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Gymnastics foot injury?

Hi, I'm a gymnast and I hit the inside of my foot really hard on the balance beam 2 weeks ago. (I was doing a leap onto a 115cm high and 4 inches wide balance beam and my whole weight was on the side of my foot, and I landed on the beam which is wood) After I hurt my foot I had a week off of training because school started. The day I injured my foot it bruised up a little, but then got pretty bad in the next few days. Weight-bearing is fine though, it just hurt really bad when it touched something. After my week off I returned to practice. Whenever my leg was being stretched, or my foot was pointed an extremely sharp pain would shoot up the inside of my foot. Sometimes the pain would go into my big toe. It felt really weird, I've never felt this before. I was still able to practice, tumble and run, but stretching, pointing my toe, and touching the affected area aggravates it. There's still a little bruising, but not much. Did I injure something and it didn't heal properly? Or should it be fine? And should I get it checked out? Thank you!

- Left foot
- Took Ibuprofen before training

Female | 16 years old
Complaint duration: 2 weeks
Medications: none
Conditions: Allergys, Duplicated Renal System, Nephrectomy at age three.

6 Answers

OrthopaedicSurgeonOrthopaedicSurgeon

It's best to be evaluated by a specialist
I would get it checked to make sure it's not navicular fracture.
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Since you are an athlete, we recommend seeing a physician ASAP. You may have damaged or torn a tendon. Alternatively, you may have a stress fracture or an actual fracture of one of the bones in your foot. You may have a fracture called a Shephard's Fracture. It would be wise to stop practice and any high impact activity until you know what is wrong.
I would definitely stop putting weight on it and get to us for an appointment. We can evaluate your foot and ankle, along with weight-bearing X-rays and consider ultrasound if needed or even an MRI to rule out soft tissue vs. structural injuries. I do have a suspicion that this injury is more involved than you think. I noticed you are age 16. If interested, please have your parent call the office to schedule an appointment. 
Thank you.    

Regards,

Steven Selby Blanken, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, DABFAS
Hello. Sounds like you have a bone bruise or tendon strain. There also a little accessory bone called the os navicular that could be bruised or cracked. Two weeks is really not that long. If you only have pain with stretching and light beam/ floor exercise then modify how much of these you do. Tape foot/ ankle, ice afterward and give it more time to heal. If it hurts with regular walking and gymnastics probably best to have it evaluated and x-ray taken. If important meets coming up quickly and you are not seeing almost daily improvement better to have it evaluated sooner than later. Good luck.
I recommend you have this evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) for appropriate diagnosis and treatment options. It sounds like you may have injured a nerve from the injury. Nerves can heal but they usually are slow to do so