Effect of patient age on fifth metatarsal fracture pattern, management, and outcomes

Patients with 5th metatarsal (MT) fractures encompass a broad age distribution. This study evaluated the impact of age on the differences in clinical outcomes and management of these fractures. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to a single large, urban, academic hospital system with a 5th MT fracture over a 10-year period. Patients were stratified into groups of younger than 65 years old and equal to or greater than 65 years old. Initial and successive radiographs were reviewed, and fractures were categorized as Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Shaft, Neck, or Head fractures. 2,461 patients with 5th MT fractures were evaluated. Patients who did not follow up after initial evaluation in the emergency department or urgent care were excluded. Among 2,020 patients with mean follow-up of 1.03 years who met inclusion criteria, 76.2% were younger than 65 years and 23.8% were greater than or equal to 65 years. There was a significant difference in fracture type between groups as older patients were more likely to sustain metatarsal neck fractures but less likely to sustain Zone 1 base fractures (p < 0.05). There was no difference in time to clinical healing (p = 0.108) or time to radiographic union (p = 0.367) for all fractures between age groups. In conclusion, older patients sustain different 5th metatarsal fracture patterns compared to younger patients. However, despite the differences in age, there was no evidence for any difference in clinical and radiographic outcomes between groups.