{"id":9963,"date":"2019-09-04T10:58:21","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T10:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=9963"},"modified":"2021-06-23T14:57:26","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T14:57:26","slug":"15-frequent-symptoms-of-stress-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-frequent-symptoms-of-stress-fracture\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Frequent Symptoms of Stress Fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A stress fracture can affect anyone but they are most often seen in athletes, members of the armed forces and those in the healthcare field. Most regular fractures are caused by some form of blunt trauma, pressure or even a fall from a moderate height. Stress fractures, on the other hand, are caused by the bone is subjected to repeated actions. This overuse can cause serious injury to the bone over time. Your bones are made to withstand a wide range of movements and activities. As such, your bones are in a constant state of change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your bones are placed under pressure, they automatically begin to heal the damage caused by the stress. Bones that are subjected to repeated actions are not afforded enough time to heal properly which can cause a stress fracture. When stress is placed on a bone, the more calcium, the body sends to that area for its repair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With repetitive actions, the body is unable to send enough calcium which causes cracks to develop in the bone over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Night Aches<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures<\/a> are hard to notice in most patients because they occur over time as opposed to in a single traumatic incident. Stress fractures are caused by repeated actions such as playing tennis or working in warehouse lifting boxes. Stress fractures cause several small cracks in the bone that can become painful over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working in manual labor will leave you sore, rest and pain relievers should resolve the issues. The same goes for those who are playing professional sports. Intense training will leave your body well worked and sore, but rest and therapy will heal the damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you suffer from chronic pain and night aches that don\u2019t go away even with rest or therapy, it is presumably because your pain is a result of a stress fracture. Pain and aches that last nightly for more than two weeks should be x-rayed to rule out stress fractures or other ailments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Tenderness <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If too much force is placed on a bone, it can cause it to break. Stress fractures are caused by repetitive motions such as those encountered in professional sports or work-related situations. When a stress fracture occurs, it can cause the area where the break occurred to become incredibly tender. In most cases, the nerves, blood vessels, joints, and muscles in the surrounding area are also affected. Tenderness <\/a>is a typical symptom that occurs when the surrounding tissues are damaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures can cause bruising and swelling which will more significantly increase the amount of tenderness near the injury. The bones in your body are also surrounded by nerve endings. These nerves get irritated when a bone breaks and can cause tenderness until the wound heals. Stress fractures are not always obvious like other bone breaks. Sometimes, you may not realize your bone is fractured until you encounter tenderness around the injury site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Weakness<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bones are made to handle the weight of your body and your typical activities. The muscles surrounding your bones not only give them support, but they are also offered support to help guide your movements. When you suffer a stress fracture, your bone will no longer be able to provide support until it heals. The muscles in the area around the injury will also suffer due to spasms, swelling, and nerve injury. A classic symptom that is seen in most patients who are suffering from a stress fracture is a weakness in the affected limb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weakness <\/a>of the bone and muscle in the injured area is not usually permanent. However, there may be lingering stiffness and weakness of the tendons and ligaments even after the stress fracture has healed. Stress fractures can also cause weakness in the surrounding areas far removed from the actual break because of how the stress from the break is distributed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Pain<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most often when you break a bone <\/a>you will recognize right away due to the waves of pain the injury elicits. Every so often, a fractured bone will merely present with mild discomfort. Generally, when a bone is broken, there will be some form of pain involved. Severe breaks will cause intense pain that makes moving the injured area almost impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a broken bone doesn\u2019t break the skin, and the pain level is moderate to mild, it may be hard to understand that medical attention may be needed. Severe pain can be triggered when pressure is placed on the injured area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With stress fracture injuries, chronic pain that comes and goes is common. Pain from stress fractures can also increase in severity if the break is not treated. Often, a person who suffers a stress fracture may continue to work or play through the pain not realizing that the bone has been broken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Swelling <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to stress fractures, one of the most widely seen symptoms is swelling in the area that has been injured. All broken bones bleed to some extent. Edema<\/a>, which is bleeding, also will cause the area to experience pain. Bleeding and swelling can be exacerbated when the muscles around the break begin to spasm. This swelling between the layers of fat, muscle, and skin are the most notable symptoms of a stress fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anytime there is an injury to the body, it can cause a release of fluids into the soft tissue which will make it swell. Swelling is a common symptom present in several medical conditions, but when a person has just suffered an injury, swelling is most likely due to a stress fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once enough blood collects under the skin, the injured and swollen area will begin to bruise. Not all stress fractures have excessive swelling, often it is just a minor amount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Bruising <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When an area around an injury changes color, it shows that blood as escaped the capillaries<\/a>. This is a sign that tissue damage under the area has occurred. Any type of tissue damage can result in bruising, however, it is a common sign of stress fractures. Broken bones can also leak blood, which will cause bruising in the skin over the injury. The deeper the bruise appears, the more serious the break. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruising is usually seen at the skin level but can extend all the way down to the bone. When it comes to stress fractures, bruising is common. This is one reason it is critical for children and elderly people especially to receive proper medical attention in order to rule out bone breakages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures are often overlooked even though bruising is present because the pain is not always severe enough to warrant attention. Light bruising is also a sign of stress fractures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Deformity & Numbness<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of all of the symptoms, a deformity is probably the most unmistakable indication that there is a stress fracture. When a bone bends outside of its normal pattern, it will create an obvious disturbance along the surface. Some bones may even poke outside of the skin which is an obvious deformity that signifies a broken bone. There are times where a deformity can be caused by a dislocated joint, but it won\u2019t break the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a stress fracture occurs, the ends of the bone may no longer be aligned which can cause the tissue around to change shape. When the bones break or are pushed out of alignment, it can cause nerves <\/a>to become pinched and numb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loss of blood flow to the nerves from a stress fracture can also cause the area around the injury to become numb. Lack of feeling paired with deformity are clear symptoms of stress fractures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Inability to Bear Weight<\/strong>  