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Classification of Stress Fractures

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Stress Fractures in Athletes

Abstract

Stress fractures represent a fatigue failure of bone, occurring along a spectrum of severity of structural injury with healing potential that varies by location. Many stress fracture classification systems currently exist in the literature. These systems employ various imaging modalities, but few include clinical parameters or have been validated for reliability between evaluators. Though many are generalizable, a gold standard classification system for grading stress fractures has yet to be determined.

In order to accurately study and communicate about a pathologic clinical condition, one must be able to accurately describe it. As most clinical pathologies do not exist as a simple “present / not present” entity with a single consistent severity in a consistently equal environment, their description typically requires a classification system. This chapter will encompass the description and classification of stress fractures of bone. In order to understand the rationale behind describing stress fractures, a brief review of the pathophysiology of stress fractures will be included. This chapter will be divided into the following sections:

  • Defining a Stress Fracture

  • Features of a Quality Classification System

  • High-Risk vs. Low-Risk Stress Fractures

  • Current and Historical Classification Systems

  • Kaeding-Miller Classification System

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Christopher C. Kaeding

  2. Department of Athletics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Christopher C. Kaeding

  3. 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

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

    Timothy L. Miller

Authors
  1. Christopher C. Kaeding
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  2. Timothy L. Miller
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Correspondence to Christopher C. Kaeding .

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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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Kaeding, C.C., Miller, T.L. (2020). Classification of Stress Fractures. In: Miller, T.L., Kaeding, C.C. (eds) Stress Fractures in Athletes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46919-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46919-1_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-46918-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-46919-1

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