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Toes and forefootGuide

Broken metatarsal

A broken metatarsal is a crack or break in one of the long bones in the middle of the foot. It needs checking rather than self-treating. Most breaks where the bones haven't shifted heal without surgery, using a protective shoe, boot or cast, and healing takes weeks.

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPodLast reviewed 27 October 2026 7 min read

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  1. 1. What is a broken metatarsal, and how common is it?
  2. 2. What causes it, and who gets it?
  3. 3. What does a broken metatarsal feel like, and how is it diagnosed?
  4. 4. What helps first?
  5. 5. What if that isn't enough?
  6. 6. How long does it take, and how can I stop it coming back?
  7. 7. When to see a podiatrist

At a glance

  • It's a break in one of the long bones in the middle of your foot, and the one on the little-toe side breaks most often.
  • It needs checking, not self-treating, and an X-ray is the usual way to confirm it.
  • Most breaks where the bones haven't shifted heal without surgery, using a protective shoe, boot or cast.
  • Healing takes weeks, and the time depends on the bone and the type of break.
  • Building activity up gradually may lower the chance of a stress fracture.

What is a broken metatarsal, and how common is it?

A metatarsal fracture is a crack or break in one of the metatarsals, the long, thin bones in the middle of your foot. You may know it as a broken foot or a broken metatarsal. It's a common injury in children, and metatarsal fractures make up about 35% of all foot fractures. The fifth metatarsal, on the little-toe side, is the one broken most often.

What causes it, and who gets it?

Most breaks come from a sudden, forceful injury: a heavy object falling on the foot, kicking something hard, a twisting injury at the ankle, or a sporting injury.

Stress fractures are different. They're small cracks that build up over time from overuse, such as repeated impact or training that increases without enough rest. They're common in people doing repetitive weight-bearing activity, especially athletes and military recruits. Soccer is linked with fifth metatarsal fractures, while long-distance running and recruit training are more often linked with the second or third metatarsal. In athletes and recruits, intense training that isn't built up gradually, and unsuitable equipment, raise the risk.

What does a broken metatarsal feel like, and how is it diagnosed?

Typical signs are pain over the broken bone, swelling, tenderness to touch, and pain when you try to stand or walk. There is sometimes bruising. A stress fracture can come on gradually, with pain only during activity, often for several weeks before it's picked up.

A GP or podiatrist will ask about your symptoms, examine your foot and arrange an X-ray. If the X-ray isn't clear, you may need a CT or MRI scan. When one bone is broken, the nearby bones and the midfoot joints are checked as well. Bruising under the midfoot after a crush injury can point to a Lisfranc injury (an injury to the joints and ligaments of the midfoot), which is looked for separately.

What helps first?

A suspected broken foot needs checking rather than treating yourself, so care starts with a GP or podiatrist.

Most breaks where the bones haven't moved out of position, including stress fractures, are treated without surgery. That usually means protecting the foot in a cast shoe, boot, cast, brace or taping. For a break where the bones haven't moved, protected weight bearing in a cast shoe for 4–6 weeks is one approach. Stress fractures of the shaft or neck of a metatarsal are expected to heal in 6 to 8 weeks. Follow-up X-rays check that the bones stay in position.

How much weight you can put on the foot differs between fractures, so agree the plan with your treating clinician. Fifth metatarsal fractures in particular have no firm agreement on the best treatment. Once the bone has healed, you can ask about physiotherapy or a graded return to activity.

What if that isn't enough?

Surgery is the main next step when a break has shifted out of position or is unstable. Smaller amounts of movement are treated without surgery, so how far the bones have moved guides the decision. A small piece pulled off the base of the fifth metatarsal usually heals without surgery unless it has moved out of place. For a midfoot Lisfranc injury, unstable or displaced injuries still need surgical fixation.

A stress fracture that doesn't heal may also need surgery. Up to 1 in 10 stress fractures can fail to heal.

How long does it take, and how can I stop it coming back?

Healing time depends on the bone and the type of break, so ask your clinician what to expect for yours. Stress fractures of the shaft or neck are expected to heal in 6 to 8 weeks. Smoking makes healing harder, and quitting smoking or vaping improves your chance of a good outcome.

For runners and other athletes, building training up gradually, wearing supportive footwear that suits your sport, and allowing an adaptation period when changing to minimalist shoes may lower the chance of a stress fracture. After healing, return to activity step by step rather than jumping straight back in. Many people with a Jones fracture have a heel that tilts inward (hindfoot varus), which is linked with these fractures and with the break coming back after surgery. A podiatrist can check your foot alignment.

When to see a podiatrist

Get a suspected broken foot checked by your GP or a podiatrist soon after the injury. See your GP if pain and swelling haven't eased within three days, or if pain carries on past the healing time you were given, because some stress fractures don't heal and need another look.

Call 000 and ask for an ambulance if bone is visible through the skin, there is heavy bleeding, or your foot or leg suddenly turns cold and pale or blue, with pain or numbness. Call too for sudden severe breathlessness, or chest pain that's worse when you breathe in. An injured or immobilised leg has a higher chance of blood clots, and a clot can reach the lungs.

Go to the nearest emergency department if your foot is badly out of shape after an injury, or your toes turn blue or white in a cast or boot.

See your GP or a podiatrist the same day if:

  • you can't put weight on your foot after an injury, or the pain is severe and the foot is unusable;
  • in a cast or boot, your pain is increasing despite prescribed pain relief, or you have pins and needles, numbness, burning muscle pain, weakness, or sudden swelling or tightness;
  • you have tingling or numbness in your foot or toes;
  • your calf is hot, swollen and painful, or your leg is painful, swollen or tender while your foot is immobilised;
  • you have sudden severe pain or numbness in your leg or foot.

For urgent advice when it isn't an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24 hours a day), or go to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

Common questions

Can I walk on a broken metatarsal?

Get the foot checked first. Once the break is confirmed, treatment often involves protected weight bearing in a cast shoe, boot or cast. The plan varies with the type of fracture, and some need a few weeks without weight on the foot before weight bearing starts. Follow your treating clinician's plan rather than testing the foot yourself.

Will an X-ray always show a metatarsal fracture?

An X-ray is the standard test, but it isn't always clear. If it isn't, or the injury is complex, a CT or MRI scan may be added. If your symptoms carry on after a clear-looking X-ray, it's reasonable to ask your GP or podiatrist to reassess your foot.

What is a Jones fracture?

A Jones fracture is a break in one particular part of the fifth metatarsal, the bone on the little-toe side, where the narrow shaft meets the wider end near the base. Fifth metatarsal breaks are divided into zones, and a Jones fracture sits in the middle one. Treatment depends on the break, so your clinician can explain what yours needs.

Further reading

Want to know more? Broken metatarsal on Clindice

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod

Podiatrist

Reviewed 27 October 2026. Next review by 27 October 2027.

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This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. For advice about your own feet or legs, see a podiatrist or your doctor. In an emergency, call 000.

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