Colac Podiatrist, Danny Hegarty, takes a look at the Matthew Kreuzer foot injury in this week’s injury blog.
Even neutral supporters would be feeling for Kreuzer after the Carlton big man succumbed to yet another foot injury. MRI scans confirmed Kreuzer has fractured his 5th metatarsal and will require surgery later this week. Initial media reports are suggesting up to a 16 week recovery which makes me think he has suffered a Jones fracture.
But, given that we haven’t seen the images in order to know the exact type of fracture Kreuzer has let’s look at the most common types of 5th metatarsal fractures and their treatments.
Avulsion fracture
The most common type of 5th metatarsal fracture. Basically this is when a muscle that attaches to the base of the metatarsal (peroneus brevis) pulls a piece of bone with it during a bad ankle sprain. This injury usually responds well to conservative treatment. Usually anywhere from 4-6 weeks in a moon boot until bone healing and then rehab. This type of fracture has a pretty linear timeline for healing and return to sport. In an elite environment I would say around 8-12 weeks as a ball park figure.
Jones fracture
This fracture is around 2cm from the base of the 5th metatarsal. Imaging will confirm the difference between a Jones and an avulsion fracture very easily. A Jones fracture is more prone to non-union and therefore requires surgical fixation more commonly that an avulsion. Research varies but it’s reported up to 50% of these cases require surgery. The average return to sport is well over 2 months and it’s common for the area to be tender for up to 6 months. Given the 16 week time frame this is my guess on the Kreuzer break.
Stress fracture
This type of fracture presents in the shaft of the metatarsal and will typically present after a long block of running training. There is sometimes an acute injury that causes the fracture (the straw that broke the camels back analogy) but usually it presents as something that has progressively gotten worse over a series of weeks or months. Conservative treatment is once again the preferred option and 6-8 weeks in a moon boot is fairly standard before recommencing a loading program. This type of fracture can also require surgery depending on the individuals history and circumstances.
Summary
Whatever the diagnosis Kreuzer can rest knowing he would have some of the best in the business looking after him. I, like most fans, wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him out there ahead of schedule!
If you have any questions or think you’d benefit from a Podiatry assessment yourself, please feel free to get in contact today!
Thanks for reading,
Danny Hegarty
danny@prosperhealthgroup.com.au
