Five Risk Factors Of A Foot Stress Fracture

Posted on: 11 October 2017

Stress fractures in the feet are common, especially in people who participate in a sport, such as running. A stress fracture can cause foot pain because it means that there is a small break in one of the foot bones that can be easily problematic and difficult to ignore. It will need to be treated right away to prevent the pain from affecting your day-to-day life and to ensure that it heals. Otherwise, you will be dealing with chronic pain for the rest of your life. Here are five risk factors to be aware of:

  1. Gender: Women tend to deal with stress fractures more often than men. It's believed that this is the case because women tend to have weaker bones since they are also more likely to deal with osteoporosis than men. If you are a women participating in sports, such as running, it's important to take especially great care of your feet for this reason.
  2. Age: One would think that the older you are, the more likely you are to suffer from a stress fracture in the foot, however, this is not the case. In fact, younger people are more likely to have the problem with stress fractures since the bones are still developing. Since the bones in the feet are so small, this is especially problematic since they are more likely to become fractured in their weaker stage of growth. 
  3. Improper Foot Positions: It's important that you are standing on your feet correctly. This is why it's so important to wear the right shoes. The arch of your foot needs to be properly supported. Otherwise, there is too much stress being placed on the foot. This is why, especially as a sports player, you need to have your shoes made to be a custom fit. 
  4. Sudden Change of Surface: If you go from playing soccer on the grass to running on concrete, it can become a problem. Your feet are not used to the sudden change in the surface, which can cause a stress fracture to occur. To reduce the chance of this happening, make gradual changes. If you want to start running after playing soccer, start on a grass field first, moving towards turf, then to the concrete or sidewalk. 
  5. Previous Stress Fracture: Once you've had a stress fracture, you are much more likely to develop another one in the future. Be sure that you take extra caution for this reason. 

With some of the risk factors in mind, you can take proper steps to prevent it. You definitely want to prevent it not only because once you have one, it's difficult to not suffer format again, but also because it can be extremely painful and prevent you from being able to continue to participate in activities that require you to be on your feet. Contact a medical center, like Foot & Ankle Care Center PA, for more help.

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