Question
Dr.  Bodart,

Thank you so much for your time.  I contacted you a month or so ago about a recurrent 5th metatarsal Jones fracture.  I have been to a orthopedic specialist twice and the last time I went last week the x-ray did not show any improvement.  I broke it in feb.  The Doctor feels I will eventually need to have a screw but is waiting since I want to finish working at the school I work at for 6 more weeks.  He is trying to get my insurance to cover a bone stimulator.  I doubt that they will cover it.  I have noticed that ebay and other websites sell used ones.  Is it okay to buy a used one?  Do you think that bone stimulators are effective?  If there is no healing is it okay to wait until the end of june to surgically fix this?  (We have a vacation reservations already).  Sorry for the long write.  Thank you again for your time.

Answer
Hi, Tanya,

Sorry for such a long delay!  I'm sorry to hear that you're still suffering, and hopefully by now you have been able to get and use a bone stimulator.  They're great devices with no major side effects, and I have seen some good results.  Of course not everyone responds in exactly the same way, and there's no 100% money-back guarantee on this or any other product.  I'd say that it's worth a try.

If it's not healing by now, I'd say you will most likely need surgery, and I'd recommend doing it sooner rather than later; however, that is something you need to discuss with your doctor.

Best of luck to you, and I hope by now you're on the road to recovery!

Wishing you health, happiness, and peace,
Dr. Bodart