Hello. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I broke my fifth metatarsal two weeks before my next IM. I am completely off biking and running for 6 to 8 weeks. I’m looking for opinions. Would going and doing the swim numb some of the disappointment for you, or would getting hammered on race day make you feel better?
I’ll hang up and listen.
I couldn’t have walked 26 miles, let alone run it. The risk is too high to do the run/walk. If it breaks completely, your looking at a potential surgery.
I am surprised you were given 6-8 weeks of no running and biking. I biked without much trouble, was running in about 5 weeks.
You’ve come to the right place for professional medical advice!
Sorry about the foot, same happened to me whilst I was training for my first Full distance. First some questions for you, how much pain are you in walking in regular dress or running shoes? Can you cycle?
I had a team mate finish a full distance race with both Tibias fractured two weeks prior and he walked the marathon.
Happy training and speedy recovery.
The orthopedic surgeon should give you restrictions, and I doubt that you need to stay off the bike. Then you cant walk either, because that’s at least the same load, probably more. Are you in a boot?
I would not run or walk longer distances. Ask specifically about cycling, how stable the fx is and if it’s at a high risk site (some of the 5’th metatarsal fractures are). If it’s not a high risk fx and cycling can be tolerated, go for a hard swim/bike and DNF at T2.
I’ll actually answer your question.
Don’t bother with the swim. Just buy some bevvies and get hammered, and cheer for the BOPers.
Broke my big toe coming out of the water at SavageMan two weeks ago, knew it was jacked and just ignored it for the remainder. Monday I knew I had to get some professional attention and saw the Doctor when I got home. In office procedure, splint for a month and no running for 4-6 weeks pending follow up in two weeks BUT cycling okay. I had a trail race I had to drop out of, disappointing, but hey shit happens. Listen to the doctor, that is what you are paying for. Ask if it is okay to swim, if okay do what makes you feel better. My doc is a cyclist and understands the mechanics involved, a well fitting shoe might not exacerbate the situation at all- check with the doc! Being able to cycle has kept me sane and took some of the disappointment out of an early end to my season. Good luck!
Can you describe the fracture a bit more ( as in the description in the Drs’ notes, x-ray report, complete/stress/other, etc)? I am guessing they did not put you in a hard cast?
That particular fracture, as I am sure you were told, is at high risk for not healing properly. Also, if you just broke it there is no way that you should be biking or running.
Why not look into getting a partial refund and start planning for next season?
If you are thinking about experiencing the swim just remember that your foot is going to get punched and hit for the duration of your swim- something you might not really think about unless you have a broken foot!
I have broken a lot of bones, including a couple metatarsals. Even if you could withstand the pain, I would not do it. Protecting your feet is one of your top priorities as an athlete. Damage and incorrect healing could take you out for months, or worse. On a potential upside, most folks are back in after 6 weeks of healing. I was back to running after 6 weeks in both of my metatarsal breaks.
I would not even swim. If you kicked someone, you could damage it and be in some major duress while in the water. That might not end well either.
As someone who just spent the last 3 months dealing with the same issue (a stress fracture in the right foot’s metatarsel over the arch), I can say that I surely slowed down my recovery by not being patient and trying to do too much too soon. My original estimate was 5-6 weeks of recovery. I started hopping on the bike w/ light trainer sessions 3-4 weeks in… at 10 weeks, I finally got to the point where the pain was actually going away. Now about 12 weeks, I just went and completed a local sprint triathlon but skipped the run. Even w/o finishing the race and just doing the bike and swim, I had a great time. But, it took like 2 months of being much more diligent in focus to recover. I used swimming in the mean time to keep my fitness (with single-legged flipped turns).
Being 2 weeks out, I wouldn’t even try to race if I were you. You need to let it heal.
I broke my 5th metatarsal in a trail race. I thought I crack it around mile 7. In the woods and no where to go but keep moving forward to the finish line. Complete break 7 miles later. I have a neutral foot so I did not hit that side but on certain terrain. Had to have a screw put in but I think that actually made the healing process faster. Two weeks on crutches/ 4 weeks in boot. From my own experience I would bag the race.
i broke my 4th and 5th metatarsal 2 days before the inagural IMAZ - did the swim with no problems at all, and actually the bike also - just tightened the cleat down pretty good. Wrapped the shot out of my foot and got to about mile 10 of the run - that actually hurt more so took the wrapping off, tightened the sneaker and hobbled it on in to the finish - yes it hurt, and yes it hurt even more the next day - but you can do an IM on a broken foot
How bad is the breakage… I fractured my metatarsal bone after kicking the ground when playing football… I just taped it and it healed quite quickly… but it was very minor. You might need to protect from further damage wearing metatarsal pads will help a lot, here is a link to the pair I wear.
Wife going into surgery tomorrow morning for Jones fracture, 5th meta. What I have quickly learned is that they rarely cast these breaks today, but regularly put people in boots and recommend no weight bearing for 6 weeks (use a cart). Initial break was 2/3 weeks ago, and X-ray Friday showed fracture wasn’t mending so they are screwing it at 7:30 am. There tend to be muscle/tissue that interferes with the fractured spot on the 5th and the healing process requires surgery in a large number of those. Go to a good ortho doctor, get healed correctly and take time off, or you may be regretting it for the rest of your life.
I had a Jones Fracture and had surgery(screw) within the week. That area is known for slow healing. Two weeks in splint and then 4 weeks in a walking boot. I could then start running with an ankle brace. Break occurred first week of February and it was November when I felt my running gait was back to normal for me.
Thanks for the replies.
It’s an avulsion fracture and I’m in a boot. This is the third time I’ve done this. I’ve gone to a different doctor for each one (hoping to hear what I want to hear) but they each have had the same treatment plan, so I’ll trust their opinion on staying off of it.
My question was more to see if being “around the action” made people in similar situations feel better if they couldn’t be a “part of the action”.
Luckily, I have only been injured out of a race a few times. For me it is best to stay away. I have volunteered due to injury once and that felt good. At least part of the action.