Stress Fractures in the Young Athlete: A Pictorial Review

Purpose or Learning Objective: To provide a comprehensive pictorial review of stress fractures in young athletes, emphasizing imaging findings, common anatomical locations, risk factors, and diagnostic challenges.

Methods or Background: Stress fractures are overuse injuries brought on by mechanical strain that is too great for the bone to remodel. Young athletes frequently experience them as a result of skeletal immaturity, high-impact exercise, and inadequate recuperation time. To avoid problems like full fractures, delayed healing, or chronic pain, an early and precise diagnosis is essential. Early stress fractures cannot be seen on radiographs, frequently the first imaging modality used. Although nuclear medicine investigations and computed tomography can help with diagnosis and therapy planning, magnetic resonance imaging is the most sensitive modality for early detection.

Results or Findings: The femoral neck, anterior tibia, tarsal navicular, and metatarsals are among the high-risk areas. Because they have the potential to develop into full fractures, these need to be diagnosed and treated immediately. The posteromedial tibia, fibula, and calcaneus are examples of low-risk locations that typically mend with conservative treatment. Periosteal edema, marrow signal abnormalities, and cortical disruption are among the magnetic resonance imaging findings that help in early diagnosis before radiographic changes manifest. Radiographic findings may demonstrate cortical sclerosis, periosteal response, or fracture lines in later stages after initially seeming normal.

Conclusion: Stress fractures in young athletes are serious and need to be identified early and treated appropriately. By increasing diagnosis accuracy, a multimodal imaging strategy enables prompt intervention to avoid problems and guarantee the best possible recovery.

Publication History

Article published online:
02 June 2025