Stress Fractures
I did not watch the latest Conner MacGreggor fight but I sure saw the aftermath — he had a pretty bad injury to his left lower leg. He states he went in to the fight with stress fractures in his leg which then lead to his injury. Now I don’t know if that is true or not but I do know that stress fractures unfortunately have been common as of late in the sports world. There has been an increase in what I’ve seen, especially after the lockdown and sports were cancelled, causing many athletes to stay home and not participate in sport or activities.
This type of fracture accounts for over 10% of all injuries seen in sports med clinics according to one Sports Health paper. In running sports, these can account for up to 31% of all injuries. Of these, one of the most common sites is the tibia or shin bone of the lower leg. It occurs typically due to fatigue and overuse, causing stress to the bone and can result in a ‘stress reaction’ to the bone or an overt break to the bone. The stress reaction that happens instead is why sometimes these are not seen on x-ray at first.
Make sure to build up to distance and intensity. As you can see I am still at a leisurely stroll.
If not dealt with properly and promptly these injuries can cause a significant amount of time out of sports and activities. Sometimes they end up needing surgery but typically it is rest and slow return that helps. And as you may have seen, stress fractures can cause worse injury if not treated well and someone tries to ‘push through’ and participate in sport before properly healed.
To avoid these types of injury, a slow progression of activity is very important, which I have touched on before. A sudden increase in exercise intensity increases the strain on muscles and bone. If the muscles are not rightly prepped then they fatigue and that stress and force is transferred to the bone. Overuse is also a big risk factor that can lead to muscle fatigue and repetitive stress as seen with higher running mileage and year-round running.
If you happen to try to push yourself, make sure to listen to your body when you need rest.
Now to digress a bit and go on a PSA. For female athletes is it very important to make sure to maintain regular periods. Losing a menstrual cycle in training can lead to increased risk of stress fractures. This can be seen in sports where weight plays a bigger role and it pays off to be lean such as gymnastics, running, and dancing. To keep weight down, the athletes typically eat less while they train more. This can cause a significant imbalance of calories-in and calories-out and cause nutrition deficiencies. The estrogen in women and men is important for bone health and if the body feels it is starving, these hormones are reduced in the system.
Having a stress fracture can be quite painful and frustrating. Typically one will note pain after starting exercise and it lasts during the rest period, which is atypical for tendinitis and strain. It is important to see a health care provider and be evaluated. Typically treatment is restriction of activity and immobilizing the bone/joint in question until pain improves. Then afterward it is again important to build back to training and slowly increase the intensity…. Otherwise it’s back to the Doc.
Stay safe and make sure to NOT ‘break a leg’… This isn’t theater…
