Tibial Stress Reaction vs stress fracture question. Trying to still run my state meet.

Quit calling it a "stress reaction." You know exactly what it is --- a stress fracture. You have a crack in your bone. The fact that it showed up on an MRI means it's a big one, because they usually only show up on bone scans. Go on Youtube and you can find videos of cross guys who break their leg in the middle of a race. That could be the gross and humiliating way that you go down if you run on a fracture.

Coming back from that injury feels weird for a while. I honestly didn't start feeling dramatic improvement until I stoped cross training with the exception of swimming...and I really didn't feel too much of an improvement until the week I was set to start running.

Some people say that you should feel no pain when starting to run, but this is kind of how my "come back" went/is still coming.

I took time off

Started running

Felt nothing

Felt pain

Took more time off

Felt nothing while running, a bit of pain afterward - but, it always subsided by the next run ... this went on for a few weeks and then one day just stopped. Note, I never felt pain while running.

I'd say if you feel ok running and things aren't getting worse from it, run. If not, don't. You're college coach doesn't really care about how you finish up HS, they know what you're capable of and just want you on campus HEALTHY come Aug.

Pain wrote:

I took time off

How much time? And were you positive you had a stress fracture before that?

First of all, sorry to hear it.

Second, ignore the guy calling it a stress fracture - a stress reaction is what happens BEFORE there's an actual fracture, and is a more positive diagnosis. MRI will show signs of stress reaction for sure - he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Are you in a walking boot or on crutches? You need to stop bearing weight on the leg at some point in the process in order to speed up recovery.

You will know when it's time to start training again when you can hop (1 time only!) on the leg with no pain. Then start slow. Don't hop every day - give at least 3-4 days between if you feel pain because you could just make it worse.

If you cross train effectively (bike/swim/pool run) you will maintain your aerobic fitness and be able to come back more quickly. Good luck!

Thanks for the responses everyone. Really appreciate the help! I'm already at the tail end of my recovery so I feel like getting a walking boot at this point would be pointless. I have 10 days left. I guess I will do the hop test at the end of the 10 days and see if I'm good to go then. If I'm not ill just call high school track a done deal but if olits goo illl go for it.

Slow recovery wrote:

Second, ignore the guy calling it a stress fracture - a stress reaction is what happens BEFORE there's an actual fracture, and is a more positive diagnosis. MRI will show signs of stress reaction for sure - he doesn't know what he's talking about.

If you read his next post, his implies that he had been failing the hop test. If a simple hop on the leg is causing a localized pain, then there's a 99.99% chance it's a stress fracture.

Never said that it didn't get from the hop test, just haven't tried it. Unless the MRI was wrong I'm pretty certain it's just a reaction. Thanks for the concern though!

There is no good answer on when you can come back from a stress fracture/reaction. I have had doctors tell me 8-12 weeks of immobilization is a must. I have had other doctors tell me to go out and run when it doesn't hurt. No immobilization. (obviously, I have been through this more than once)

The fact is that the only way you will know if you are ready to return to running is if you return to running and don't reinjure the bone. Some people take tons of time off and reinjure. Some take minmal time off and are fine. You just cannot predict what the bone is going to do.

If I were you, I would give it a shot. Do the absolute minimum in terms of workouts and do everything on soft surfaces with cushy shoes. If you have any pain, bag the race. Remember that a stress fracture is not the end of the road in terms of injury progression. The next step is a non-union fracture, i.e. broken bone. Just think Louisville for that one.

Really appreciate the input. I think that is what I'm going to do. If I feel any sort of moderate-major pain though, I will just cut it off. The only thing I'm worried about is having to run a race a week after I start running. But like you said if I get reinjured I get reinjured, and it's inevitable if it is going to happen regardless.

Hey HighSchoolrunner1234,

I have been struggling with stress reactions for almost 2 years now (I play soccer), I finally got orthotics that seem to work now and have stayed off for a month having felt the pain coming back. Are you back up and running again? i yes, how'd you ease back into it. I think early overtraining is why it keeps coming back. Just want to get an idea of how I should come back. Thanks and good luck in college.

I've been struggling with a stress reaction for about a year now. I got it during track season while running indoors in the spring. It was shin splints first, then a stress reaction. I got a month(ish) break over the summer break, then into soccer. First week is good. Then second week they slowly creep in. Soon enough, I'm out for the rest of the season on my school's last golden generation for years to come. I got 5 months to heal before track season came up so I took that opportunity and rested and cross-trained. Then when I came back, first week is good but that's it, I started feeling it the second week again. What makes this worse is that I tried to do minimal running and a lot of weight training. So, here I am in track season celebrating my 1-year anniversary of my injury with it slowly but surely coming back and probably working it's way into a broken bone. My main track even is triple jump and long jump mostly because I can't do mid distance or any of that because of my shins, so jumping is the easiest on me for my build. But, I'm already almost out of that two track meets into the season. I'm really not sure what to do at this point. I've tried rest, I have compression sleeves, I have orthotics specially fit for me, I have a brand new and separate pair of running shoes for track and track only, I went to a massage therapist, I use arnica Montana as an anti-inflammatory agent, I take ibuprofen twice a day, I ice, I do stretches that my massage therapist gave me, I went to the doctor's again and now they're sending me to PT but if that doesn't work I'm literally out of options. I'm going into my senior year next year and if I'm not healed by then then I'm going to be absolutely crushed. I aim to get into a track team in college doing triple jump and maybe long jump but that will never happen at this rate. I need help

How are you now if you can see this

My son has gotten "stress reaction syndrome" in his tibia 3 seasons in a row. (Spring, rested it for 6 weeks, Fall - caught it early and xtrained, Winter - now has it again and is missing state Quals and states). How do you prevent this from happening again next season?

Is he doing any specific strength training/rehab?