Do I have a stress fracture?
Stress fractures are a common injury that we see in runners and active people around Geelong. They cause pain throughout exercise, get worse by the end of the day and will generally remain sore when you’re in bed at night.
They can present in anyone but simply put have one underlying cause… Overuse. Whether you’re building up your training load, taking the dog for a longer walk or spending an extra few hours on your feet at work during the week.
What causes a stress fracture?
In a word: Overuse.
A stress fracture is a response to overloading a specific area. This generally happens over a period of months so it’s important to look at what you’ve been doing in the lead up to developing symptoms.
Commonly there is a change in
Exercise
- Have you been increasing the frequency of your runs or walks?
- Have you been increasing the amount of kms you’re running or walking?
- Have you started group fitness classes?
Time spent working
- Have you started a new job?
- Are you spending more time at work on your feet?
Footwear
- Are you spending more time in thongs?
- Are your runners older than 6 months old?
- Are your work shoes older than 12 months old?
Weight
- Have you gained weight over the past 6 months?
These questions will start to give you an idea of where the excessive load is coming from and then how we can best manage treatment.
How are stress fractures treated?
In a word: Rest.
After we’ve gained an accurate diagnosis via imaging (X-ray, MRI or CT) in conjunction with thorough assessment we can formulate a plan to get you back on track!
Treatment will depend on the individual circumstances of the patient but the main rule of rest and allowing the body to heal itself applies here.
We typically look at offloading the affected area completely to begin with the use of a CAM boot for a period of 6-8 weeks. Following this we generally look at;
- Footwear (Work, casual and exercise)
- Orthotics
- Training load
- Running/Walking technique
- Strengthening the affected area to prevent reoccurrence
If you, or someone you know, suffers from a stress fracture, whether it has been there a short or a long time, we will be able to help in confirming your specific diagnosis, performing a full video assessment to help assess the causative factors and to provide you a plan to help settle the pain and get you back to enjoying your activity! geelong podiatry
Call our clinic or go to our website to make an appointment.
Geelong 52 22 68 68 – Latrobe Health Centre
Drysdale 52 515 724 – Bellarine Sports Medicine Centre
Colac 52 322 400 – Corio Bay Sports Treatment Clinic
