Foot Fractures more common during “ankle sprains.”

“Doc, I sprained my ankle and it’s been hurting for a month — the ER said it’s not broken.” We hear this constantly. The lesson we drill into our staff at FFLC is to take both ankle and foot X-rays in these cases. Why? Because most ankle sprains really are just ligament sprains — but a foot fracture from a twisting injury is actually more common than an ankle fracture, and it is easily missed if no one images the foot.

Foot Fractures That Hide Behind an “Ankle Sprain”

• Fifth metatarsal base fractures — along the outer edge of the foot, often confused with a sprain
• Jones fractures — a specific fifth-metatarsal fracture notorious for slow healing
• Anterior process of the calcaneus fractures — a chip of the heel bone
• Lisfranc fracture/dislocations — a midfoot injury that can be subtle yet serious

I Know This One Personally

I twisted my own foot during Brazilian jiu-jitsu and it swelled immediately. As a foot and ankle surgeon, my treatment that night was ice, rest, and an ace wrap — and X-rays the next morning. Luckily no fracture, but I had a Lisfranc sprain that took about six months to get me back to 90% of my activity. Even a “mild” midfoot injury is no small thing.

The Takeaway

If you roll your ankle and the pain lingers — especially along the outer edge or top of the foot — don’t assume a normal ankle X-ray cleared you. Get the foot imaged too. Caught early, many of these fractures heal without surgery; missed for weeks, they often don’t. So when you think “ankle sprain,” think: check the foot.

For more information or to be evaluated by a board-certified foot and ankle specialist, call (239) 430-3668 (FOOT) or book online at NaplesPodiatrist.com.

Serving Southwest Florida since 2005, Family Foot & Leg Center has 9 convenient locations throughout Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties — Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota. We provide pediatric to geriatric foot and ankle care: ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions, foot & ankle arthritis, plantar fasciitis, foot & ankle surgery, custom orthotics, and diabetic wound care — with in-office X-rays, diagnostic ultrasound, and minor surgical suites. Home of the Lam Minimally Invasive No-Scar Bunion Surgery. Same-day appointments and easy online scheduling.