Pain on top of foot

i experienced this a few years ago & was diagnosed with a "stress reaction," or - like you said - the start of a possible stress fracture

i took a week off and was fine

be careful

99% chance it is a stress fracture on your 2nd met. Been there, done that.

A stress reaction is just the early phase of a stress fracture when the bone is under too much stress but has yet to develop little fractures.

It takes a few weeks before a stress fracture will show up on an x-ray. What you will see is not the fracture, but the bone callous forming around the fracture, which isn't visible until a few weeks after the fracture. A bone scan is the only way to know early on whether you have a stress fracture/reaction. The bone scan shows where your body has started to react to the stress on the bone by trying to repair the damage and form new bone. The bone scan will be expensive.

Best thing to do is to stop running and get in the pool. Go to an ortho and get an x-ray. If the x-ray is normal, try a bone scan if you must know for certain. Don't try to keep running. You are only making it worse and delaying recovery.

Could it really be a stress fracture if it doesn't hurt that much. Also i didn't think it would be stress related if i hadn't increased miles, changed surface etc.

It sounds like you've been running too many miles for your body already, or too hard of miles, and the evidence is that you are developing reactions. This is the culmination of overstraining over time and doesn't need the added stimulus. I tend to do the same thing but, while my bones and tendons hold up, I get really really sick, even after doing the same mileage/intensity for weeks straight without incident.

Pain on top of foot wrote:

Could it really be a stress fracture if it doesn't hurt that much. Also i didn't think it would be stress related if i hadn't increased miles, changed surface etc.

The symptoms are undeniable. No other foot problems really present the symptoms you describe. And, stress fractures do not hurt that much until it is too late.

As for causation, a stress fracture does not always have a nice neat and clean causal link. I actually reduced mileage when I got my first stress fracture. The second one just came out of the blue. Causes are more likely to be a gradual build up of stress due to a mechanical issue (first met too short, flat feet, pronating feet, etc.).

Be smart. It took me over 12 weeks to get over my stress fracture because I was in denial at first and got misdiagnosed by a podiatrist. Stop running. Get to an ortho and get a bone scan. If you nip it in the bud, you may only miss a few weeks. If you try to run through it and end up with a full blown stress fracture, you could be out for 8 weeks, with another 8 weeks to get back in shape. Don't roll those dice.

It's a stress reaction. Rest it now before it gets ugly.

Thanks for the advice. I assume it is ok to swim / aqua jog while not running? I know each case is individual but how much time is reccommended to take off. I presume it will be between 4 - 8 weeks

Try lydiard (straight) lacing your shoes.

Actually if you have an actual stress fracture then swimming and aqua jogging are out at least initially. The movement of your foot through the water will aggravate it.

Pain on top of foot wrote:

Thanks for the advice. I assume it is ok to swim / aqua jog while not running? I know each case is individual but how much time is reccommended to take off. I presume it will be between 4 - 8 weeks

I have the same symptoms, anyont know what the recovery time is for a stress reaction compared to a stress fracture

bump

Thanks for your help. I stopped running immediately and got an x - ray 3 weeks later, turned out i did have a stress fracture of the 2nd metatarsal. When I stopped running I took 2 weeks completely off and then aqua jogged for 3 weeks, the last 10 days I have been aqua jogging and on the eliptical trainer without any pain. I have not ran in 6.5 weeks. My foot has felt fine when walking on it for the last 2 weeks.

I am thinking of starting to run again, is it ok to start back? Also when starting back what is the best way to build up, I was thinking of running every other day starting with 6 min and increasing 3 minutes each time untill reacting 30 min

Thanks