Stress fracture, in its most inclusive description, includes both fatigue and insufficiency fractureFatigue fractures, sometimes equated with the term "stress fractures," are most common in runners and other athletes and typically occur in the lower extremities.

Stress fractures can be considered an overuse injury of a boneThe bones in the body are constantly changing, responding to the work load that is placed upon them, and there is a constant turnover of cells as bone acts to repair itselfThe more load placed on the

Stress fractures on bone scintigraphy appear as foci of increased radioisotope activity ('hot spot') due to increased bone turnover at the site of new bone formationHowever, as with all bone scintigraphy, this is non specific the increased uptake can also be due to osteomyelitis, bone tumors or avascular necrosis.

Stress fractures are more common in people who engage in high impact sports, such as track and field, basketball, tennis, dance or gymnasticsIncreased activityStress fractures often occur in people who suddenly shift from a sedentary lifestyle to an active training regimen or who rapidly increase the intensity, duration or frequency of training sessions.

Navicular stress fractures are common because compressive forces are focused on this bone when the foot hits the groundThe low blood supply in this region makes the healing of minor injuries more difficult, thus injuries are more likely to develop into a stress fractureNavicular stress fractures are more common in high impact sports such as

Stress fractures represent a spectrum of injuries ranging from periostitis, caused by inflammation of the periosteum, to a complete stress fracture that includes a full cortical breakThey are relatively common overuse injuries in athletes, caused by repetitive submaximal loading on a bone over time.

A stress fracture is a fatigue induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over timeInstead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or jumpingBecause of this mechanism, stress fractures are common overuse injuries in athletes.[

Stress fractures occur most often in the second and third metatarsals in the foot, which are thinner (and often longer) than the adjacent first metatarsalThis is the area of greatest impact on your foot as you push off when you walk or runStress fractures are also

Stress fractures can occur anywhere there is overuse, but theyre most commonly found in the lower extremity as a result of impact and weight bearing activitiesThe most common bone is the shin bone or tibia ( to of all stress fractures often running injuries).

Stress fractures are overuse injuriesBones constantly remodel and repair, particularly when stressed by impact in sportOver time, repeat stress may exhaust the capacity of the osteoblasts to remodelThis may occur over quite a long period of repetitive, cyclic loadingMost stress fractures occur in the lower limbs.