how long did it take for YOUR stress fracture to heal?

I've gotten two stress fractures in my life. One was during an XC race after I'd spent the last 24 hours jump roping like crazy. Do not be dumb like me. The other time was when sprinting on sand at a beach. Sand can be a pretty uneven surface, come to find out.

I'd say in both cases it took about 6 weeks to heal.

Mine was a combination of problems that lead to it. I needed new shoes, I slipped on ice and kept running when I hurt my shin badly, my coach would put me in a lot of 2 mile races and have me do 3 workouts a week with lots of intervals. Thats what happened I believe

I had a fracture (full break, not just a stress fracture) in my 2nd left metatarsal. Happened right in the middle of my cross country season. Surprisingly I was able to finish the meet I got it in. Obviously it was devastating, as I was the best on my team and projected to win the section meet this past fall.

Anyways, it happened late September, got my cast off on November 3, and didn't run my first step until late November. Didn't start running regularly until January (I wasn't going to take any chances). So, from injury until back to normal, I would say 3-3.5 months, even longer. It was hard, but now I'm in my track season and can feel myself getting better each day.

Good luck with your injury.

Took seven years to for stress fracture in hip to heal completely. Did everything wrong, major life downer not being able to race. Can't get my thirties back! 54 now and healthy except for constant soreness. Ed Whitlock my new running role model. Run until the end.

Got diagnosed through an MRI at the end of August. Wore a boot for 3 weeks and had a total of 6 weeks off running. Was instructed to ease back into running with walk-run intervals. Got another MRI about 3 months later and it was gone.

Worth noting:

- didn't really have stress fracture symptoms at all

- stress fracture was not visible on the X-ray

- didn't feel any better after the stress fracture healed because my actual problem was something else (current diagnosis is nerve compression)

As far as times...yeah, I was a lot slower after, but I was also getting slower from trying to run through injuries and wasn't fast in the first place.

Jumped from 100mpw to 140 overnight and couldn't walk after the first week. It was such a big jump in mileage my skin couldn't keep up. Nipples raw, crutch raw, blisters and cracked skin under the ball of my left foot which became very painful and caused me to roll on the outer foot leafing to a Fracture in Tibia, shooting pains every step. Took 12 days off and back running 70mpw for the next 6 weeks until it heals 100%. I never cross trained as I think it's silly to be aerobically stronger than your legs, that's asking for injury again. I was still fitter after 12 days off because I never put on weight, I didn't eat crap or continue eating what I ate at 100mpw like most people do.

What does a stress fracture feel like?

I know this is a way old thread, but I found a lot of posts on this forum helpful as I recovered from a cuboid stress fracture over the summer.

Injury occurred: July 2020, while running steep, rocky trails in shoes with poor support. Felt a mild popping on middle outside of left foot and continued running several times a week for another month (it was covidtimes and I was super stressed), until popping became pain and it hurt to put pressure on the area. Stopped running, did easy walking for a few weeks, and pain got better but then I went on a long hike and it came right back.

Early incorrect diagnosis: Sept 2020, had a telemed appt (because covidtimes) with a physio who listened to my symptoms and said it sounded like peroneal tendonitis, recommended rest and ice and some rehab exercises. These seemed to help, but pain never fully went away. I moved to Australia for 6 months, where I continued to hike, walk, and occasionally run through the pain (I know, I know...)

Correct diagnosis: May 2021, visited sports medicine clinic upon return to US, x-ray showed no fracture, had MRI the following day that confirmed a non-displaced cuboid fracture. Dang.

Recovery time: a very looong 5 months. There is no doubt that if I had been diagnosed much earlier, the healing would have progressed faster, but after a year of aggravating the fracture I'm not surprised that it took so long. I was in a walking boot for 5 weeks, slowly transitioned to supportive, sturdy shoes for another 4 weeks, then to moderate walking by 10 weeks out. Progression was conditional on being pain-free at each stage. I was able to travel to a conference for work on Sept 1, exactly 12 weeks post-diagnosis, and walk around like a normal person for a mile or two. At 16 weeks I began a walk-to-run routine and now at 20 weeks I am able to jog and hike pretty normally.

Tips: DON'T IGNORE PAIN. I saw a billboard with that on it while in the boot and it made me laugh (kind of), but for real I did myself no favors by not going straight to a doctor when the injury occurred, and could have done permanent damage to my body as a result. FIND A POOL. I started pool running/aqua jogging for cardio so I wouldn't lose my mind, and I liked it so much I've continued it a couple times a week even post-recovery! I have waterproof earbuds and listen to podcasts, music, etc. to pass the time. It's hard to beat getting good exercise in a cool, non-sweaty setting :) BE PATIENT. 5 months to be out of commission was really unpleasant, but at no point was I tempted to push my luck and my foot past what it was capable of. Absolutely nothing scared me more than the thought that I might have to start the whole process over. VITAMINS. I wasn't good about taking calcium back when I got injured, and have added a daily supplement since my diagnosis. As a 40-year old female athlete, I am at high risk for bone density issues and needed to adjust accordingly.