Ball of Foot Pain After a Car Accident

Car accidents can cause injury to the ball of your foot in two possible ways. One way is when you are about to brake hard with the sole of your foot flexed at 0 degrees or the normal resting foot position. Another common way occurs when your foot flexed at about 30 degrees to 50 degrees and is resting on the brake pedal or floorboard.

During car collisions, the midfoot directly or indirectly sustains excessive force, resulting in numerous injuries like a Lisfranc fracture and ligament injuries. Lisfranc fracture is the dislocation of the metatarsal bones from the tarsal bones, causing immediate pain and subsequent inflammation.

It’s easy to suspect a Lisfranc fracture following a car accident. There will be a noticeable foot deformity suggestive of the dislocation of the bones. X-rays will also confirm the diagnosis.

Your doctor may prescribe pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs to manage the symptoms. You can also apply an ice pack over the swelling for the first three days and then switch to hot packs thereafter.

If there is a Lisfranc injury and the dislocations of the metatarsals from the tarsals are only about 2 mm, then there’s no need for surgery. Although, the foot may be placed in a cast for six weeks with instructions not to bear weight on the affected foot.

However, if the injuries are severe, surgery becomes an option to repair the damage. Your surgeon may use screws and internal fixators to stabilize the foot and promote proper bone healing.

A Lisfranc fracture can result in foot deformity, chronic pain, and significant loss of foot motions. All of these can affect your day-to-day life and even cause loss of income if the pain starts to affect your professional life.

Foot sprain caused by the tearing of the foot ligaments resulting from blunt trauma is common due to car accidents.

The severity of the foot sprain varies. A mild sprain occurs when there’s just minuscule tearing of the ligaments. A moderate sprain occurs when there is partial tearing of the ligaments. Lastly, a severe sprain occurs when there is a complete tear of the ligaments.

Foot sprains typically occur in the midfoot and are commonly caused by sports like competitive diving and windsurfing, high-risk activities like dancing and landing on a twisted foot, and car accidents. Foot sprains caused by car accidents can cause not only ligament tearing but also bone fractures and open foot lacerations as well.

Symptoms of a sprained foot include pain, swelling, and tenderness. There may also be some bruising over the injured area, inability to bear weight, gait difficulty, etc.

Sprained foot usually resolves on its own within a few weeks. Still, you can control the pain and swelling by taking pain and anti-inflammatory drugs. On the other hand, severe foot sprains will usually take two or more months longer to heal than a mild or moderate sprain.

Treatments for a mildly sprained foot include RICE – Rest the injured foot, Ice application over the foot, Compress the foot to decrease swelling, and Elevate the foot to reduce swelling. Immobilization like splinting and casting may also be required, but this depends on the severity of your injuries. If completely torn, surgery may be required to repair the damage to the ligaments.

Do call your doctor if the pain doesn’t improve even with pain meds as there may be other serious injuries in the foot.