Here is a list of sport with a higher risk of stress fractures: High impact sports can also lead to these fractures of the lower extremities. So, if you have led a sedentary lifestyle and decide to go out and run a 5K, the stress and load on the bones could cause this condition. When minimal to no force is placed on a bone, the bone material begins to be reabsorbed and becomes weaker. Stress on a bone stimulates bone formation or osteogenesis. Bones become stronger and weaker based on the demands and stress placed on them. What Causes a Hairline or Stress Fracture?Ĭhanging or increasing the load on bones is usually what causes a hairline fracture. The most common hairline fracture is in the foot or metatarsal bones of the foot. Low calcium or vitamin D can also be a contributing factor in the development of these fractures. Impact activities or change in exercise activities can increase the chance of having a stress or hairline fracture. However, these fractures are more common in the legs and feet. Hairline fractures of the wrist and hand are more common with a fall or accident. The small microscopic cracks in the bone can get worse without some sort of intervention. Never cut the cast or let your child stick anything down it to scratch an itch on the leg.By Ehren Allen, Certified Manual Therapist/Physical TherapistĪ hairline fracture, or stress fracture is a small crack or bruise in a bone.Water under the cast or splint can cause the skin to itch and hurt. Or ask your doctor about products that can help keep a cast or splint dry. If you are told to keep your child's cast or splint on, tape a sheet of plastic to cover it when he or she bathes.Your doctor may want your child to keep it on as much as possible. If your child has a removable fibreglass walking cast or a splint, ask your doctor if it is okay to remove it to bathe. If your child has a removable fibreglass walking cast or a splint, do not take it off unless your doctor tells you to. If your child's foot is in a cast or splint, follow the cast or splint care instructions your doctor gives you.Try to keep it above the level of your child's heart. Prop up your child's foot on a pillow when you ice it or anytime your child sits or lies down for the next 3 days.Put a thin cloth between the ice and your child's skin. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the next 3 days (when your child is awake) or until the swelling goes down. Put ice or a cold pack on your child's foot for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.If your child was given crutches, be sure he or she uses them as directed. Follow your doctor's instructions about how much weight your child can put on the foot and when your child can go back to his or her usual activities.If your child is not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if he or she can take an over-the-counter medicine.If your doctor gave your child a prescription medicine for pain, give it as prescribed.Read and follow all instructions on the label. Give your child a variety of healthy foods. Your doctor may suggest that your child get physiotherapy to help regain strength and range of motion in the foot. Do not let your child return to usual activities until your doctor says he or she can. It is important to give your child's foot time to heal completely, so that he or she does not hurt it again. Your child may have been given crutches to use to keep weight off his or her foot.Ī metatarsal fracture may take from 6 weeks to several months to heal. Your doctor may have put your child's foot in a cast or splint to keep it stable. Your child may or may not have had surgery. Treatment depends on how bad the fracture is and where the fracture is on the bone. This fracture is common among dancers because their work involves a lot of jumping, and balancing and turning on one foot. Or it can happen when a person jumps or changes direction quickly and twists his or her foot or ankle the wrong way. This type of fracture usually happens from repeated stress on the bones of the foot. A metatarsal fracture is a break or a thin, hairline crack in one of the metatarsal bones of the foot.
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