Navicular fracture cast: what to know

The navicular is a bone on the inner side of the midfoot. A cast limits motion and reduces load while the clinician checks alignment and healing. Plaster of Paris and fibreglass cast material have different feel, weight, drying, and removal characteristics. A cast may be chosen after a stable injury; a displaced injury may need closed reduction or another procedure before immobilisation.

Keep the cast dry and do not insert objects inside it to scratch. Elevate the foot when swelling is present, and use crutches or another aid exactly as instructed. Do not put weight through the cast until your fracture team confirms that it is allowed.

Check the toes regularly for colour, warmth, sensation, and movement. Keep walking surfaces clear and attend imaging or clinic appointments. Once the cast is removed, stiffness and weakness are common; physiotherapy can help restore ankle and foot movement, strength, and confidence gradually. If the fracture is unstable or does not maintain alignment, the team may discuss fracture fixation surgery instead.

Contact the fracture service promptly if the cast becomes cracked, loose, wet inside, painfully tight, or develops a rubbing area. Seek urgent care for severe or increasing pain, numbness, inability to move the toes, blue or unusually pale toes, or marked swelling that does not improve with elevation.

Is my fracture stable, and may I bear weight? When is the next check? Which cast material is being used? What should I do if swelling changes the fit? When should rehabilitation begin?