Health Matters: Stress Fractures No Longer Just an Elite Athlete’s Injury

It was once thought of as an injury for elite athletes, but doctors say stress fractures can be common in people of all ages.

And what’s even more common is they often go untreated.

Many people who suffer stress fractures don’t report them to their healthcare providers or even report recent increased activity.

I spoke with an Orthopedic Surgeon at Essentia and she says there are big risk factors that come with not getting fractures looked at right away.
 
To cure a stress fracture, there’s one simple rule to follow.
 
“You have to get off of your feet,” says Essentia Health Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Julie Johnson.
 
But getting off your feet becomes difficult, especially when you don’t know you’re injured.
 
“People say they wake up, get out of bed and their foot hurts,” says Dr. Johnson
 
It’s uncomfortable pain that shouldn’t be ignored.

A stress fracture happens when too much force is on a particular area of your bone until eventually…
 
“The bone will crack,” says Dr. Johnson
 
Fortunately, you won’t need surgery to heal.
 
“The key is to get your weight off it and immobilize it or protect it in a cast or a boot,” says Dr. Johnson.
 
But that doesn’t take away from the serious nature of the injury.

It’s the long-term effects that could hit you the hardest.
 
“Osteoporosis is a huge factor in not getting stress fracture looked at right away,” says Dr. Johnson.
 
And while everyone is at risk people right here in the Red River Valley are even more prone to getting injured.
 
“Winter months, we’re more vulnerable for the development of these more spontaneous types of stress fractures,” says Dr. Johnson.
 
So how can you avoid the fractures and stay healthy?
 
“Water aerobics, exercise bike, elliptical machine those are lower impact activities,” says Dr. Johnson
 
But if and when pain does hit the number one rule to follow: see your doctor.
 
Dr. Johnson tells me stress fractures can take a significant time to heal.

She says it can take anywhere from months to even a year.