Conservative treatment of fracture of the base of the fifth metatarsal bone

Fifty four cases of fracture of the base of the fifth metatarsal bone were the subject of this study. The fracture was found to be more common in females below the age of fourty. Indirect trauma was the cause of the fracture in 85% of cases. Simple avulsion fracture constituted 33.3% of all types in the whole material. The cases were classified into two groups without selection for comparison of two methods of conservative treatment. Both methods gave generally satisfactory results. However immobilization was found preferable in old age, in displaced fractures and in fractures, with intra-articular involvement