title: Fatigue injuries of the femur.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the anatomical distribution and incidence of fatigue injuries of the femur in physically-active young adults, based upon MRI studies. During a period of 70 months, 1857 patients with exercise-induced pain in the femur underwent MRI of the pelvis, hips, femora, and/or knees. Of these, 170 patients had a total of 185 fatigue injuries, giving an incidence of 199 per 100 000 person-years. Bilateral injuries occurred in 9% of patients. The three most common sites affected were the femoral neck (50%), the condylar area (24%) and the proximal shaft (18%). A fatigue reaction was seen in 57%, and a fracture line in 22%. There was a statistical correlation between the severity of the fatigue injury and the duration of pain (p = 0.001). The location of the pain was normally at the site of the fatigue injury. Fatigue injuries of the femur appear to be relatively common in physically-active patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research Institute of Military Medicine, Central Military Hospital, P. O. Box 50, FIN-00300, Helsinki, Finland. maria.niva@fimnet.fi
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Niva
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kiuru
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haataja
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Pihlajamäki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005269:Femur / Q000293:injuries*; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015775:Fractures, Stress / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology