Injury Diagnosis

So a friend of mine just brought up a good point regarding injuries and activity levels. The most common type of overuse injury is a stress fracture most often seen in athletes. What is a stress fracture?

A stress fracture is a common overuse injury Usually, a fracture, or broken bone, is caused by an acute event, such as a car crash or a fall. When this is the case, the bone experiences a very high force that causes the stress fracture.

A stress fracture occurs when the forces are much lower, but happen repetitively for a long period of time; these injuries are also known as "fatigue fractures." Stress fractures are commonly seen in athletes who run and jump on hard surfaces, such as distance runners, basketball players, and ballet dancers.
 

A stress fracture can occur in any bone, but is commonly seen in the foot and shin bones. They rarely occur in the upper extremity because the weight of your body is not supported by your arms as it is in your legs.

What is the treatment for a stress fracture?
The best treatment is almost always resting the injured leg. If there is no evidence that the stress fracture may displace, then avoiding the overuse activity may be sufficient treatment. However, if there is a concern of displacement of the stress fracture, then weight-bearing should be avoided (i.e. use crutches), and a cast may be placed. One rule of thumb (but not an absolute rule) is: if there is pain, don't do it. This means if jogging causes pain where you have a stress fracture, don't jog. If walking causes pain in that location, use crutches.