Hairline Fracture Symptoms: An Informative Overview

Your feet are a complex and intricate structure that make it possible to carry out life’s daily functions. The bones in your feet, while rigid, possess a slight bend that allows them to absorb the impact of activities like walking, running, or jumping. However, continuous strain on a bone can lead to hairline fractures. It is essential to seek treatment if you believe you’ve developed a hairline fracture.

What is a Hairline Fracture?

A hairline fracture, also known as a stress fracture, is a small crack or severe bruise within a bone. Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone. Repeated stress to the bone causes them. The stress often comes from using the same body part too much. Some examples include jumping up and down a lot or running long distances. Stress fractures also can happen with regular use of a bone that's weaker due to a condition such as osteoporosis.

This injury is most common in athletes, especially athletes of sports that involve running and jumping. However, anyone can get a stress fracture. Hairline fractures are also common in the foot, ankle, and spine.

Causes of Hairline Fractures

Hairline fractures are often caused by overuse or repetitive actions when microscopic damage is done to the bone over time. Not allowing yourself enough time to heal between activities is often a factor in the probability of getting this injury. An increase in either the duration or frequency of activity can result in a hairline fracture. This means that, even if you are used to running, suddenly increasing either your distance or the number of times per week you run can cause this injury.

Another similar cause of a hairline fracture is changing the type of exercise you do. For example, if you’re an excellent swimmer, it’s still possible to sustain an injury from suddenly engaging in another intense activity like running, no matter how good of shape you may be in.

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Bones adapt to increased forces put on them through various activities, where new bones form to replace old bone. This process is called remodeling. During a lifelong process called remodeling, old bone tissue is destroyed and then rebuilt. This process speeds up when the weight-bearing load on the bone increases.

The risk of a stress fracture rises when a bone bears an unusual amount of force without enough time to recover. When the breakdown happens more rapidly than new bone can form, you increase your likelihood of a hairline fracture.

Risk Factors for Hairline Fractures

There are a number of risk factors that increase your chances of getting a hairline fracture:

• Specific sports: Stress fractures are more common in people who do activities that put a high level of repetitive stress on joints. Participants in high impact sports, such as track and field, cross-country running, basketball, tennis, dance and gymnastics increase their chances of getting a hairline fracture.
• More activity: Stress fractures often happen in people who suddenly shift from an inactive lifestyle to a training routine. People who quickly raise the intensity, length or number of training sessions they do also put themselves at risk.
• Female sex: Athletes who were born female seem to have a higher risk of stress fractures than those born male. The higher risk may be linked to not getting enough nutrition to support training demands. This can result in irregular menstrual periods and a condition that involves thinning bones, called osteoporosis. Sometimes, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia also can play a role. In fact, female athletes may be at a greater risk because of a condition called the “female athlete triad.” This is where extreme dieting and exercise may result in eating disorders, menstrual dysfunction, and premature osteoporosis.
• Foot problems: People who have flat feet or high, rigid arches are more likely to get stress fractures. High arches, rigid arches, or flat feet can increase the risk of a hairline fracture. Worn footwear often contributes to the problem. Problematic footwear can cause injuries.
• Weakened bones: Conditions such as osteoporosis can weaken bones and make it easier for stress fractures to happen. Conditions such as osteoporosis and medications that affect bone density and strength can cause hairline fractures even when performing typical daily activities.
• Past stress fractures: Having had one or more stress fractures puts you at higher risk of having more. Having one hairline fracture increases your chances of having another.
• Lack of nutrients: Eating disorders and lack of vitamin D and calcium can make bones more likely to develop stress fractures. Lack of vitamin D or calcium can make your bones more susceptible to fracture. People with eating disorders are also at risk for this reason.
• Change in surface: Changes in playing surfaces can cause undue stress to the bones of the feet and legs. For example, a tennis player moving from a grass court to a hard court may develop injuries. Changes in playing surfaces can cause undue stress to the bones of the feet and legs.
• Wearing footwear without proper support: Running shoes that do not provide adequate support can contribute to your likelihood of getting a hairline fracture.

Symptoms of a Hairline Fracture

The most common symptom of a hairline fracture is pain. This pain can gradually get worse over time, especially if you don’t stop weight-bearing activity. At first, you might barely notice the pain from a stress fracture. But it tends to become worse if you do more of an activity that puts stress on the cracked bone. Pain is usually worse during activity and lessens during rest. The pain is only present during instances of weight bearing and will go away at rest. This would mean that the injury sustained is not involving any muscle groups nor it is a major fracture. The tender feeling often starts at a certain spot and gets better during rest.

Other symptoms include:

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• Swelling
• Tenderness
• Bruising

Diagnosis of Hairline Fractures

If you believe you have a hairline fracture, it’s important to seek treatment from your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor will likely begin by asking about your medical history and general health. They’ll also likely ask questions about your diet, medications, and other risk factors.

