Stress Fractures in Athletes

Diagnosis and Management

Stress fractures are fatigue failures of bone caused by unusual or repeated stress on bone and are among the more common sports injuries encountered. Often going unreported or occasionally unnoticed, athletes run the risk of a more serious fracture if untreated. Stress Fractures in Athletes focuses on the presentation, evaluation and treatment of these injuries. Divided into two sections, the first part provides in-depth description of the pathophysiology, epidemiology and biomechanics of stress fractures, as well as a discussion of classification, imaging and some general treatment concepts. The second part expands on treatment and takes each relevant anatomical region into consideration: lumbar spine, pelvis, femur, knee, tibia, upper and lower extremities, and the ribs and shoulder girdle. A chapter on insufficiency fractures, commonly associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis, is also included. As such, Stress Fractures in Athletes are a comprehensive resource for sports medicine practitioners, orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians and physical therapists alike.