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Health Information For Parents
A stress
fracture is a tiny crack in a bone.
Stress fractures usually happen from repeating the same movement over and over (such as when someone trains for a sport). They also can happen from everyday activities in people whose bones are weak due to poor nutrition or a medical condition.
Someone with a stress fracture might notice:
The lower leg and the foot are the most common areas to get a stress fracture. But they also can happen in other areas, such as the arm, spine, or ribs.
To diagnose a stress fracture, a health care provider first asks about general health and activities (such as sports). Then he or she will do an exam to check for tenderness, swelling, or redness. X-rays are usually done.
Some stress fractures don’t show up on an X-ray until a few weeks after the bone starts hurting. Sometimes an MRI scan or a
bone scan is needed.
The most important parts of treatment for a stress fracture are:
Sometimes a child or teen with a stress fracture will need a cast, splint, or brace. Rarely, surgery is needed.
Kids who have pain from a stress fracture can:
Nutritional or psychological counseling can help if a stress fracture happens because of poor nutrition or an eating disorder.
Ask the health care provider if your child can exercise a part of the body that does not have the stress fracture. For example, if your daughter has a stress fracture in her foot, she may be able to do exercises with her arms and shoulders. This can help kids stay active during healing.
After a few weeks, your health care provider may give your child the OK to slowly start to increase activity. The provider may recommend physical therapy to help your child safely return to sports.
Parents can help prevent stress fractures by making sure that kids:
Kids who are very active or play sports should:
If found early and treated correctly, most stress fractures heal well. But if someone goes back to activities too soon, tiny stress fractures can become larger and harder to heal.
Help your child or teen follow the doctor’s directions so that he or she can get back to activities and sports as soon as possible.
Many kids will have a broken bone at some point. Here’s what to expect.
Broken bones have an amazing ability to heal, especially in kids. Full healing can take time, but new bone usually forms a few weeks after an injury.
A broken bone needs emergency medical care. Here’s what to do if you think your child just broke a bone.
We build almost all our bone density when we’re kids and teens. Kids with strong bones have a better chance of avoiding bone weakness later in life. Here’s how parents can help.
It’s not always easy to tell if you have a stress fracture, and stress fractures can get worse quickly. This article explains how to prevent and treat them.
You practiced hard and made sure you wore protective gear, but you still got hurt. Read this article to find out how to take care of sports injuries – and how to avoid getting them.
What happens when you break a bone?
Bones are tough stuff – but even tough stuff can break. Find out what happens when a bone fractures.
Casts keep bones and other tissues in place while they heal. Here’s what to expect, and how to care for casts.
Some injuries will heal best if a cast is used. Find out how they work and how to take care of them in this article for kids.
This article for teens has tips on taking care of a cast so it keeps working as it should.
A splint is a support device that keeps an injured area from moving. Doctors often use splints to hold bones and joints in place so they can heal after a break.
A splint is a support device that keeps an injured area from moving. Doctors often use splints to hold bones and joints in place so they can heal after a fracture.
Without bones, muscles, and joints, we couldn’t stand, walk, run, or even sit. The musculoskeletal system supports our bodies, protects our organs from injury, and enables movement.
Our bones, muscles, and joints form our musculoskeletal system and enable us to do everyday physical activities.
Sports injuries often can be prevented. Find out how in this article for kids.
Playing hard doesn’t have to mean getting hurt. The best way to ensure a long and injury-free athletic career is to play it safe from the start. Find out how.
Vitamin D is needed for strong bones, but is hard to come by because it’s found in few foods. Here’s how to make sure kids get enough vitamin D.
A buckle or torus fracture is a type of broken bone. One side of the bone bends, raising a little buckle, without breaking the other side of the bone. Teens don’t usually get this type of fracture.
A buckle or torus fracture is a type of broken bone. One side of the bone bends, raising a little buckle, without breaking the other side of the bone.
A comminuted fracture is a type of broken bone. The bone is broken into more than two pieces.
A greenstick fracture is a type of broken bone. The bone cracks on one side only, not all the way through the bone.
Injuries to growth plates, which produce new bone tissue and determine the final length and shape of bones in adulthood, must be treated so that bones heal properly.
