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| What is a Stress Fracture?
A stress fracture is a break in a bone cause by repetitive stress. It may occur in any bone, but is quite common in the metatarsal bones of the foot. There is often no recollection of injury. | |
| Causes
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| | Decreased density of the bones (eg. osteoporosis) | |
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| | Unusual stress on a metatarsal due to malposition or another forefoot deformity (eg. bunion) | |
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| | Abnormal foot structure or mechanics (eg. flatfoot) | |
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| | Increased levels of activity, especially without proper conditioning | |
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| | Obesity | |
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| Symptoms
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| | Sharp pain in the forefoot, aggravated by walking | |
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| | Tenderness to pressure on the top surface of a metatarsal bone | |
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| | Diffuse swelling of the skin over the forefoot | |
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| The patient may simply develop a painful forefoot after some activity, such a walking, sports, or stooping down onto the ball of the foot. A small crack develops in the cortex (outer shell) of the bone. Without proper treatment, this may progress to a "through and through" overt fracture of the bone. The second and third metatarsals are the most commonly affected. Metatarsal stress fracture may not become apparent on x-rays until a few weeks after the injury. | |
