Article "Multiple stress fractures of the lower extremity in healthy young men" (19th)

Clarisa livia
16611022

Stress fractures are caused by repetitive mechanical stresses and can be largely viewed as either fatigue or insufficiency fractures. Fractures caused by repetitive mechanical stresses in healthy young or middle-aged patients are fatigue fractures, and stress fractures caused by low loads due to osteoporosis, osteomalacia, or other diseases in elderly patients are referred to as insufficiency fractures. Overuse activities can increase the risk of multiple fatigue fractures in soldiers or untrained subjects. However, reports on multiple fatigue fractures thus far showed causes such as under-nutrition, dyscrinism, long-term rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis. The two cases of multiple fatigue fractures that these authors investigated most likely resulted from overuse activities in soldiers and untrained subjects, as the authors observed that multiple fatigue fractures in three or more areas occurred in two healthy male patients without any under-nutrition, dyscrinism, long-term rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis.

Stress fractures occur in normal bones of healthy people without any particular trauma, and their types and locations depend on age and degree of activity. Regarding the mechanisms involved, Ingersoll suggested that stress fractures occur in normal bones when fine fractures accumulate due to repetitive mechanical stimuli or external forces beyond the limits of skeletal maintenance. Belkin reported bone resorption occurs and progresses as a reaction to stress and leads to fine fractures followed by complete fractures, and also reported that the frequency of stress fractures is increasing among athletes. However, Haider and Storey advised that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis stress fractures were caused by systemic osteoporosis. Subsequently, stress fractures caused by long-standing rheumatoid arthritis have been well described. In addition, osteoporosis and corticosteroid therapy, which has the side effect of bone loss, are other known causes of stress fractures.