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Learn about stress fractures - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment. Explore the impact of factors like training errors, nutrition, medications, and sleep on bone health and injury risks in athletes.
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Stress Fractures Marc Silberman, M.D.
“A high school athlete with shin pain has a stress fracture until proven otherwise”
Definition “A fracture caused not by a direct blow, twist, or fall, but by cyclical loading that exceeds the bones natural repair capacity”
Stress fracture hypothesis “Bone remodeling is a balance between osteoclastic resorption and osteoblastic reconstruction” As loading increases, additional bone resorption occurs Time lag between the two is 2 to 3 weeks
Stress fracture hypothesis When activity is increased, local weakness and microdamage may be caused by increased osteoclastic activity Stress fractures occur when muscle becomes fatigued and unable to absorb added force Impact forces are transferred to bone which causes overload and stress fracture
True or False A stress fracture is a small crack in a bone
True or false Stress fractures are caused by weak bones
False 1. Abnormal stress on normal bone Not weak bones but weak or fatigued muscles 2. Normal stress on abnormal bone 3. Abnormal stress on abnormal bone
Clinical tests There are no clinical tests to diagnose a stress fracture The diagnosis is made by radiological imaging Schneiders AG et al. The Ability of Clinical Tests to Diagnose Stress Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2012;42(9):760-771.
X-ray “While X-ray can rule in a stress fracture, X-ray can not rule out a stress fracture” X-ray sensitivity of 10 to 50%
MRI “MRI can rule out a stress fracture and MRI can grade a stress fracture” Sensitivity 88%, Specificity 100% Gaeta M et al. Radiology. 2005 May; 235(2):553–561.
Grading Adapted from Arendt et al. Clin Sports Med 1997. 16(2): 291-306
Grade 2 Nattiv et al. Am J Sports Med. 2013 August ; 41(8): 1930–1941.
Grade 3 Nattiv et al. Am J Sports Med. 2013 August ; 41(8): 1930–1941.
Return to Play Prolong healing time at high risk fracture sites and at low risk sites with high grade lesion. Take home message: Need a fast and reliable diagnosis. Dobrindt et al. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2012, 13:139.
NCAA Time to return to sport Nattiv et al. Am J Sports Med. 2013 August ; 41(8): 1930–1941.
NCAA Time to return to sport Femoral neck, sacrum, pelvis Nattiv et al. Am J Sports Med. 2013 August ; 41(8): 1930–1941.
“The causes of injuries are multifactorial, you can’t blame one thing”
Calcium “There is more to bone health than calcium” The scientific literature is conflicting regarding calcium supplementation on stress fracture prevention and overall bone mineral density Calcium supplementation may cause an increase in cardiovascular events
“Running injuries are caused by running”
Training Error Too much too soon Not enough recovery Takes less than 2 weeks for a fracture to occur
Nutrition “It’s not about calcium, it’s about food, or rather the lack of” “Edible food like substances” - Michael Pollan
Medications “More children are taking medications than in any other time in the history of mankind” Bad To The Bone NSAIDs SSRIs and Tricyclics increase fracture risk by two-fold I Isotretinoin , Retinoids, and Vitamin A Progesterone, Progesterone-Estrogen Proton pump inhibitors Hidden medications in our food and water (flouride)
Sleep How stress fracture incidence was lowered in the Israeli army: a 25 year struggle Imposing a sleep regimen of at least 6 hours and reducing cumulative marching lowered the incidence by 62% (30.8 % to 11.6% annually) Shoe modifications, orthotics, and Risedronate had no effect Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Nov; 40(11 Suppl):S623-9
Female Athlete Triad Risk of stress fractures in athletes with menstrual disturbance is 2 to 4 times that of eumenorrheic athletes Disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea from insufficient energy intake Decreased leptin levels, decreased gonadotropins, hypoestrogenic state lead to reduced calcium absorption, increased bone resorption, suppressed bone formation
Vitamin D Appears more important than calcium Vitamin D level < 40 mg/mL is associated with stress fracture Supplementation of up to 50,000 IU weekly has been suggested Miller JR et al. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery 55 (2016) 117 – 120. Inklebarger J et al. J R Amry Med Coprs 104;160:61-63.
Where do we go from here? "What we must do is change the physical habits of millions of Americans and that is far more difficult than changing their tastes, their fashions or even their politics." President Kennedy, December 5, 1961
Thank you Marc Silberman, M.D.