Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are incomplete fractures of a bone in the foot. They occur most commonly of the metatarsal bone-neck area of the bone. Stress fractures can also occur in the navicular, calcaneus and talus bones, to name a few.

A stress fracture is not a through and through fracture of the bone, as the bone is still in regular alignment. A stress fracture typically will not show up on an x-ray for 10-14 days after the injury and may not show up on an x-ray at all. It is most common to see a bone callus around the bone that had the stress fracture, which shows that the bone is healing.

Causes

Common causes of stress fractures include the following:

• Foot biomechanics

• Overuse

• Excessive training or errors in training

• Repetitive force

• Too much too soon in starting an exercise program

• Improper shoe gear

• Trauma

• Osteoporosis

Symptoms

Common symptoms of stress fractures include the following:

• Pain

• Swelling

• Tender to palpation

• Temperature

• Bruising or redness over the metatarsal

Diagnosis

Ways that a podiatrist would commonly diagnose a stress fracture are:

• X-ray, Bone Scan, MRI

• Pain with palpation

• Application of a tuning fork and eliciting pain is suspicious of a stress fracture, however it is not indicative

Treatment

Recommended ways to treat a stress fracture are:

• RICE rest, ice, compression, elevation

• Immobilization through wrap, stiff soled shoes, post-op shoes, casts, or crutches

• Stop/limit activities and exercises as per recommendations from your Podiatrist

Healing usually takes 6-8 weeks. Sometimes a bone stimulator or surgery is needed, depending on which bone is fractured or if the stress fracture has progressed to a complete fracture, or the bone is not healing.

Once healed, your Podiatrist will give you a plan on getting back to activity. They will discuss shoe gear, possible custom orthotics and exercises.