Can x-rays show a plantar plate injury?

2021-01-01

I was just doing a telemedicine visit with a runner who has had an injury to the plantar plate ligament with pain for months. He's been getting better slowly, but he was trying to figure out how bad it really is. And one of his first questions he asked me was what I see on the x-rays. Can you see anything about the plantar plate where it's torn, where it's injured or anything else? Most of what doctors see on a foot x-rays are changes that imply ligament damage. But there is really only o...

I was just doing a telemedicine visit with a runner who has had an injury to the plantar plate ligament with pain for months.

He's been getting better slowly, but he was trying to figure out how bad it really is. And one of his first questions he asked me was what I see on the x-rays.

Can you see anything about the plantar plate where it's torn, where it's injured or anything else?

Most of what doctors see on a foot x-rays are changes that imply ligament damage.

But there is really only one thing on an x-ray that truly indicates that you probably have a tear or rupture of the plantar plate ligament.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about whether or not x-rays can show a plantar plate sprain.

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