title: A practical approach to stress fractures.
abstract: Stress fractures may be fatigue or insufficiency related. Fatigue stress fractures result when healthy bones are exposed to intense and/or repetitive loads for which the bone is not prepared. Insufficiency stress fractures result from normal loads to bones weakened by genetic, metabolic, nutritional, or endocrine processes. Fracture usually begins as a small cortical infarction that progresses as stress increases or continues. Pain is the hallmark symptom of both types. When confronted with signs and symptoms consistent with stress fractures, providers must consider risk factors, comorbid conditions, and whether or not the mechanism of the injury is consistent with the clinical picture. Though the two types of stress fractures are treated differently, in both, the prognoses are dependent on early identification and intervention.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D015775:Fractures, Stress / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D016530:Orthopedic Nursing / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors