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| A Stress fracture is a break in a bone caused by repetitive stress. It may occur in
any bone, but is quite common in the metatarsal bones of the foot. There is often
no recollection of injury. The patient my simply develop a painful forefoot after
some activity, such as running, sports, or stooping down onto the ball of the foot.
A small crack develops in the cortex (outer shell) of the bone. Without proper
treatment, this may progress to a "through and through" (overt) fracture of the
bone. The second and third metatarsals are the most commonly affected.
Metatarsal stress fracture may not become apparent on x-rays until a few weeks
after the injury. |
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