Did you know there are 26 bones in your foot? Together both your feet account for 1/4 of the bones in your body.
Bones, contrary to popular belief, are very much alive and are constantly changing. If we do more activity they get thicker and stronger, less so the less we do.
Because of this dynamic remodelling of the bone, rapid change in activity level or force applied to an area can sometimes cause the bone to become ‘stressed’. Unlike a traumatic fracture (sudden break of the bone), a stress fracture is a gradual breakdown of the cortex of your bone (like the wall of your house). This is normally the structure that gives your bone its strength and load taking ability.
Because our feet do a lot of walking and take all of our body weight when we work out, they are common places to develop stress reactions/fractures in the bones.
They are particularly common in long distance runners, Dancers, and people who spend a lot of time on their feet.
Stress fractures can be notoriously difficult to diagnose because they don’t always show up on X-rays. Because of this we will often treat you based off of your symptoms.
The treatment for a Stress Fracture will vary depending on the location, training level, pain level, medication, age, and other medical conditions you may have.
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