Kevin Frandsen, a 30-year-old third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is one recent athlete to be sidelined by a stress fracture. The fracture, which occurred in his left fibula, will not only cause Frandsen a lot of pain, but may also cause him to lose out some playing time as well, which is always disappointing to an athlete, his team and his fans.
Stress fractures are an all too common and frustrating sports injury that can cause players to lose out on valuable playing and practice time as well as put a damper on their season. It may surprise you to learn that up to 15% of all sports injuries are stress fractures.
Stress fractures are really just caused by overuse. The bone that has a stress fracture can't handle all the pressure that is applied to it. Usually, the fractures are caused by repetitive stress, which is common in sports. The stress applied to the bone causes tiny hairline breaks or incomplete breaks. Sometimes the fractures are caused by a sudden increase in mileage while running or a sudden change in an athlete's training regimen.
However, athletes are not the only people affected by stress fractures. In fact, stress fractures are common among women after menopause as well. Often, though, it is athletes or very active people who are afflicted the most among the young and healthy.
There are a few areas of the leg and foot that have a propensity to have stress fractures. One is the front of the shin or the tibea. In the foot itself, it is very common to have stress fractures across the metatarsal bones, which are the long bones in the middle of the foot, or in the calcaneus or the heel bone. It is also common to have a stress fracture in a bone called the navicular.
What will happen is, for example with a metatarsal stress fracture, you will get some pain, redness and swelling on top of the foot. At first, it will be kind of general but after a while you can pinpoint it to a certain bone. "Pinpoint pain" is when you can actually pinpoint the pain you are experiencing to the bone that is fractured.
Stress fractures cannot be seen on an x-ray many times for several weeks, so it is very important that you treat it conservatively. Don't just bite the bullet and run through the pain. It is much better for you to see a doctor if you are having pain and have an x-ray done or possibly even a bone scan.
If you don't take care of a stress fracture at first, it could turn into a full-blown fracture where the two bones separate. For many, this requires surgery and you would have to stop running or being active for several months. Also, if stress fractures are not properly treated, they will return.
Proper treatment depends on the severity of the break, but most treatments will include rest. This may be the only treatment in some cases. Another common treatment is immobilization. This can be in the form of casting or a medical shoe. These forms of immobilization can protect the bone and keep it still so it has time to heal properly without interference. You may be put on crutches or in a wheelchair as well to keep weight off the fracture while it heals. In some serious cases, surgery may be required. However, most stress fractures can be successfully treated with just rest and immobilization.
You may be instructed by your doctor to do physical therapy, which may necessary for you to return to your day-to-day activities, or to do stretching exercises to assist in your recovery. The most important thing to remember is not to ignore the pain. Continuing to be active and compete while you have a stress fracture can lead to worse injuries that will require more care and time off.
Do yourself a favor and contact a podiatrist if you are having foot or ankle pain. Foot pain is never normal and you can save yourself a lot of trouble by taking care of problems early while they are more manageable.
