I haven't exersized regularly in years and I'm getting a bit of flab so I started sprinting to lose weight recently. About two weeks ago, when I got home from my daily run, my right foot was very swollen and painful. I had tripped along the way so I thought I had just hurt my foot somehow and rested for a day or two. The swelling went down and the pain stopped pretty much but when I started running again, on Monday the pain and swelling started again. I visited the doctor on Tuesday and found out I have stress fractures in my 2nd, 3rd, and 5th metatarsals because I continued to run after the initial stress fracture in my 2nd metatarsal occured two weeks ago.

The doctor put a removable air cast on my foot and told me to rest my foot and to walk with crutches for the next six weeks. I really don't want to lay around and gain more weight and I want to get back to my running which I enjoy quick.

Is there anything I can do that will help my foot heal quicker and if there isn't, is there anything I can do for further treatment of my foot?

I have a stress fracture from walking 30 blocks in NYC. I have flat feet and thats what caused mine . I went to see a podiatrist and he taped up my foot and put me in a boot for two weeks. I have to ice it every night and elevate it. I am going to start physical therapy this week.

Since I last posted, I've still been rehabbing my foot. I've had to ice it like you Jill and the ice has really helped the swelling and pain. I feel like I could stop using the crutches when I'm sitting down but the minute I put pressure on my foot, the pain is unbearable. Like the doctor said to me, I have really severe stress fractures because I kept running through the pain. I called yesterday and found out that he's scheduled me for an appointment tomorrow because I might need to switch to a regular, hard plaster or fiberglass cast and just treat it as a regular broken foot rather than stress fractures.

I'll update you guys tomorrow.

I have had stress fractures in my foot 3 times in 10 months. The first time I fractured it in 8 places, the second 1, and the third time 3 places. I had to wear the boot for four months the first time. And the third time, I am currently wearing it at least 3 months. Each time, the fractures were severe, because like you, I continued to be active (I was dancing) on it. I used ice, and a paraffin wax bath for it. The paraffin felt really good and helped a tiny bit with the stiffness. You could try that. Once your doctor thinks it would be okay, I would recommend trying Physical Therapy.

Hey everyone.

Well, I'm now sitting here with a big plaster cast on my foot. After visiting the podiatrist today, he took more x-rays of my foot and decided I needed one. It already itches! I haven't had a cast like this since I was 12! I only have to wear it for two weeks, then I can go back to the boot and start some physical therapy on it.