Stress Fracture Diagnosis

Thin cracks in the bone are known as stress fractures. They result from overuse and repetitive force, such as running excessively. Additionally, stress fractures can result from regular usage of a bone that has been weakened by a disease like osteoporosis.

Causes of Stress Fractures:

• Increasing the length or level of an activity prematurely might lead to stress fractures.
• Bone adapts steadily in response to higher stresses, a natural process that accelerates as the strain on the bone rises. You are more likely to get stress fractures when your bones are subjected to an unusual amount of strain without adequate time to heal.

Diagnosis:

To determine whether you have a fracture caused by stress and the seriousness of the fracture, your healthcare provider may need to perform several tests.

Physical Evaluation: During your initial appointment, the physician will do an orthopedic exam and go through potential risk indicators of suffering a stress fracture. Your medical history will be questioned while talking about risk factors. These include the work you have been engaged in, the medications you’re on along with other factors as well.

Tests:

• MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging is for the extremely precise imaging of the damage. MRI gives extremely sharp pictures of the human body and is usually recommended by doctors.
• Bone Scan: Fractures caused by stress that are undetectable on an X-Ray may be observed with a bone scan. A radioactive substance, known as the tracer, is put into the bloodstream during a bone scan. The tracer settles and accumulates in the bone where the healing is taking place. On the scan, the stress-fractured area will be shown as being darker than the undamaged area.
• X-Ray: To check for a fractured bone, your doctor could prescribe an X-ray. A stress fracture, however, might be challenging to detect on an X-Ray since the bone frequently looks normal and the minute breaks aren’t visible in the picture.

Your first thought when you hear the word “broken bone” generally involves an acute fracture or a break that happens suddenly as a result of a fall, car accident, or other unexpected events. These are frequent injuries, particularly to the fragile bones of the foot. However, this is simply one type of fracture. Stress fractures, a particular sort of small fracture that starts and worsens gradually over time, can also occur in your lower body. Any other ailment or injury affecting the feet, ankles, or lower legs can be diagnosed and treated by a podiatrist, as can stress fractures. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County, Arizona, have unparalleled experience treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. If you have any questions or want to make an appointment, please call (520) 575-0800.