To those of you that have had stress fractures, how long did it take until you could no longer feel it with walking? I am at 3.5 weeks and hardly feel it at all when I walk, so of course it's tempting to do the minimal time frame of rest but obviously don't want to reinjure it. Just wanted to hear other's experiences (when you stopped feeling it, when you started running, etc). I know it's different for body regions.
I didn't have a stress fracture, but a complete break of my metatarsal. I was cleared to run at 8 weeks post break, but it took over 6 months before I couldn't feel it. In my case, though, the bone shifted as it healed, so that was part of it.
My experience was 5 weeks until I started running again. Although you may not have any pain walking around, this almost certainly does not mean you are healed up. With a metatarsal I would wait at least 2 weeks after you have absolutely no pain. Start back slowly.
I did a great deal of research on bone stimulators. The most popular is the Exogen 4000+ , which can be had on ebay. They have strong clinicals supporting expediting the healing process.
Good Luck.
Thanks for the responses so far. Mine is my sacrum so actually surprised I'm walking with minimal pain (although the first 2 wks were pretty bad)
Had a Fibula stress fracture about 7 years ago. I was told not to run on it for 6 weeks while it healed, but waited 7 weeks before starting my program again. Frankly, I still felt a twinge of pain when I first started, but my orhto doc gave me the green light. A couple weeks later, I was was running without feeling anything and it has been soild ever since.
Don't push the healing time, be patient. I understand some fractures heal stronger than before.
I had a tibial stress fracture about 6 weeks ago - self-diagnosis - I gave it 4 weeks off completely than ran a couple of times easily. It felt pretty good and the third time I ran too long (about 9 miles) and too hard - and now wished I had taken more time enough. Now not sure what to do - maybe I am just being too paranoid as I feel nothing walking.
Stress Fracture in the tibia.....10weeks. I was overly cautious I think. But 3 weeks later, I was back racing and back at normal miles (60-70) within 6weeks.
I also wore an Aircast boot the whole time and I think that helped too. Could I have taken less time off? Probably, but I didnt want to risk it.
Check out this link too for info and recovery...
6 weeks is the standard healing time before you can run for simple, common stress fractures like second metatarsal and tibial ones. However, generally the more higher up (proximal in medical terms) the stress fracture like the sacrum and pelvis area, the longer the recovery time. Something like a sacral stress fracture might be a lot longer, like 8-12 weeks!
Jlo98 wrote:
To those of you that have had stress fractures, how long did it take until you could no longer feel it with walking? I am at 3.5 weeks and hardly feel it at all when I walk, so of course it's tempting to do the minimal time frame of rest but obviously don't want to reinjure it. Just wanted to hear other's experiences (when you stopped feeling it, when you started running, etc). I know it's different for body regions.
Stress fractured left hip during Tucson Marathon in Dec. 2008. Got diagnosed 6 weeks later. Crutches four weeks. Gentle walking for another 8 weeks. Started running 1 mile or so at a time, 3 times a week-slowly ramped up to 25 over the next 3 months. 1 year later, could comfortably run-but still had minor sciatic type pain-not so much when running but when sitting for long periods, etc. Ran another marathon 18 months after injury-17 minutes faster than when I got hurt-but to be fair, I walked most of the last couple miles when I got hurt. After 3 years, I still have the sciatic numbness. Went back to Tucson this past December and ran faster than I have run in the last decade-but it is an aided course.
Hips are slow healers, and I'm an old man-late forties Started drinking lots of milk-and took Calcium pills. Combining my heart healthy baby aspirin regimen with calcium supplements resulted in kidney stones-the salicylic acid in the aspirin reacts with the Calcium-precipitating in my kidneys-the most painful part of the whole deal.
I've had 5 stress fractures. Other than a Jones fracture of my fifth metatarsal, I was able to walk fine within a week. Go to your doctor and make sure its healed before you jump back in. Come back slowly so your legs get used to running again and you don't rebreak the bone.
3rd metatarsal fracture - 6 weeks
pelvic fractures - 6 months, 5 weeks, 4 months
Jones fracture - 15 weeks
on all them I felt like a phantom pain for a couple weeks when I started running again. The temptation is to start putting in major miles because your legs will be totally fresh, be patient.
I am just surprised how excruciating it was the first 2 wks and how little pain I have now at 3.5 wks. Granted I'm doing less on it, but figured I would still feel it with walking. I was diagnosed via bone scan ( which I know isn't specific but given my history and the positive scan, doctor didn't feel the need to do more tests). I'm going to give it the 6 wks bc even though I don't feel it walking, I'm afraid I would running.
just remember that 6 weeks is on the extremely short end of possible recovery times and 7-8 is preferable...i feel like you have a much better sense of how it's going if you're cross training with no impact arduously as well
Your orthopedic doc will have an opinion, but you really need to speak to a sports doc about this. Normally, at least six weeks of rest is needed.
Returning to physical activity too soon after an injury can actually prevent stress fracture from healing all way.
Don't do what I did as soon as I felt no pain I started doing a lot of activities right after my first 2.5 weeks.
I had to start all over. The second time I went for 9 weeks just to be safe.I also took supplements for bone fracture it speeds the healing process it's called Cissus
LiveLong Cissus (Cissus Quadrangularis Extract) 100 Grams.
I did the work and this should be the best
3 fractured metatarsals
soaked in ice water many times and wrapped with elastic wrap
4 1/2 weeks - hobbled one lap of the track - foot ached at night from the exercise - soaked in icewater
6 weeks - running
10 weeks - 100 miles a week
Hi Jlo98 - i have recently been diagnosed with Sacrum stress fracture (and my left and right pelvis too). I would love to hear more from someone who has gone through this. can we talk?
Hi Jlo98 and voxelectro,
I've been diagnosed with Sacrum stress fracture 4.5 weeks ago. Still have a vague feeling in the area. not much of a pain.
How was your recovery ?
Are you running now without any pain ?
It's not common injury and i'm very much depressed ...
Looking for any information (-:
Wow randomly got on lets run and saw this thread pop up! Jane-my recovery went pretty well, although I did not run at all for ~8 weeks. The first 2 weeks I couldn't do much because it hurt too bad. Weeks 3-4 I started feeling it less and because swimming. Weeks 5-8 I really didn't feel it but forced myself not to go out and try to run too early. Continued to swim, upper body weights and elliptical. I haven't had any problems since then and am running now without any pain. It's totally not a common injury (my doctor had a hard time believing me and ordering imaging when I told him I thought it was a stress fracture). I know how you feel, I was really bummed when it happened but you can still cross train and the bone will heal. Just give it the rest it needs so you diint re-injure it.
Voxelectro-if you even see this thread, sorry I didn't respond to your last post, I don't think I followed up that long after I posted my question
Happy to hear that your recovery went well. Hope it will be OK for me also.
I'm 4.5 weeks after the diagnosis. I felt great a week ago. Without any pain at all. But 2 days ago something happened and I started to feel weird pressure at that area. It is very much frustrating! Looking for any information and comforting data...
Do you have any recommendation how to speed up the healing, besides Calcium and vitamin D?
Is this weird feeling that I have normal ?
There were times during my healing where I would feel random twinges or pressure in that area, even if I hadn't been feeling it at all. Sometimes it would be if I had done too much or stepped awkwardly. But it doesn't mean you are back to square one. I think its relatively normal. I just let that kind of be my guide for when to return to running. When I couldn't feel anything at all for a couple weeks (and able to walk at a fast pace or elliptical at a quick pace), then I knew it would be okay to try running. But I also knew to give it at least 8 weeks just to make sure. I don't think you can really speed up the healing, the body/bone is going to heal in the time frame they normally do but I wouldn't do too much too soon to re-aggravate it and I have also heard NSAIDs can delay bone healing.
Yours doesn't sound like a stress fracture more like shin splints. I have had both if pain continues when walking its probably a stress fracture no pain when walking or running short distance only a longer one sounds like shin splints.
Rest and then up exercise by 10% a week should eradicate it