Treat a Foot Stress Fracture

A stress fracture is a crack in your bone. It could be no more than the width of a hair follicle, yet cause significant discomfort, especially when it is in a bone of weight bearing use, such as the foot. Stress fractures are most common in the feet, and obviously strike runners, basketball players and dancers most often. Stress fractures can become very serious if left untreated; however, it is not difficult, though it does take a long time to treat a foot stress fracture.

Steps

Treating a Stress Fracture

  1. Recognize the symptoms of a stress fracture in your foot. They normally start out as a slight discomfort towards the front of the foot. Most stress fractures of the foot start up here where most of the force and pressure is exerted. Many times, this pain is very slight and the onset is only during long periods of exercise, running or working out. As soon as you stop your activity, the pain normally vanishes. This leads many people to disregard and not even consider a stress fracture.
  2. Stop exercising, running or whatever you were doing at the onset of the pain. If it goes away, suspect a possible fracture. Resume your workout, and if it comes back, it very well could be.
  3. Take a load off. Get off your feet, sit down and get them elevated. Use an ice pack for swelling, but for no more than 20 minutes. Repeat as needed for 3-4 times per day.
  4. Grab the acetaminophen. Avoid Naproxen and Ibuprofen containing products, as they have the potential to delay the healing process with bone injuries.
  5. See your personal physician. As soon as the pain and swelling have subsided, schedule an appointment with your doctor. She will likely order some X-rays of your foot to confirm your self-diagnosis. You will likely be prescribed a walking boot or crutches, whichever you prefer; use them.
  6. Get some rest. Continue to follow your doctor's advice about wearing the boot or using the crutches. It is imperative for proper healing to keep weight and force off the injured foot. Keep your feet up as much as possible and make sure to get adequate sleep. Most healing takes place when you are sleeping and there is extra energy from the lack of use of other body functions.
  7. Prepare yourself for boredom from lack of exercise for 6-12 weeks. Healing a foot stress fracture is not a quick process by any means. It is one of the longer recovery periods because we have to use our feet at some point. The longer you can stay off your feet and let it heal, the quicker the healing will take. Don't even think about running or playing ball or exercising until it is completely healed.
  8. Go slow to get back into your normal routine, even if your foot feels better. You will need to schedule a follow-up visit with your doctor. He may want to X-ray your foot once more to confirm it has fully healed. Even as such, you should really ease back into your normal program so as to not re-injure your foot.
  9. Limited weight bearing exercise such as swimming or a stationary bike is acceptable. You may also work all your upper body muscles while waiting for the fracture to heal.

Preventing a Stress Fracture

  1. Know if you are particularly susceptible to stress fractures. If you are an athlete, a dancer, or in the military, you face an increased likelihood of getting a stress fracture.[1]
    • Be on the lookout if you've had a stress fracture before. This is because stress fractures tend to recur. About 60% of people who have a stress fracture have also had one previously.[2]
  2. Be careful when you exercise. Stress fractures are a common occurrence for people with intense workouts. Doctors therefore recommend never increasing the intensity of your workout by more than 10% per week.[3]
    • Warm up and stretch thoroughly before you exercise.
    • Take frequent breaks to give your body and bones a break. If you feel uncomfortable or experience pain during exercise, stop immediately.
    • using good exercise equipment can help prevent stress fractures. Stress fractures may occur when your equipment forces you to adopt improper technique.
  3. Understand other debilitating factors. High-impact sports can increase the likelihood of stress fractures, as can worn-out shoes or insufficient arch support.[3]

Warnings

  • Because the break is very small it will not be seen on plain X-ray for 4-6 weeks after the injury. A family doctor will usually miss the diagnosis because of the negative X-ray. It would be best to see a podiatrist/foot specialist who would be better able to diagnosis by the symptoms, especially swelling in the area.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/video/stress-fractures
  2. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/stress-fractures-the-basics
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/stress-fractures-prevention

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