Jared Sullinger Stress Fracture of Foot

Jared Sullinger of the NBA Celtics will be sitting out for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture of the foot. Stress fractures, also known as hairline breaks or fractures, are common in the foot and typically take 6-8 weeks to heal if properly and promptly diagnosed. Unfortunately, these fractures are not always diagnosed in a normal patient in a timely fashion because they may not be visible on conventional x-rays for up to twenty one days. For an elite athlete, if x-rays are negative, advanced imaging modalities like MRI and CT scans are often ordered immediately. Frequently, if a normal, non-athlete patient has pain over a bone that is not improving despite negative x-rays, an MRI or CT will eventually be ordered. This can cause a delay in diagnosis and treatment.