Among the most common sports injuries, stress fractures are tiny breaks in the bone caused by repetitive activity. A non-displaced fracture is when the pieces on either side of the break line up.

• Moderate to Severe Pain (Note: a displaced fracture is more painful than a nondisplaced one. A nondisplaced fracture will cause pain, but may not be tender to the touch.)
• Swelling


• Limp/Difficulty Walking—antalgic and Trendelenburg gaits


• Inability to Walk

Test Results

• Abnormal MRI


• Abnormal X-ray (Note: A non-displaced stress fracture doesn’t show up on an X-ray until it begins to heal, approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the injury.) Click here fo see an x-ray image showing a stress fracture.


• Abnormal bone scan


• Abnormal CT

Treatments vary depending on the severity of the injury.

• Rest


• Icing the affected area


• Mild Pain reliever like Tylenol (Acetaminophen) (Note: Some research suggests that nosteroidal anti inflammatory medications interfere bone healing.)

Doctors will recommend very limited activity for 6 to 8 weeks following the injury. When a patient is given the ok to resume activity s/he should do so slowly to avoid reinjury.