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Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Mayer, SW; Joyner, PW; Almekinders, LC; Parekh, SG
Published in: Sports Health
November 2014

CONTEXT: Stress fractures of the foot and ankle are a common problem encountered by athletes of all levels and ages. These injuries can be difficult to diagnose and may be initially evaluated by all levels of medical personnel. Clinical suspicion should be raised with certain history and physical examination findings. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Scientific and review articles were searched through PubMed (1930-2012) with search terms including stress fractures and 1 of the following: foot ankle, medial malleolus, lateral malleolus, calcaneus, talus, metatarsal, cuboid, cuneiform, sesamoid, or athlete. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5. RESULTS: Stress fractures of the foot and ankle can be divided into low and high risk based upon their propensity to heal without complication. A wide variety of nonoperative strategies are employed based on the duration of symptoms, type of fracture, and patient factors, such as activity type, desire to return to sport, and compliance. Operative management has proven superior in several high-risk types of stress fractures. Evidence on pharmacotherapy and physiologic therapy such as bone stimulators is evolving. CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion for stress fractures is appropriate in many high-risk groups of athletes with lower extremity pain. Proper and timely work-up and treatment is successful in returning these athletes to sport in many cases. Low-risk stress fracture generally requires only activity modification while high-risk stress fracture necessitates more aggressive intervention. The specific treatment of these injuries varies with the location of the stress fracture and the goals of the patient.

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Published In

Sports Health

DOI

ISSN

1941-7381

Publication Date

November 2014

Volume

6

Issue

6

Start / End Page

481 / 491

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 4207 Sports science and exercise
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences
 

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Mayer, S. W., Joyner, P. W., Almekinders, L. C., & Parekh, S. G. (2014). Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes. Sports Health, 6(6), 481–491. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738113486588
Mayer, Stephanie W., Patrick W. Joyner, Louis C. Almekinders, and Selene G. Parekh. “Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes.Sports Health 6, no. 6 (November 2014): 481–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738113486588.
Mayer SW, Joyner PW, Almekinders LC, Parekh SG. Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes. Sports Health. 2014 Nov;6(6):481–91.
Mayer, Stephanie W., et al. “Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes.Sports Health, vol. 6, no. 6, Nov. 2014, pp. 481–91. Pubmed, doi:10.1177/1941738113486588.
Mayer SW, Joyner PW, Almekinders LC, Parekh SG. Stress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes. Sports Health. 2014 Nov;6(6):481–491.
Journal cover image

Published In

Sports Health

DOI

ISSN

1941-7381

Publication Date

November 2014

Volume

6

Issue

6

Start / End Page

481 / 491

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 4207 Sports science and exercise
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences