Whenever a fractured bone is suspected, a trip to the hospital emergency room for an x-ray is advisable to make sure the injury is properly treated. Treatment options for a cuboid bone fracture can range from wearing a cast or boot to undergoing surgery, although usually a weight-bearing cast or boot is sufficient. Doctors typically advise patients to stay off the foot for three to six weeks or until pain subsides. Depending on the type and severity of the fracture, the patient will be fitted with either a weight- or non-weight-bearing cast or boot. Usually the patient is to remain non-weight-bearing for the first several days or weeks, until the doctor feels the cuboid bone fracture has healed enough to allow the foot to bear some weight.

If the doctor advises the patient to use crutches for non-weight-bearing treatment, the patient should keep the injured foot off the ground at all times. Once the doctor has given permission to bear weight, the foot can touch the ground when the crutches also touch the ground, as long as pain is minimal. If pain increases, then the patient should stop bearing weight on the fractured foot until pain subsides.

During the first 24 hours after injury, the patient can help treatment by elevating and icing the injured foot. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications should be taken to control pain. Some doctors will advise range-of-motion exercises as the cuboid bone fracture heals. Anytime the foot begins to hurt again, activity should be cut back until the pain goes away.

A cuboid bone fracture rarely happens in isolation. Usually other bones of the foot are involved. Many x-rays can miss a cuboid bone fracture, making it difficult to diagnose and easy to confuse with a sprain or plantar fasciitis. Cuboid bone fractures are considered midfoot fractures that usually happen as the result of a forceful injury or the foot being crushed. Fractures may either be an avulsion fracture, where an attached tendon or ligament pulls away a part of the bone, or a body fracture.

Although it is an uncommon type of cuboid bone fracture, sometimes a nutcracker fracture of the cuboid is seen in horseback riding children whose foot has become stuck in the stirrup. A nutcracker fracture results when the cuboid is compressed between the calcaneous and the fourth and fifth metatarsels. The usual treatment for this fracture is internal fixation and a bone graft if the doctor feels it is necessary. It’s important to treat this type of cuboid fracture correctly because there is a risk that incorrect treatment could lead to permanent disability of the foot.