals, right on the top of the foot). If you have a job with decent health insurance, definitely get it checked out asap. When my fracture first appeared, there was a little soreness on the top of my foot after running. I thought it was my shoes, so I bought a new pair and kept running on it for a month. And it slowly got worse.

Early stress fractures don't always appear on xrays, but it never hurts to get a professional opinion. Stress fractures usually take 6-10 weeks to heal, depending on where it is, how well you can stay off it, and how early you get it diagnosed. If you wait to see a doc and it is indeed a stress fracture, it'll take longer for you to recover.