Cause And Treatments Of A Stress Fracture
A stress fracture is a bone injury which is actually a very fine bone fracture often called a hairline fracture. It is called a stress fracture because it usually occurs in bones that bear weight such as the bone of the lower leg (tibia) and the bones of our feet (metatarsals). The constant weight that these bones bear makes them prone to a stress fracture. In most cases of this kind of injury, the injury is usually sports related.
Stress Fracture Causes
A stress fracture is caused when our bones, especially the weight bearing ones, are exposed to extraordinary amounts of stress which they are not made to withstand. This kind of bone injury usually occurs in people who are world class athletes or individuals who are usually not into sports but suddenly decide to enter a new sport.
Our bones actually have the capacity to repair themselves and remodel themselves to suit our needs. Regular stress on our bones can weaken their repairing capacity and make the bone vulnerable to stress. A stress fracture occurs when the bones has had too much trauma. A site with a stress fracture might eventually develop and this is vulnerable to injury.
In some cases, too much weight or impact on the bone can causes the injury. The injury usually follows the site where the bones have weakened. People susceptible to stress fracture injuries are those who exercise using high impact exercise routines like runners. This does not mean that only athletes or sports minded people can have this kind of injury. Many people in different walks of life are also prone to this.
Treating A Stress Fracture
In most cases of this kind of injury, the bone can be expected to heal itself in due time. If the injury does occur in a weight bearing bone, it is necessary to avoid using the bone altogether and avoid putting any weight on it. The stress fracture will not heal as quickly as expected if the bone is constantly used and still bears some weight. The fracture is expected to heal around two to four weeks but the bone must not be used to full capacity at this time. At around six weeks, mild activity may be used on the bone and gradual increase of activity can be seen.
A stress fracture may not be a serious injury but treatment must be followed to make sure that the bone heals correctly. It is also important to be able to identify where you went wrong in your exercise or training program which resulted in the injury.