Then, they may perform several exams, including:

• Physical examination: Your doctor will inspect the painful area. They’ll probably apply gentle pressure to see if it causes pain. Pain in response to pressure is often the key for your doctor to diagnose a hairline fracture. During injuries, our body’s immune system will kick in. Chemical signals are released by the brain to widen capillaries which will result in increased blood flow to the injured area. The white blood cells will then fight against any infection present.
• MRI: The best imaging test for determining hairline fractures is an MRI. This test uses magnets and radio waves to provide images of your bones. An MRI will determine a fracture before an X-ray can. It’ll do a better job of determining the type of fracture as well.
• X-ray: Hairline fractures often aren’t visible on X-rays immediately after the injury. Hairline Fractures often aren’t visible on X-rays immediately after the injury. The fracture may be visible if it is more severe or after a few days.
• Bone scan: A bone scan involves receiving a small dose of radioactive material through a vein. This substance accumulates in areas where bones are repairing. But because this test will indicate an increased blood supply to a particular area, it won’t specifically prove there’s a hairline fracture. This test will indicate an increased blood supply to a particular area. It’s suggestive but not diagnostic of a hairline fracture, as other conditions can cause an abnormal bone scan.

Treatment Options for Hairline Fractures

Home remedies and medical treatments can help manage symptoms of a hairline fracture.

Home Treatments

For first aid if you suspect a hairline fracture, follow the RICE method:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and aspirin (Bayer) can help with pain and swelling.

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Medical Treatments

It’s important to seek further treatment from your doctor if the pain becomes severe or doesn’t get better with rest. The doctor can confirm the diagnosis and advise on medical treatments.

Your doctor may recommend that you use crutches to keep weight off an injured foot or leg. You can also wear protective footwear or a cast. Immobilization of the wrist can hold the bones and joints in position to allow the hairline fracture to heal faster and limit pain during the healing process. Immobilization of a wrist fracture is done with a cast or a splint. For workers or athletes who need to continue their activity while healing, an ActivArmor cast may be an option. ActivArmor is the latest technology in casting. This allows 3D scanning and printing of a hard plastic custom cast.

Because it usually takes at least 6 to 8 weeks to heal from a hairline fracture, it’s important to modify your activities during that time. Cycling and swimming are great alternatives to more high impact exercises. The main treatment for hairline fractures is refraining from doing activities that can aggravate the injury for approximately one month and a half. Once the bone has been healed of its minute cracks, the person can start resuming his normal activities gradually. In cases when extreme pain is experienced, the affected area must be put at rest and must be immobilized by casting or bracing. Use of analgesics is also prescribed when the pain is unbearable. People who have hairline fractures can better visit physical therapists so that they could be advised with strengthening exercises that are non-weight bearing like swimming.

Your doctor can advise on whether they feel surgery is necessary, and provide information about what the procedure will involve. Fortunately, hairline fractures rarely need surgery because they can be easily mended with just two weeks of rest. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to repair severe hairline fractures affecting multiple bones in the foot. Surgery usually involves placing a screw or pin to hold the bones together and allowing them to heal correctly.

Recovery and Prevention

It’s important to avoid high impact activities during the healing process. Returning to high-impact activities - especially the one that caused the injury in the first place - will delay healing and increase the risk of a complete fracture in the bone.

Your doctor may advise taking another X-ray to ensure healing before allowing you to return to your previous activities. Even after the hairline fracture is healed, it’s important to gradually return to exercise.

Simple steps can help you prevent stress fractures.

• Make changes slowly: Start any new exercise program slowly. Aim to make gradual progress over time. Don't build up the amount or intensity by more than 10% a week.
• Use proper shoes: Make sure your shoes fit well and suit your activity. Think about getting new running shoes if yours are old or worn. If you have flat feet, ask your doctor about arch supports for your shoes.
• Cross-train: Add low-impact activities to your exercise routine. These include biking and walking. They put less stress on bones than high-impact activities, such as running.
• Get proper nutrition: Make sure your diet includes enough calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients. These help bones stay strong.

Complications of Hairline Fractures

Ignoring the pain caused by a hairline fracture can actually result in the bone breaking completely. Complete breaks will take longer to heal and involve more complicated treatments. Without proper rest and treatment, a hairline fracture may become a complete break.

In rare instances, hairline fractures won’t heal properly. This results in chronic, long term pain. It’s important to talk with your doctor to prevent pain and worsening injuries. Some stress fractures don't heal properly. That can cause long-term problems. It's important to not restart the activity that caused the stress fracture too soon. Doing so could put you at higher risk of larger stress fractures that may be harder to heal.

tags: #hairline #fracture #symptoms

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