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Health in the News
Ouch! Is This a Stress Fracture?How to tell and what to do about it
How to Avoid Stress Fractures
Every time you jog, you feel it—a “persistent pinprick of pain,” in the words of orthopedic surgeon Neal Stansbury, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. What’s going on? “If the discomfort is in one specific spot, you probably have a stress fracture,” Stansbury says. “Pain from an injured muscle or ligament is more general.” Stress fractures are caused by overuse, most commonly during a sport or strenuous activity. They begin as microscopic breaks in a bone, which expand if you keep doing the stress-causing activity. Runners typically get stress fractures in the shin, foot or ankle. Gymnasts and football linemen often get them in the back or hip, and dancers in the heel. “Stress fractures are common in teen athletes who are very committed to their training programs,” says Stansbury’s colleague, family medicine physician John Wolf, M.D. “They often make things worse by ignoring the pain and continuing to train.” Wolf also sees stress fractures in middle-aged “weekend warriors” or people who begin an exercise program without proper conditioning. Women are at greater risk than men due to their smaller bones, different body mechanics and hormonal issues. “The standard treatment for stress fractures, though athletes hate to hear it, is rest,” Stansbury says. How long you need to rest depends on how severe the fracture is. If you keep training in spite of the pain, you could make your fracture worse and recovery will take longer. You needn’t stop all activity while healing; low-impact exercise like swimming is usually fine. Ask your physician what he or she recommends. “Some stress fractures are severe enough to require a cast or surgery,” Stansbury says, “but most heal well with rest.”
Want to Know More? For information on how to train, or to arrange an appointment with a fitness specialist,
call 610-402-CARE or see the links on the right side of this page. This page last updated 4/1/08 11:42 AM
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