title: An unusual stress fracture: Bilateral posterior longitudinal stress fracture of tibia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress fractures (SF) occur when healthy bone is subjected to cyclic loading, which the normal carrying range capacity is exceeded. Usually, stress fractures occur at the metatarsal bones, calcaneus, proximal or distal tibia and tends to be unilateral.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article presents a 58-year-old male patient with bilateral posterior longitudinal tibial stress fractures. A 58 years old male suffering for persistent left calf pain and decreased walking distance for last one month and after imaging studies posterior longitudinal tibial stress fracture was detected on his left tibia. After six months the patient was admitted to our clinic with the same type of complaints in his right leg. All imaging modalities and blood counts were performed and as a result longitudinal posterior tibial stress fractures were detected on his right tibia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of tibial stress fracture includes rest and modified activity, followed by a graded return to activity commensurate with bony healing. We have applied the same treatment protocol and our results were acceptable but our follow up time short for this reason our study is restricted for separate stress fractures of the posterior tibia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the main localization of tibial stress fractures were unilateral, anterior and transverse pattern, rarely, like in our case, the unusual bilateral posterior localization and longitudinal pattern can be seen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey. Electronic address: memalkoc@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Melih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malkoc
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tugrul
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ormeci
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oltulu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isyar
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahirogulları
keywords: Longitudinal tibial fracture; Tibial stress fracture