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The Holistic Approach to Stress Fracture Treatment

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Stress Fractures in Athletes

Abstract

Stress fractures are overuse injuries of bone that result from an imbalance of training, healing, nutrition, hormones, and biomechanics. They present most commonly in the lower extremities of runners and military personnel but can also occur in the upper extremity and spine depending on the causative activity. Stress fractures occur along a continuum of severity with no two stress fractures exhibiting the same behavior. A detailed history that includes training frequency and intensity, dietary habits, menstruation, and rest/sleep along with a thorough physical examination and proper imaging are required for diagnosing and risk stratifying these injuries. Treatment of stress fractures requires nutritional and emotional support, rest from the causative activity, and surgical stabilization in the case of high-risk sites. In recent years, orthobiologic treatment options to enhance the healing potential of bone have been developed and have shown promise for the treatment of stress fractures in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, Columbus, OH, USA

    Timothy L. Miller

  2. Ohio State University Athletics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Endurance Medicine Team, Columbus, OH, USA

    Timothy L. Miller

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  1. Timothy L. Miller
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Correspondence to Timothy L. Miller .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical, Columbus, OH, USA

    Timothy L. Miller

  2. Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical, Columbus, OH, USA

    Christopher C. Kaeding

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Miller, T.L. (2020). The Holistic Approach to Stress Fracture Treatment. In: Miller, T.L., Kaeding, C.C. (eds) Stress Fractures in Athletes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46919-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46919-1_7

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