What Causes Stress Fractures

There is not enough room on the internet to list all the potential causes of emotional stress. Work, relationships, health, and finances are general sources of stress for billions of people. Physical stress—the kind that can lead to fractures—is a little more straightforward. This is what we need to consider when we discuss what causes stress fractures.

Stress fractures are a common sports injury patients experience. As you will see, there are several reasons for this, including:

• Forces placed on feet. Whether you are aware of this or not, feet endure a tremendous amount of force, even when simply walking around. Walking places as much as two times your body weight on your feet with every step. Running and landing after jumping lead to even more physical stress.
• Fatigued muscles. The muscles in your lower body help shoulder the load, but they are not as able to do so when they are fatigued.
• Not enough time for bone tissue regeneration. Bones undergo a continual process of cellular breakdown, reabsorption, and regeneration. This process does take some time. When bones are subjected to force loads before new cells have been regenerated, they are more likely to become fractured.
• An unprepared body. If you start performing high-impact activities (like running or jumping on hard surfaces) without giving your body a chance to adapt, you increase the risk of developing a stress fracture in your lower limbs. For this reason, stress fractures can be fairly common amongst military recruits who have not prepared enough before entering boot camp.

Understanding stress fracture causes is a starting point in diagnosing the condition. If you can identify any of them in your recent behaviors or activities, it could be a clue that a stress fracture is the source of the pain you are experiencing. We may need to use diagnostic imaging to confirm your suspicions, but it is helpful to know if you recently started physical activity or run on a frequent basis.

No matter the foot or ankle injury you sustain, our team at Dallas Podiatry Works is ready to help. We provide comprehensive foot care services at our Plano and Dallas offices, so give us a toll-free call at 972.566.7474 or use our online form to contact us today!