title: Classification and return-to-play considerations for stress fractures.
abstract: Stress fractures are common injuries, particularly in endurance athletes. Stress fracture management should take into consideration the injury site (low risk versus high risk), the grade (extent of microdamage accumulation), and the individual's competitive situation. The authors briefly discuss the pathophysiology and diagnostic process of stress fractures and expand on the classification of stress fractures and its impact on return-to-play decision making based on the relative risk of the fracture.
authors.affiliation: Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, The Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center, Columbus, OH 43221, USA.
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Diehl
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kaeding
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015775:Fractures, Stress / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000379:methods; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation