3 Ways to Prevent Stress Fractures While Exercising

Stress fractures are the bane of any distance runner due to their painful persistence. Because recovery can last months longer than other fractures, avoidance is the best strategy and it starts with these 3 ways to prevent stress fractures while exercising.

Causes of Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are small fissures that develop in bones when the rate of bone destruction outpaces the rate at which the body can repair itself. These tiny fissures most often occur in the tibia while performing exercises with impact such as running.

Preventing Stress Fractures

1. Strengthen Calf Muscles: Because stress fractures result from bone weakening under impact, increasing both the strength and the mass of the calf muscles has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidents of fractures. The increase in muscle relieves pressure on the bone and helps to absorb impact safely.

Experts recommend simple calf raises, heel walking, toe walking and performing eccentric calf raises on stairs. To perform an eccentric calf raise, simply put your toes on the edge of a stair walking up and flex your ankle so your heel dips below before rising.

2. Improve Your Stride: Actually preventing stress fractures while exercising amount to reducing impact on the tibia. Few young runners receive expert coaching in healthy strides and their youthful habits often cause fractures years later. By reducing stride length 10% and focusing on running heel to toe with a comfortable roll, runners can both reduce the impact and increase their efficiency.

3. Gradually Build Up: Stress fractures often occur when the body is adapting to a new exercise. Experts recommend increasing mileage slowly and running on softer surfaces as much as possible to allow the body time to adapt to added stress.

Find Out More

Stress fractures can easily sideline an athlete for months or even years. Avoiding stress fractures while exercising is often a matter of changing a few simple habits but it is often difficult to diagnose the precise problem and pinpoint personal areas of stress. If you find yourself dealing with persistent pain, especially in the lower leg, you can turn to the professionals in foot health at Southwest Foot & Ankle in Lewisville, Plano and Irving.