Stress Fractures

[BamaScooter16]

I was reading yesterday that Earl Alexander had to miss a practice or two because of a stress fracture. I am also currently being treated for one, and am hoping to get my cast cut off today.

Has anyone else had one, because I've had problems with mine since November and am just wondering if it is normal to have them go on for so long. I know its a hairline crack in one of the bones of the foot, but is it supposed to hurt this bad? How do football players treat them when they get them?

 

[TIDE-HSV]

They often do drag on and we had several guys playing with them last year. I'm sure they wouldn't admit it publicly, but the normal method is just to anesthetize the injured area locally. That's done only after the medical staff has given an opinion that the injury won't be worsened by playing with it...

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I had one last year. It hurts like crazy, I intially thought I had a cramp and kept running (a common mistake). There isn't anything that can really be done other than stay off it as much as you can for a few weeks, tape it up so you can walk around, ice it, if you have the means drugs.

 

[BamaScooter16]

Yeah the dr finally cut the cast off today. He said he couldn't see it on the film anymore (it was so bad that he could actually see it on the xray) and that it didn't look all that swollen anymore so he put me back into that boot.

Its still hurting but at least I'm off those stupid crutches, and I can drive my car again! :biggrin: I've been having to bum rides from my wife and parents to get to and from work. I feel like I'm 16 years old all over again.

 

[freefall]

Stress fractures can be very painful, and rest is the only way to let the bone(s) heal. In more severe cases recovery times can be 2-4 months, and even once you're able to resume normal activity it may still be months more before the bone is fully healed.

Treatment depends on the root cause. Overuse is often the culprit, in which case you may simply need to alter your workouts and/or build up strength in the muscles of your foot or leg in order to limit the amount of stress transmitted to the bones. For example, despite having significant problems with my shins in HS and college, I've since run the MCM twice without any problems. I attribute this regular strength training and by being careful about adding mileage while training for the marathon. If you're a runner you might want to have a look at Jeff Galloway's site for more info: Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway: Your Complete Running Resource. Marathon Training, Half Marathon Training, 10K Training.

On the other hand, last year my wife had stress fractures in both legs and running was merely what exposed the underlying problem (vitamin D deficiency, causing her to not absorb calcium). She wore a boot for 8 weeks and now takes Vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Best bet is to talk to your doctor, and don't be afraid to get a second opinion. My wife's first doctor was a sports medicine specialist with a focus on lower leg issues and even she missed the Vitamin D issue! It was the second doctor who sent her in for a bone scan who finally figured it out.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

After a while the fractured area shows up white around the injury. When I was in the first grade, I dropped off the top bar of a monkey bar set and landed on the concrete. The initial x-rays showed nothing. (This was 1945 and x-rays weren't nearly so good.) After I limped around for six weeks, my parents took me down to old Dr. Sherrill, the first ortho in B'ham. A new x-ray showed the crack up chalky white. I had to wear high-topped brown shoes with arch supports through sixth grade, while everyone else was wearing cool Keds. Probably marked me for life. Made me want to be a message board administrator...

 

[BamaScooter16]

Stress fractures can be very painful, and rest is the only way to let the bone(s) heal. In more severe cases recovery times can be 2-4 months, and even once you're able to resume normal activity it may still be months more before the bone is fully healed.

Treatment depends on the root cause. Overuse is often the culprit, in which case you may simply need to alter your workouts and/or build up strength in the muscles of your foot or leg in order to limit the amount of stress transmitted to the bones. For example, despite having significant problems with my shins in HS and college, I've since run the MCM twice without any problems. I attribute this regular strength training and by being careful about adding mileage while training for the marathon. If you're a runner you might want to have a look at Jeff Galloway's site for more info: Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway: Your Complete Running Resource. Marathon Training, Half Marathon Training, 10K Training.

On the other hand, last year my wife had stress fractures in both legs and running was merely what exposed the underlying problem (vitamin D deficiency, causing her to not absorb calcium). She wore a boot for 8 weeks and now takes Vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Best bet is to talk to your doctor, and don't be afraid to get a second opinion. My wife's first doctor was a sports medicine specialist with a focus on lower leg issues and even she missed the Vitamin D issue! It was the second doctor who sent her in for a bone scan who finally figured it out.

Thanks for the great info. I beleive that being on my feet and in my car all day 7 days a week for the past 3 years is what caused it, on top of having to chase around crazy children.

It really is a very painful injury that I would not wish on my worst enemy, except maybe Ben Tate j/k. My dr told me today to ease back into my routine over the next few weeks or it will just get reaggrevated and maybe even become a complete fracture because of the weakened bone.