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures are much different than typically fractured bones. Unlike regularly broken bones, stress fractures are caused by several small cracks that occur over time. In many cases, the bone will not have a clean break or even separates from the rest of the bone. There also tends to be less bruising <\/a>and swelling with stress fractures. These reasons are why it is often hard to know when a person has suffered a broken bone due to stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One common symptom of a stress fracture is the inability of the bone to bear weight. If the bone is in the lower extremities, it may be hard or impossible to bear down on the injured leg or foot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For stress fractures on the upper extremities, it may be difficult or impossible to lift any weight or to place any weight on the arms, wrist or hands. If you have this symptom, the chance is you are suffering from a stress fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Discoloration Around the Fracture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures<\/a> are ones that happen over a long period of time due to repeated stresses and impacts to the bone. This can cause more than just internal symptoms like pain, but can also cause a lot of external ones such as bruising \u2013 and where sudden or ever-present bruising isn\u2019t a symptom, eventual discoloration of the site located around the fracture eventually might be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any signs of discoloration are likely to be associated with other symptoms that have already been mentioned in this article including bone deformity and the eventual inability to place weight on the limb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice any signs of bumpiness on bone under the skin combined with fracture-site discoloration, consider them warning signs that you might have an underlying stress fracture. Where this symptom wasn\u2019t present before, it\u2019s likely to further indicate that the injury has been hurt again or the bone has fractured further under the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Redness and Inflammation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the discoloration associated with a stress fracture will instead take the form of warm redness that\u2019s similar to the type that you would see in cases of gout or severe arthritis<\/a>. Usually, this is caused by inflammation, and it can happen both to fresh injuries and fractures as well as ones that happened several years or decades back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience any inflammation of this type, see your doctor whether you have already been diagnosed with a stress fracture before or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some rare cases where an inflammatory form of arthritis is already present, it\u2019s likely that the inflammation of a stress fracture can go together with inflammation in any other parts of the body \u2013 including limbs and joints that might seem like they aren\u2019t related at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of general inflammation would be a simultaneous flare-up of both a stress fracture and toothache or jaw pain at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Pins and Needles or Tingling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pins and needles or signs of tingling can go together with many different fractures or breaks, and they can present either as a symptom that happens suddenly or one that happens as a slow-onset process in the same way that the original fracture does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience any pins and needles or tingling, it could point to the presence of a trapped nerve or further circulation problems. These are considered closer to medical emergencies, and should be addressed as a symptom the moment they happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never ignore pins and needles or tingling <\/a>anywhere in the body: Sometimes the conditions and symptoms that they are associated with can point to an increased risk of developing conditions like blood clots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience any tingling or pins and needles together with some of the symptoms mentioned on this list, see your doctor or take a trip to your nearest emergency room where the symptom onset is sudden or they are particularly severe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Impaired Movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress fractures can cause a range of different serious health effects, including ones that you are likely to have to deal with for years after the original injury took place. One of these potential symptoms is impaired movement after a stress fracture or sudden break, which happens as the calcium <\/a>impacts around the injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tendons and muscles might be affected as part of the fracture healing process, and this can mean that you can\u2019t, for example, move the limb as fast or as far as it used to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impaired movement of this type due to fractures are sometimes known to become worse at night or in colder weather. Bracing and the application of pressure and heat are some of the methods which can help to reduce the sting of this symptom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See your doctor for x-rays in cases where impaired movement becomes a serious problem or causes any further pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Related Bone Conditions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any related bone conditions can increase your likelihood of developing stress fractures, and they can make the symptoms that are associated with stress fractures a lot worse. If you have any of these related bone conditions, you should be aware of the increased risk factors involved \u2013 and make the necessary precautions in order to make sure that your health is protected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related conditions like these include arthritis and inflammatory arthritis but might also include other connective tissue disorders like Marfan Syndrome<\/a> which can weaken the bone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you suspect that you have any bone conditions or have been diagnosed with any of them, you should make an appointment with your doctor for simple tests that can help you get an official diagnosis.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, it\u2019s much easier to know what you should and should not do to help your condition. Adapt your diet and be more active where you can for the benefits of your own health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Back and Neck Pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Back and neck pain<\/a> is some of the symptoms that you might not first associate with a stress fracture that\u2019s happened elsewhere in the body, but it\u2019s likely to be one of the most common ones. If you experience any back and neck pain, it could have something to do with your posture or the way you place pressure on your feet and hips when you walk \u2013 and this can be directly linked to the presence of a stress fracture, whether or not you\u2019re aware of the condition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoe inserts might help to relieve pain associated with walking, although it\u2019s recommended that you see your doctor first for x-rays in order to establish the extent of the injury before you do anything yourself at home to attempt to treat it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the associated pain gets any worse despite treatment, make another appointment with your doctor or seek an urgent second opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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15. Risk of Further Injuries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you have an existing stress fracture somewhere in the body, then you are at an automatically increased risk of developing further injuries at the fracture site \u2013 and a full-on break is considered to be a much more likely condition, too. This risk of further injury happens to areas of the bone that have already been weakened by smaller fractures, and it\u2019s the same reason that a glass or mug is more likely to break in a spot that already has a crack if it were to fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any existing bone-related conditions like arthritis<\/a>, your risk of further injury increases even beyond this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make regular appointments with your doctor to monitor any conditions that you might have, and make the necessary adaptations in your daily life to make living with these conditions as painless as possible.  Exercise enough (but not too much) and ensure that your diet is filled with more of the \u201cgood stuff\u201d and less of the bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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