I broke my smallest toe bone on my right foot in May. It’s common enough to have a name: the Jones fracture.
I had to wear a boot for awhile, then I got turned loose to limp or walk as I saw fit but not to exceed 5 miles on it for a couple months. Periodic xrays. “It’s not really healing… that happens sometimes… it may be OK anyway, you aren’t in pain… don’t fix what isn’t, well it’s broke but if it isn’t presenting problems…”
I finally got the green light to go ahead and walk on it for real. Three weeks ago I put 10 miles on it. Two weeks ago I extended it to a 20 mile walk. Today I did a 30. My ankle tendons and muscles don’t like me very much (they never do when I do this) but my thighs, calves, knees and (importantly) foot bones are all like “what walk? did we do the walk? is it over? can we do it again?”
So I guess my foot, with its not-really-connected outer metatarsal, is in working order.
Last year my horse Ariel stepped on the same foot, in the same place, twice in 3 months. The little toe was busted the first time. I was told to wear hard sole shoes and stop doing anything if it hurt. The second time the toe was not busted, but had deep bone bruising that hurt waaaaay more than the busticated toe. Took longer to heal and still twinges occasionally.
Twenty some years ago I broke a toe. The doctor showed me how to tape it to the toe next to it, and 6 weeks later everything had healed.
Then, my son climbed up on the back of the couch. From there he climbed up on a ledge between two rooms. From this height he jumped and intentionally landed on the toe that was just healed. I was unaware of his plan until he landed, re-fracturing my toe.
It was actually funny. He had been told that once a fractured bone healed, it was stronger than it was originally, and could never break again. He thought my foot was indestructible. I fought his ignorance that day.