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Shin Stress Fractures
Category: Shin Splints
May 4, 2007
Painful stress fractures are one of the most common athletic injuries, said Dr. Alan Holderness, a surgeon at the Orthopaedic Center of Tulsa.
Commonly called fatigue fractures, the term originated with the military, and refers to small, hairline cracks that develop in heavily used bones -- such as metatarsal bones on the top of the foot, the heel bone and the bones along the front of the lower leg, he said.
"Everyone is at risk for developing these fractures," Holderness said. "When people try to do too much too quickly or don't warm up and stretch before exercising, these bones take on too much stress and they crack and can cause pain."
Young athletes are not immune -- in fact, they occur most in that age group. However, overweight and obese people and the elderly also are prone to such fractures, due to extra weight stress and weaker bones, he said.
Seniors are especially prone to hip bone stress fractures, because a minor "twisting episode" coupled with an unsteady balance and osteoporosis will sometimes cause the bone to crack, Holderness said. These types of stress cracks are often called insufficiency fractures.
The diagnosis isn't always easy, he added. Often, when in
the leg, stress fractures may be confused with shin splints, or pain along the shin bone.
These cracks won't always show up on X-rays until they begin to heal, he said, and sometimes alternative scan methods will be used to locate the fracture.
Without proper treatment, the cracked bone may heal improperly and cause chronic pain, he said.
Often referred to as a "nuisance injury," treatments often include mandatory rest of the injured area, and in some cases may require a brace or a cast until it heals, Holderness said.