Stress Fracture...NEED HELP

3/10. If you're a real person don't race

biggus dickus wrote:

3/10. If you're a real person don't race

If I'm a real person? Ummm....OK. And stress fractures go up to stage 4, and a stage 2 stress fracture is not all that severe. So with three weeks off, I think I should be able to run my last xc race of high school, and then take some more time off....

I have had a tibial stress fracture. Don't race, it isn't worth it. Take at least 6-10 weeks off from running. If you race, you won't race well and you may be forced to take much more than 10 weeks off.

The only time I would advise racing is if you were in the olympic finals of your running event. Since you aren't, forget it.

um....

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=3661688&thread=3661676

Fair enough...so assuming the stress fracture is pretty minor and I only cross-train, stay in an aircast when possible, and all that good stuff, how long should I expect to be out?

As I said in my previous post 6-10 weeks. I only took 6 weeks off. From time to time I am still feeling pains in my shin 6 months later. I really wish I would have taken 10 weeks off so I could have gotten back to my normal training earlier. Currently any time I get my mileage back up to where it was (50-60 miles a week) my shin starts acting up. I then have to back down the training.

Good luck healing up.

Is it a stress reaction or a fracture? Don;t know what a grade 2 means myself. If it's a stress reaction, i'd say 4-6 weeks, if a fracture, i'd say 6-10 weeks. Oh and cross training doesn't help it heal at all, and may harm it even. Try to stay off it as much as possible, take a calcium and vit d supplement. If you keepm running on it, you WILL make it worse and lengthen your recovery time, but then again, I think you knew that before writing your post and were secretly hoping someone would give you the green light to run the xc meet. It's up to you in the end though, however much that race matters to you, only you can decide, but make sure you're prepared to accept a longer recovery time and possible crutched/ air boot/ pain and phantom pain for months to come if you do.

-6-8 weeks OFF of running. Forget the race.

-During this time, cross-train a lot every day. This is a great opportunity to train your likely underdeveloped aerobic system. You won't be sharp, but you could benefit your long term fitness (think gentle base building). Aqua jogging is ideal because it is non-impact, biking is fine but puts slight stress on your shin. Drill every day because 1) it is a harder workout, 2) makes the time pass faster. Remember: a hard x-train workout is usually equal to an easy/medium run, at best.

-Be extremely careful to not gain any extra weight

-Ease into running. Every other day at first.

Follow this, have a MONSTER track season, and you won't regret skipping your last race. Good luck!!

Thanks a ton for the advice. I will talk to my coach and see what he thinks about Saturday. Also, what's your take on swimming for cross-training? I find I can get my heart rate up easier swimming then cycling, although that is probably because I am a much stronger cyclist than swimmer and incredibly inefficient in the pool...

Are you good enough to get out of your District? I would not advise racing on it and wait until track season. The fact you are tempted to race tells me you're a pretty good runner and it's hard for you to let it go.

Desperate xc senior wrote:

Thanks a ton for the advice. I will talk to my coach and see what he thinks about Saturday. Also, what's your take on swimming for cross-training? I find I can get my heart rate up easier swimming then cycling, although that is probably because I am a much stronger cyclist than swimmer and incredibly inefficient in the pool...

Go for it. Swimming is a fantastic way to cross-train. I strongly prefer aqua jogging to swimming or biking because it's harder than biking and I am a terrible swimmer, but that's just me.

If your coach has a brain, he'll tell you not to compete. But that's okay. You'll obviously be a bit rusty when you return to running, but trust me, do those things and you will find yourself coming back into form quite nicely. Also I hope you're seeing someone who is addressing the biomechanical root of your injury- this is a great time to fix imbalances so you come back to training as a more efficient runner than ever before (this will help prevent injuries AND improve performance!)

Yeah, I have a very good shot at getting out of the district. Well, at least I did before this injury. What kind of specialist could address a bio-mechanical issue? I do pronate, but other than that, I think my form is pretty good...

I've had great success with chiropractors (chiropractic orthopedists are particularly helpful). However I've also dabbled with some chiropractors who were a waste of time. In my experience, the good chiropractors I've seen have acted similarly as physical therapists, except they've addressed imbalances specifically in terms of my gait and how it affects my running biomechanics. Unless you're from the same city as me I can't really recommend anyone specific. But there are a ton of general exercises in running magazines/online for preventing shin splints/tibial fractures, and putting them into your routine regularly could do the trick. Find some that emphasize hip/core/glute strength, and sprinkle in some lower leg exercises like calf raises, heel walks, alphabets, etc