Therapy | Fatigue fracture in the foot

Therapy

The best measures to prevent a fatigue fracture (stress fracture) are to avoid overstraining yourself during sports, to stick to individual training plans with not too much intensity and to wear shock absorbing running shoes. In addition, long-distance runs or runs on uneven or hard ground should not be run too frequently or excessively. In order to prevent fatigue fractures as a result of bone-affecting diseases (insufficiency fractures), possible underlying diseases should be detected early, e.g. by preventive examinations with regard to bone density. Vitamin preparations (Vit. D) and calcium substitution, for example, also help to prevent a decrease in bone density (bone loss = osteoporosis) in old age.

Prognosis and healing time

With good treatment and early detection of the fatigue fracture, the prognosis is very good. In most cases, a fatigue fracture of the foot heals quickly. However, a fatigue fracture of the foot can also be protracted.

Since we always have to put a little weight on the feet, a fatigue fracture of the foot is more protracted than other fractures. The better the foot can be protected, the faster the healing process usually takes place. The therapy usually lasts for a period of six to eight weeks. During this time, the foot should be completely spared and no sports should be done. However, it can often take up to six months before sport can be resumed.

What to do if the fatigue fracture in the foot does not heal?

The fact that a fatigue fracture does not heal is often due to the fact that the foot is not protected long enough. If the pain in the foot disappears, patients often resume full weight-bearing, which is a mistake, as the foot should continue to be protected. Often patients do not go to the doctor for a long time, so that the foot is subjected to more and more stress and the diagnosis is made too late.

The healing process usually takes at least six to eight weeks of rest. If the load is increased earlier, this can again lead to an inflammatory process in the bone. If a conservative therapy with rest does not help, a cast or foot splint is usually prescribed for two to six weeks, so that the foot can be relieved more easily.