Different Types of Stress Fractures of the Foot

Stress fractures of the foot are a common foot injury in adults, and are often seen in those suffering from osteoporosis, those who are overweight, or those who participate in high impact physical activities. They can be incredibly painful to deal with. While most often easily treated with home care remedies, there are a number of different types of stress fractures of the foot, and depending on which you are suffering from, the recovery time, and what to expect are a little different.



What follows is not an exhaustive list of all the different types of stress fractures of the foot, but they are three of the most commonly seen by doctors.



Calcaneus Stress Fracture

In layman's terms, this is a stress fracture of the heel bone, which is known medically as the calcaneus. This is one of the more severe forms of stress fractures of the foot. Due to the location of this bone, this type of stress fracture takes longer than the others to heal. Most often, calcaneus stress fractures are seen in highly athletic people, particularly long distance runners.



Metatarsal Stress Fracture

This is a more common type of foot stress fracture and is also often referred to as a March Fracture as many in the military, in the days where vast distances were covered on foot, suffered from this common foot injury. The metatarsals are the five long bones in our feet that end in our toe bones. These too are often an injury that is sustained by runners and those who are athletic, but are also commonly associated with those who are overweight or who suffer from osteoporosis.



Navicular Stress Fracture

This is one of the most common types of stress fractures that athletes who participate in short burst activities suffer from. Short burst activities are those such as hurdling, long jumping, basketball, and even soccer. Basically, a short burst activity is any activity that only requires short, but intense bursts of energy, which often puts a lot of pressure on the foot. These activities, especially on unforgiving surfaces like concrete, causes a lot of shock to the mid-part of the foot and can result in a stress fracture over time, or as a result of a particularly intense burst. While these types of stress fractures can be seen amongst other population, they are most common in athletes.



It is advisable to seek medical attention at the first signs of stress fracture symptoms