What is a Stress Fracture of my foot?

The foot is made up of 28 bones and many soft tissue structures (tendons, muscles, nerves, ligaments). A stress fracture is a hair line or small crack in a bone. Usually, the condition has foot swelling and pain associated with it. The foot is a common place for stress fractures because it is used for weightbearing. Additionally, repeated microtrauma (marching, running, walking, dancing, etc)is a typical cause of foot stress fractures. Stress fractures may not be visible on a normal x-ray for 21 days and advanced tests such as MRI may be necessary along with a clinical exam to diagnose a stress fracture. Stress fractures require immobilization in a surgery shoe or boot and often take 6-8 weeks to heal if treated promptly. Some stress fractures are not immediately diagnosed because the patient does not remember any specific injury or event that caused the fracture. Thus, they often wait to see if the condition will get better on its own and delay their doctor's appointment. Dr. Bender 708-763-0580