Stress fracture: how long will it take to heal?

A stress fracture is what we call a load injury. These injuries occur when our bones suffer excessive loads and pressures. It's a bit like the opposite of a pulled muscle, which normally involves sharp pain after an impact.

Stress fractures can happen "to beginners, who do not listen to their body or ignore issues with their tendons. We often see them with long-distance runners, or basketball or volleyball players: sport which require a lot of jumping," explains Mathilde, who is used to dealing with this issue in her clinic. According to the MSD Manual, and contrary to what the term 'fracture' might have you believe, stress fractures are small, incomplete (or hairline) fractures of a bone. When we talk about stress fractures, there is a hairline crack: the bone is not broken.

"Before a stress fracture occurs, the so-called stress syndrome develops, often associated with tendinitis or even periostitis, i.e. an inflammation of the periosteum, the area that envelops the bone," explains Mathilde. It's rare to suffer a stress fracture outside of physical activities.

And are women at risk of this, too? "Female athletes who do an intense sport and do not have a suitable diet may be more prone to stress fracture," the physio adds.

So, beginners who ignore the signs given by their body or an athlete that tackles jumps and long-distance running and, lastly, female athletes with dietary deficiencies are more susceptible to stress fractures…

A stress fracture will have a point that is particularly sensitive and painful to the touch. And this is exactly what alerts medical staff. In some cases, there may also be swelling. In any event, if you have the slightest doubt, don't ignore the pain: go and speak to a doctor to get the issue diagnosed and obtain the right treatment!

For the answers to everything (and we mean everything) you ever wanted to know about stress fractures, click here!

OW! Yes! Stress fractures most commonly affect the legs and the symptoms are generally easy to recognise: often, you can no longer put any weight on your foot without feeling pain! And then, the pain becomes continuous: be patient - it will go eventually.

Mathilde insists: "Rest is essential and you won't heal without it. It can also be combined with sports where you are supported (e.g. cycling) to avoid not exercising at all. We refer to this as relative rest."

When repeated solicitation exceeds the capacity of your muscles and supporting tendons to absorb fatigue and cushion the bones, then a stress fracture can occur. So, we can often find hairline cracks on the thigh bones (especially the hip), pelvis or tibia.
More than half of stress fractures affect the lower leg, most commonly the bones in the midfoot (metatarsals). 

Stress fractures of the arms are much less common, but wrists and elbows can be at risk. However, tendinitis is a common complaint here. To find out more about this subject, don't miss our article entitled How long will tendinitis keep me out for?

I am sure that you're reading this article are praying that I'll say just one week's rest will sort everything out, right? Well, I am sorry to announce that you will need to suffer with patience.
Bone injuries take time to heal. Why?Simply for the body to create the material it needs to make bones. But there's no need to panic: we generally estimate that your life can more or less 'return to normal' after six weeks and that the bone will start to solidify after three months. Lastly, you will need to wait for a year for it to be completely repaired.

When it comes to healing, there is no great secret! Rest, rest and more rest. Water, too, as well as sufficient sleep and gradually starting to move again, to gently get back up to speed 😉
"During rehabilitation, we try to vary loads and recommend other types of sport. We introduce muscle strengthening and, for runners, it can be helpful to quantify their running biomechanics (i.e. to measure the stress exerted on the tissues during running in order to prevent the risks of injury)," explains Mathilde, our specialist physio. "The aim is to change things to avoid any recurrence. Treatment involves an essential, educational aspect," she adds.

A few years ago, an x-ray or ultrasound were sometimes prescribed. But it is much rarer to check the condition of a bone through images. So, we consider you to be healed when you no longer feel any symptoms - it's as simple as that.

Slow down! Don't rush things! The healing process requires moderation. You need to gradually find the right balance between rest and exercise.

Don't worry. You will be fine 😏. The good news is that, with the relative rest recommended as part of the treatment, you will soon be active once again. I mean, you can obviously forget about training for a half-marathon, but sports where you are supported, or going for a swim, are definitely possible... and even recommended!

By way of example, after a stress fracture of the tibia (the most common kind of stress fracture), recovery will take around 3 months.

Follow your physio's recommendations, adopt a healthy lifestyle and read our advice here 👉 Concerned about injuries when you get back to doing sport?

A full rehabilitation programme is essential to prevent the issue from recurring! Strength training can also help the body adopt good habits and reinforce the damaged area. You also need to pay more attention to the signals given by your body to prevent this type of injury. How? By slowing the rhythm if you notice symptoms, for example, and seeking a doctor if these symptoms persist.

And don't forget the importance of a healthy lifestyle in the healing process and in everyday life: avoid smoking, drink alcohol in moderation, ensure you get enough uninterrupted sleep and make sure your diet is appropriate… This will all definitely help the healing process and the complete repair of your bones.

While they used to immobilise the injured area with plaster, that's no longer the case (except for patients who cannot sit still!). So, rest or immobilisation are the first stage of treatment to repair a bone.
Surgery, on the other hand, is rarely recommended and even less so as an initial solution.