The bones of the ankle and foot are held together by ligaments, which are bands of tough tissue. An ankle sprain is a type of injury where one or more of the ligaments is stretched too far, causing tiny fibers in the ligaments to tear. In most cases, the ligament does not tear completely. A sprain is caused by the ligaments being stretched too far or tearing. This can happen when the foot rolls rolls, twists or turns too much.

Foot bruise

A foot contusion (bruise) is the result of physical damage to the veins and capillaries (which help move blood back toward the heart). The blood pools in the damaged area and creates that blue/purple color.

You can take care of this at home with rest, ice, keeping your foot up, and over-the-counter pain medication.

Rarity: Common

Top Symptoms: pain in one foot, foot injury, foot pain from an injury, pain when touching the foot, foot bruise

Symptoms that always occur with foot bruise: foot pain from an injury, foot injury

Symptoms that never occur with foot bruise: recent cutting accident

Urgency: Self-treatment

Calcaneus fracture

Calcaneus fractures occur when a force that is stronger than the calcaneus itself is applied to the bone. s are rare, although they are the most commonly fractured tarsal bone. These fractures can occur in many different situations, but most commonly occur in high-energy trauma situations such as car crashes or falls from heights (ex. a ladder or roof).

Symptoms generally depend on the severity of the fracture but usually include significant pain, swelling, bruising, numbness, limited mobility, and limping, among others.

Calcaneus fractures can lead to long-term deformity and require good follow-up and management. Treatment options include methods to reduce pain and restore function through surgery or physical therapy.

You should seek immediate medical care at an urgent care clinic or ER. A doctor will confirm the diagnosis with an X-Ray. This condition can be treated non-surgically with a cast. However, if the bones have shifted out of place, surgery may be needed.

Broken foot (navicular bone fracture)

The navicular is one of the bones of the foot.

You should visit your primary care physician. An X-Ray may be helpful to confirm the diagnosis.

Rarity: Rare

Top Symptoms: difficulty walking, constant foot pain, pain in one foot, recent ankle injury, foot pain from overuse

Symptoms that always occur with broken foot (navicular bone fracture): pain in one foot, constant foot pain, recent ankle injury

Urgency: In-person visit

Broken ankle

An ankle fracture is a break in 1 or more ankle bones.

You should seek immediate medical care. The ankle will likely be splinted, but in severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

Jones fracture (broken foot)

A Jones Fracture is a fracture of a bone on the outside of the foot (called the fifth metatarsal). A Jones fracture can be either a stress fracture (a tiny hairline break that develops with time), or a sudden break due to trauma. This can result in pain, swelling, and tenderness on the outside of the foot.

Rarity: Rare

Top Symptoms: difficulty walking, constant foot pain, pain in one foot, foot bruise, foot injury

Symptoms that always occur with jones fracture (broken foot): foot pain from an injury, pain when touching the foot, constant foot pain, pain in the front half of the foot, pain in the outside of the foot

Urgency: In-person visit

Questions your doctor may ask about foot bruise

Did you recently injure your foot?
Did you just suffer from a cut or wound?
Did you suffer a sudden, physical injury to your toe(s)?
Do you have a rash?

Self-diagnose with our free Buoy Assistant if you answer yes on any of these questions.

Foot bruise symptom checker statistics

People who have experienced foot bruise have also experienced:

25% Swollen Foot
8% Foot Pain
7% Pain In The Top Of The Foot

People who have experienced foot bruise were most often matched with:

50% Calcaneus Fracture
41% Jones Fracture (Broken Foot)
8% Foot Bruise

People who have experienced foot bruise had symptoms persist for:

41% Less than a week
29% Less than a day
11% Over a month

Source: Aggregated and anonymized results from Buoy Assistant.

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The stories shared below are not written by Buoy employees. Buoy does not endorse any of the information in these stories. Whenever you have questions or concerns about a medical condition, you should always contact your doctor or a healthcare provider.

Foot troublesPosted April 30, 2021 by D.

Two times in a one-month period my husband experienced pain and bruising in his right foot. The first time he woke up straight out of bed with a very painful foot. Areas of his foot appeared red. We assumed he injured it while sleeping. In the following days, the redness turned to bruising. Then it went away. About two weeks later, the same thing happened!

Jeff Caba, DHSc, PA-C.

Jeff brings to Buoy over 20 years of clinical experience as a physician assistant in urgent care and internal medicine. He also has extensive experience in healthcare administration, most recently as developer and director of an urgent care center. While completing his doctorate in Health Sciences at A.T. Still University, Jeff studied population health, healthcare systems, and evidence-based medi...

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