Davina McCall: ‘It hurts so much!’- fans warn star to ‘take it easy’ after nasty injury

Davina McCall gives health update after 'fracturing' her foot

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Taking on Instagram, the 54-year-old, who is known for her impeccable health, explained that she sustained the injury whilst out walking her dog. Initially posting a photo of her foot, Davina provided limited details, writing “not broken, physio ice crutches”. Immediately fans of the health guru and former Big Brother presenter rushed to her aid, with one concerned fan telling her to “take it easy”.

Giving fans an all important update back in November, Davina said: “I thought I should give a bit of an explanation about my foot, I was out walking the dog yesterday and I thought I’d run down these steps.

“I think I must have tripped on a root or something, and oh my god it hurts so much. I sort of twisted my foot, anyway I can’t flex it upwards!

“I can do a bit of weight-bearing, I think they think it might be a tiny fracture or a chip off a tiny bone in my foot and some tendons.”

Medical website Orthoinfo explains that a small crack in the bone of the foot is known as a stress fracture. Similarly to what Davina experienced, stress fractures are commonly caused by overuse or repetitive activity.

Individuals can also experience fractures when they try a new exercise, suddenly increase the intensity of their workouts or change the workout surface, such as jogging on a treadmill to jogging outdoors.

The website adds that the weight-bearing bones of the foot and lower leg are especially vulnerable to stress fractures due to the repetitive forces they must absorb during activities like walking, running and jumping.

A foot fracture has similar symptoms to that of a broken foot, although the bone may not always be completely broken. The Mayo Clinic explains that symptoms of a foot fracture include:
Immediate, throbbing pain
Pain that increases with activity and decreases with rest
Swelling
Bruising
Tenderness
Deformity
Difficulty in walking or bearing weight.

The areas of the foot that are commonly affected by fractures include the second and third metatarsals, as they are thinner and longer than the first metatarsal. However, the heel, fibula and ankle have also been known to fracture easily.

Via her Instagram update, Davina continued to explain what her recovery period will involve. She added: “There’s going to be some physio, no casts needed, elevation, a bit of cold.

“You know, just take it a bit easy. No disco dancing for the next couple of weeks.”

Treatment for foot fractures often depends on the bone and the type of fracture that has occurred, but typically it involves placing the foot and ankle in a splint, and avoiding putting any weight on it.

Physical therapy is often required to improve flexibility and movement of the affected area, as well as strengthen the supporting muscles so individuals do not suffer any long-term side effects.

Orthoinfo provides some more important information that individuals should follow until they get professional medical advice. This involves rest, ice, compression and elevation, or RICE.

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A post shared by Davina McCall (@davinamccall)

Rest. Avoid activities that put weight on your foot. If you have to bear weight for any reason, make sure you are wearing a very supportive shoe. A thick-soled cork sandal is better than a thin slipper.
Ice. Apply ice immediately after the injury to keep the swelling down. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Do not apply ice directly on your skin.
Compression. To prevent additional swelling, lightly wrap the area in a soft bandage.
Elevation. As often as possible, rest with your foot raised up higher than your heart.

Despite following RICE, it is important to get fractures checked by a medical professional as X-rays can determine the extent of the fracture and whether the bone is broken.

If your doctor suspects a stress fracture but cannot see it on an x-ray, he or she may recommend a bone scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Although a bone scan is less specific than an MRI in showing the actual location of the stress fracture, both of these types of studies are more sensitive than x-rays and can detect stress fractures earlier.

The Mayo Clinic explains that in order to best prevent a foot fracture, individuals can take specific precautions. These include:

• Wearing proper shoes
• Replace athletic shoes regularly
• Start out slowly
• Cross-train
• Build bone strength.

Luckily for Davina, she was able to recover from her fractured foot. However, she shocked fans again by revealing that she is making an extreme change in her diet for health reasons.

Again on Instagram, Davina said: “I have made myself a commitment. From 1 November I’m going to cut out refined sugar, fruit and honey for the first couple of weeks to try and get myself off sugar again. I’ve massively fallen off the sugar-free wagon and it’s ugly. It makes me feel rubbish and it makes me feel super bloated.”

The decision split the opinion of her fans, with some praising the star, whilst others questioned her intentions and the effects this new diet would have on her health.

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