top of page

What are metatarsal injuries?

The dreaded metatarsal curse has struck some of the Premiership's top footballers in recent years.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney fractured the base of his fourth metatarsal before his miraculous recovery for the 2006 World Cup.

So what exactly are metatarsals, and how long do they take to heal?

Soccer Injuries

 

Soccer: foot and ankle health is our only goooooooaaaaallllll

It’s not surprising that soccer can lead to a wide variety of foot and ankle injuries. It is, after all, played entirely with the feet, and requires sudden starts and stops, quick turns, sliding, and jumping. People not familiar with the game often fail to see how physical a sport it is- it is common for two shins to smash into each other at full speed, something which not even shin guards can prevent from being extremely painful.

 

Because of this, soccer injuries are very common. From normal sprains and twists to longer-term issues, at the Center for Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine, we diagnose and treat soccer-related foot injuries from all levels. Some of the more common issues we treat are:

​

  • ●Inversion ankle sprains

  • ●Ankle fractures

  • ●Metatarsal fractures

  • ●Bone bruises

  • ●Contusions

  • ●Tendonitis

  • ●Stress fractures

  • ●Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

  • ●Plantar fasciitis

  • Shin splints is 'catch-all' diagnosis for lower leg pain triggered by sports like running, dancing and football

  • But it actually covers 31 different conditions which means many sufferers are failing to get targeted help

New research from The College of Podiatry shows that one in six people think they have shin splints - sometimes based on the opinion of coaches - but haven't sought a formal diagnosis.

The survey of 2,000 people found one in three people have lower leg pain occasionally and one in ten say they often suffer with it.

But exercise induced leg pain can be caused by a range of factors, including a growing trend for running, overuse injuries and training errors.

​

Shin splints is a meaningless non-specific broad term used by clinicians, athletes and coaches to describe pain in the lower leg and it may prevent patients getting a correct diagnosis and could lead to long-term damage as a result'
I would like the term shin splints to be banned - there should be a law against it.'

 
Dr Nat Padhiar, a Consultant Podiatrist and Honorary Reader who is a Lead Clinician and Team Leader for Podiatry at the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games
bottom of page