Stress fractures aren’t career ending but they can be season ending injuries for an athlete. They often require several weeks of immobilization to heal successfully. To diagnose a stress fracture the physician will recommend either a bone scan with contrast or an MRI with and without contrast to visualize the fracture in the bone. This gives the doctor an immediate answer as to whether the pain is caused from a stress fracture, the size of the fracture and the expected time of healing.
Once the initial bone scan is performed where the stress fracture can be visualized the physician can order x-rays to follow up on the healing process in expected time periods. Knowing the size of the fracture or split in the bone and the approximate time of the injury the doctor will be able to estimate how long it will be before healing begins to take place.
Athletes who don’t show the expected healing process may be evaluated for other problems or metabolic issues that are increasing the time needed to heal the fracture. These can include calcium shortage in the body, lack of Vitamin D and other essential nutrients.
Some physicians use a removable cast that patients can wear during the day, are able to walk using them, and can remove them to sleep or shower. At other times, if the physician feels the patient may not comply with the recommendations or the fracture is significant, they will recommend a solid cast. These casts are removed every two weeks to inspect the skin beneath and evaluate the healing process.
The physician may begin with a recommendation of 6-8 weeks in a cast and use their evaluation of the healing process through cast removal to determine how long the cast will remain in place.
Once the cast is removed the doctor will likely recommend several appointments with the physical therapist to evaluate why the injury happened and help the legs and joints to strengthen after weeks of immobilization.
