How Do You Know if You Have a Stress Fracture in Your Heel?
- What is a stress fracture?
- Causes of a stress fracture in the human foot and ankle
- What basic in the human foot and ankle are affected by a stress fracture?
- What are the symptoms of a stress fracture in the foot and talocrural joint?
- How are stress fractures diagnosed?
- How practice you lot treat a stress fracture?
- How long does it take for a stress fracture to heal?
- Volition I need surgery?
- Preventing stress fractures
What is a stress fracture?
A stress fracture is a type of os break or crack in the bone. Stress fractures occur when a minor or moderate corporeality of force is applied to a bone repeatedly and over time. This is unlike from a traumatic fracture, in which a significant amount of strength is applied suddenly, such equally in the case of a severe ankle twisting injury, which can cause astute talocrural joint fractures, or in a automobile collision, when bones in the foot may be broken or crushed).
Stress fractures are common in foot and ankle bones because we continually place force on them by continuing, walking, running and jumping. In a stress fracture, the bone breaks only commonly does not shift position (become "displaced").
The forces that cause a stress fracture in the human foot or ankle are similar to those when you lot bend a paper clip. If you gently bend a paper clip once, it will non break. Only if you continue to bend it dorsum and forth multiple times, the metal becomes weakened (or "fatigued") and eventually breaks. Bones that are subjected to repetitive force can experience a similar type of fatigue called a "stress reaction." This increases the risk that the bone will eventually break, that is, suffer a stress fracture.
Causes of a stress fracture in the human foot and talocrural joint
Stress fractures generally occur by one of 2 ways:
- People with healthy bones overuse the foot and ankle by frequent, repetitive motion. This is particularly the case in athletes who participate in high-impact sports such as running track and field, football game, basketball, soccer, tennis, gymnastics or cheerleading.
- People who have very weak bones from a separate, underlying condition (such as osteoporosis) sustain a stress fracture in the foot even from fairly low-affect activities such as frequent walking. This type of stress fracture is called an "insufficiency fracture" considering it happens in a bone that does not have "sufficient" density or strength to withstand normal impact forces. Insufficiency fractures can sometimes affect younger, otherwise healthy women who exercise excessively, considering such activeness can lead to irregular or absent menstrual cycles, which in plough affects the strength of their basic.
The human foot and ankle are the most common parts of the trunk to experience a stress fracture because we are constantly on our feet. Pes and ankle stress fractures often occur in people who begin a new activity that involves any impact of the feet on the ground, such as hiking or running. Stress fractures also occur in people who quickly increase the amount of a sure kind of activity. For instance, somebody who normally runs twice a week for 30 minutes who then suddenly begins to run seven days a week for one 60 minutes has an increased run a risk of getting a stress fracture.
Shoes that provide poor support, such every bit high heels – which place a lot of pressure level on the toes – every bit well every bit former, stiff shoes can put a person at adventure. Finally, people with foot deformities that change their load bearing tin develop stress fractures. For example, in a foot with a bunion, the big toe may exist repositioned such that stops supporting the weight it should commonly should behave. This places more load force on the other toes, which can lead to a stress fracture in one or more than of them. In such cases, the second toe (next to the large toe) is the most likely to fracture.
What bones in the foot and talocrural joint are afflicted by a stress fracture?
Any of the bones of the lower leg, ankle and foot can experience a stress fracture. The about commonly afflicted bones are:
- The metatarsals, which connect the toes to the midfoot.
- The calcaneus (heel bone).
- The navicular, a bone nigh the talocrural joint. Navicular stress fractures have a long time to heal.
- The basic that make upwards the talocrural joint joint – especially the tibia and fibula.
Anatomical cartoon of the human foot, showing the metatarsal and navicular basic. (Illustration by Joseph Yu, BS.)
What are the symptoms of a stress fracture in the foot and ankle?
The fundamental symptom of a stress fracture is pain. Depending on the bone afflicted, it tends to hurt in very specific, pinpoint areas, and it will hurt when yous touch the exact area where the bone is broken.
If y'all accept recently changed or increased your action and have pain in a specific surface area of the foot or ankle, you may have a stress fracture. The pain usually becomes more intense when you exercise touch on activities and gets meliorate during periods of rest.
If yous think yous may take a stress fracture in your foot or ankle, the most important thing to do is to immediately stop all activities that cause pain. If an untreated stress fracture worsens (gets bigger), you will offset feeling the hurting more than speedily during activeness that puts stress on the affected basic than when the stress fracture get-go appeared.
If your hurting continues after several days of rest or if your pain goes away simply then returns even after several weeks of residual, you should meet an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon (also chosen an "orthopedist" or "orthopaedist").
How are stress fractures diagnosed?
Your doctor will starting time ask you questions virtually your pain and level of activity to evaluate you for the risk factors discussed to a higher place.
Next, he or she will examine you and order X-rays for the expanse where you experience hurting. When a stress fracture is present, it is actually non uncommon for the 10-rays to appear normal and show no break in the bone. This is because sometimes the bone reacts and grows new bone to heal the crack. (However, the injured os is still vulnerable to being rebroken.) When new bone grows, the final step is for it to calcify. A radiologist or orthopedist oftentimes confirms the stress fracture diagnosis by seeing the calcification of new os growth on your X-ray.
In certain cases your medico may order a bone scan or MRI to provide more information than does a standard Ten-ray. Still, these more expensive tests are not routinely needed to diagnose a stress fracture.
How do y'all treat a stress fracture?
Near stress fractures will heal on their own if you reduce your level of activity and wear protective footwear for a menstruation of time. As mentioned above, the nigh important thing to practise if you have or think you lot may have a stress fracture in your foot or ankle, is to terminate the activity that caused your problem in the kickoff identify. You should stop all loftier-impact activity for a time, typically for well-nigh six weeks.
Icing and elevating the affected leg immediately following a stress fracture can assistance decrease swelling and pain. As for hurting, it is best to have acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which includes ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). This is because some data suggests that taking NSAIDs tin can reduce the power of os to heal.
Your orthopedist may recommend that yous wear a stiff-soled shoe, a wooden-soled sandal, or a removable "walking kicking," also known every bit a short leg-fracture brace shoe.
A typical fracture brace or "walking boot" worn to allow a nondisplaced fracture to heal.
How long does it take for a stress fracture to heal?
Many stress fractures of the pes or ankle will heel in iv to 6 weeks. However, healing times vary, depending on which bone is cleaved. Some foot bones, such as the navicular or the fifth metatarsal, tin take a much longer time to heal than practice others.
After weeks of rest, and once the hurting is completely gone, y'all may gradually ease back into physical activity and sports. This gradual reintroduction period should span virtually 4 to half dozen weeks. Switch to a sport that puts less stress on the foot and leg until you have fully recovered. Examples of advisable low-affect activity include:
- Swimming
- Cycling (bicycle riding or spin classes)
The worst choices for resumed activity while you recover from a foot or ankle stress fracture are running or fifty-fifty walking on hard surfaces. Yous can hands reopen your fracture and take to begin the recovery process over again.
During recovery, wearable comfortable, supportive shoes without a raised heel. Footwear should be flexible, not strong. If you are a runner, after you accept resumed depression-impact activity for 4 to 6 weeks, brainstorm a conservative jogging regimen. Increase your running mileage very slowly over fourth dimension. Do not do too much, too soon.
Will I need surgery?
Surgery is rarely needed and is recommended commonly only later conservative, nonsurgical approaches above are not working.
Preventing stress fractures
The following principles tin can help you pb a good for you lifestyle and avoid problems with stress fractures:
- Eat calcium-rich foods and ensure y'all get enough daily Vitamin D to help maintain os density.
- Habiliment good shoes. Do not vesture onetime or stiff shoes, but instead attempt comfortable, well-padded, and supportive shoes. It is usually a good idea to clothing shoes made specifically for the sport you would similar to do. Avert high heels whenever possible.
- Practice not smoke. This tin atomic number 82 to issues with healing. It is actually the nicotine that creates the trouble, so other mucilage and products containing nicotine will nonetheless prevent the os from healing.
- Cross-train. This ways that you should alternate between activities. For example, you can switch upward jogging with swimming or cycling during the calendar week.
- Slowly ease into previous or new sports activities. Gradually increase the time, speed, and distance. Many experts suggest a 10% increase of do fourth dimension per week.
Updated: 5/31/2019
Authors
Source: https://www.hss.edu/conditions_stress-fractures-foot-ankle.asp
Post a Comment for "How Do You Know if You Have a Stress Fracture in Your Heel?"