Updated: November 30, 2020 9:28:38 am
Joe Biden suffered the injury playing with Major, one of the Biden’s two dogs. (Stephanie Carter / Delaware Humane Association via AP / File)
President-elect Joe Biden broke his right foot while playing with one of his dogs, an injury discovered in a scan Sunday that likely required him to wear a boot for several weeks, his doctor said.
Biden suffered the injury Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware on Sunday afternoon, his office said.
A motorcade with President-elect Joe Biden on board arrives at Delaware Orthopedic Specialists to see a doctor on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Newark, Delaware. (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster)
“Initial X-rays did not show any obvious fractures,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement. The subsequent scan found small fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, O’Connor said.
“It is anticipated that you will probably need a walking boot for several weeks,” O’Conner said.
Fractures are a general concern as people age, but Biden’s appears to be relatively mild based on his doctor’s statement and planned treatment. At 78, he will be the oldest president when he takes office in January; he often dismissed questions about his age during the campaign.
Reporters covering the president-elect did not get a chance to see Biden enter the doctor’s office on Sunday, despite multiple requests. Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan, Biden was visibly limping, although he walked without crutches or other assistance.
Biden suffered the injury playing with Major, one of Biden’s two dogs. They adopted Major in 2018 and acquired their first dog, Champ, after the 2008 election. The Bidens have said they will bring their dogs to the White House and also plan to have a cat.
Last December, he published a medical report that revealed that he takes a statin to keep his cholesterol at healthy levels, but his doctor described him as “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to perform successfully the functions of the Presidency.”
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