coMra cases: fractured toes

coMra Case Report: Healing Fractured Toes

Welcome to this coMra therapy case report summary. In this edition, Garrett Murrin discusses a case involving fractured toes resulting from a car accident. This case was kindly submitted by Yuna Trinko, a massage therapist and coMra therapist based in Ukraine.

Patient Presentation and Diagnosis

The patient is a 40-year-old male who sustained injuries in a car accident, resulting in a fractured right foot characterized by significant pain, bruising, and swelling. Following a physical examination and X-ray at his doctor’s office, the diagnosis confirmed fractures of the third, fourth, and fifth metatarsal bones, along with a contusion of the toes and damage to the toenails.

The initial X-ray, taken one day post-accident, clearly displayed the fracture of the fourth metatarsal, with the third and fifth fractures also visible upon closer inspection. The attending physician prescribed a removable cast to be worn for eight weeks, the use of crutches, and pain medication as needed.

The coMra Treatment Protocol

For the treatment, Yuna utilized the Delta 980 laser device. The protocol followed was Traumatology 15, which was slightly modified for the patient's specific needs. Treatment was administered daily for 30 days, beginning one day after the accident.

During the first six days, the patient preferred to keep the bandages and the removable cast in place, even though the toes were still bleeding. Consequently, Yuna administered the coMra therapy treatments directly through the bandage and the cast.

Progress and Recovery

By day six, the patient felt comfortable enough to remove the cast for his medical checkup. At this stage, photographs showed visible swelling and bruising on the side of the foot and the instep.

By day 10, entering the second week of treatment, the doctor was unable to locate the fracture visually on the foot. A follow-up X-ray was performed, which revealed that the bones had healed together both quickly and correctly. At this point, the patient was able to walk using crutches and had ceased taking pain medication. The swelling and bruising had also begun to subside.

By the third week, the patient was pain-free, and the swelling and bruising had largely resolved. Yuna reported that the patient was able to move around his house without crutches, leaning slightly on his heel as he walked. By day 16, the veins on the top of the foot were visible, indicating a significant reduction in swelling, and the toes showed marked improvement.

Clinical Outcome

A comparison between the X-ray taken on day one and the final X-ray on day 34 demonstrated a remarkable recovery. By the end of the fourth week, the patient was no longer using the cast and was walking without the aid of crutches.

The attending physician was surprised by the speed of the recovery. Upon reviewing the final X-rays, the doctor could not identify the previous fractures and requested a second opinion from a colleague to confirm the healing. Both physicians were astonished, noting that the bones had fused in half the time typically expected for such an injury. The patient was advised to proceed with rehabilitative massage, and he was very pleased to return to his normal activities in half the anticipated recovery time.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Yuna Trinko for sharing this successful case. We trust this report will be of use to you or someone you know.