Everything You Need To Know About A Jones Fracture

If it hasn't happened to you personally, you might know someone who has broken a bone. According to WebMD, the average person breaks a bone two times over the course of their life. Every year in the United States, roughly six million people break a bone (via The Ohio State University). However, not all breaks are the same. There are many different types of fractures — the medical term for broken bones — but here are the cliff notes on what you may need to know.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a crack in the bone is a stress fracture. A partial fracture occurs when the break does not pass through the entire bone. If the break splits the bone into separate pieces, it is a complete fracture. Sometimes, the bones stay in their proper place when they break, but if they become misaligned, a displaced fracture occurs. Finally, breaks can either remain inside the skin — a closed fracture — or penetrate through the skin — an open fracture (via Cleveland Clinic).

Healthy feet are happy feet, but fractures happen. As it turns out, nearly 10% of all broken bones happen in the foot (via WebMD). Here's everything you need to know about one of the most common foot fractures (via Cleveland Clinic).

If you notice any difficulties walking, bruising, pain, or swelling on the outside of your foot near the base of your pinky toe, you may have a Jones fracture (via MedicalNewsToday). Although a broken bone might seem like an injury that you would notice, some people do not report any pain from a Jones fracture.

The Jones fracture is a break in a specific part of the fifth metatarsal bone toward the outside of the foot (via MedicalNewsToday). It gets its name from Sir Robert Jones, who broke the bone himself, in addition to treating several people with the injury (via Healthline).

According to WebMD, your doctor may recommend a boot that reduces pressure on the bone. However, Jones fractures can have trouble healing on their own because that area of the foot receives less blood compared to the rest of the foot (via MedicalNewsToday). If the bone does not heal, you may need surgery (via WebMD).

There are many potential complications involved with the Jones fracture and the surgery to correct it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the bones do not always heal properly, either misaligning, partially healing, or not re-joining at all. Further, Jones fractures often break again (compared to other fractures).

Jones fractures also have a lower chance of healing compared to other metatarsal breaks (via Healthline). With surgery, however, you can expect to return to full health (via the Cleveland Clinic).