Stress Fractures What You Need to Know

Information  •  Thu 16 Sep 2021

When you exercise, your bones are being stressed to build up their strength. Stress fractures happen when the bone is injured because it is not strong enough to handle the stress that it was put under. This most often occurs when you have increased the amount of exercise or physical activity.

Symptoms of a Stress Fracture:

• Focal pain and swelling in one or more bones.
• Tenderness when touching the injured site.
• Pain during nighttime walking is familiar with this injury.

Stress fractures can quickly turn into serious injuries that limit movement and activity for weeks or months if they are not correctly diagnosed early in their development. Remember: If it hurts, don't try to push through the pain.

Stress fractures are diagnosed by the patient's symptoms, x-ray results and MRI/CT scan reports. Stress fractures are usually challenging to diagnose because they do not often show up on an initial X-Ray.

Stress fractures are classified by "risk" based on location within the body (most common locations) and specific symptoms exhibited. Low-risk stress fractures will typically heal without any medical intervention; however, high-risk stress fractures often need additional assistance in restoring full function after sustaining this injury due to their susceptibility not fully healing when left untreated.

If you think you might have a stress fracture, it's best to get it assessed early. The earlier the problem is addressed, the better your chances of healing quickly and without complications. You might be able to avoid the chronic issues that come with a delayed diagnosis of this injury by booking an appointment today with our experience musculoskeletal podiatrist!