MD Podiatrist Discusses Stress Fractures

Older adults are particularly vulnerable to stress fractures, or tiny cracks in the bone, because the trabeculae (the spongy tissue that connects your body’s bones) thin with age. The most common symptom is pain with activity that subsides with rest. “We saw a lot of stress fractures throughout the pandemic. People were barefoot more because they worked from home, and they gained weight, which together is not a good combination,” says Dan Michaels, DPM.
 
It’s important to realize that the symptoms of a stress fracture are more subtle than those you’d experience with an actual broken bone. In fact, a lot of people don’t even realize they have one, Michaels says. “There’s usually not much swelling or bruising, they don’t remember hurting themselves, and they usually can still walk, albeit with pain,” he explains. If pain lasts for more than a few days and doesn’t seem to get better with ice and rest, see your doctor.