Stress fractures in athletes.

Abstract

overuse syndromes or stress syndromes in athletes’ 4 &dquo;Insufficiency fracture,&dquo; &dquo;Deutchlander’s fracture,&dquo; &dquo;exhaustion fracture,&dquo; etc., are older names stemming from prior military experience. Stress fracture is defined as a partial or complete fracture of bone due to the inability to withstand nonviolent stress that is applied in a rhythmic, repeated, subthreshold manner. For instance, fatigue fracture of the fibula shaft is &dquo;excessive, repetitive pounding as from running on hard surface&dquo;.5 An important concept is that stress fracture is an accelerated example of bone remodeling, thus making it a process, not an occurrence. Wolffs Law remains pertinent and applicable in that the fracture