Stress Fracture Rehabilitation · Oceanside, CA
STRESS FRACTURES
HEAL RIGHT.
COME BACK STRONGER.
COME BACK STRONGER.
A stress fracture is a serious injury that requires a specific protocol and a PT who understands bone stress physiology. Rush it and you risk a complete fracture. Do it right and you come back with stronger bone and better mechanics than before.
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Understanding the Condition
WHAT IS A STRESS FRACTURE?
Stress fractures are partial or complete breaks in bone caused by repetitive loading rather than a single trauma. They occur when bone remodeling can't keep pace with the stress being applied — common in runners, military recruits, and athletes who increase training load too quickly. The tibia, metatarsals, and navicular are the most common sites.
Low-Risk Stress Fractures: Tibia (anterior excluded), fibula, metatarsals 2–4. Conservative management with protected weight-bearing and progressive return to activity. PT is the primary treatment.
High-Risk Stress Fractures: Anterior tibia, navicular, femoral neck, fifth metatarsal base. These carry risk of complete fracture or avascular necrosis and may require surgical consultation.
Relative Energy Deficiency (RED-S): Stress fractures in the context of inadequate caloric intake and low bone density — common in female athletes. Requires nutritional intervention alongside PT.
Recurrent Stress Fractures: Multiple stress fractures over time indicate a systemic issue — bone health, nutrition, training load management, or biomechanics — that must be identified and addressed.
Treatment Approach
HOW WE TREAT IT
Stress fracture rehab has two phases: protect the bone while it heals, then systematically rebuild load tolerance to prevent recurrence. Returning too early is the most common mistake.
01
Protection & Bone Healing
Activity modification, protected weight-bearing if indicated, and monitoring of healing progression. Maintain fitness with low-impact cross-training (pool running, cycling) during this phase.
02
Progressive Loading
Once imaging confirms healing, systematic reintroduction of impact loading — walking before jogging, jogging before running. Hip and foot strength work begins in parallel.
03
Return to Full Training
Structured mileage build, bone loading principles, and the nutritional and training load habits that prevent the next one.
Typical Timeline6–12 weeks depending on fracture location and severity. High-risk sites may require 12–16 weeks.
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WE CAN HELP.
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📍 821 S Tremont St, Oceanside, CA · (760) 542-6666