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By Mayo Clinic staffYou may be at increased risk of stress fractures if you:
- Are an athlete who participates in high-impact sports such as track and field, basketball, tennis or gymnastics
- Are a female athlete with abnormal or absent periods
- Suddenly shift from a sedentary lifestyle to an active training regimen — such as a military recruit subjected to intense marching exercises — or rapidly increase your exercise length and intensity
- Have flat feet or high, rigid arches
- Have osteoporosis or other conditions that lead to weakened bones or decreased bone density
References
- Stress fractures of the foot and ankle. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00379&return_link=0. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.
- Killie H, et al. Overview of stress fractures. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.
- Zetaruk M, et al. Leg injuries. In: Frontera WR. Clinical Sports Medicine Management and Rehabilitation. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/110217197-3/0/1717/1.html?tocnode=55568581&fromURL=1.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Fields KB, et al. Stress fractures of the tibia and fibula. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.
- Clugston JR, et al. Stress fractures of the metatarsal shaft. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.