{"id":5017,"date":"2021-03-19T16:03:56","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T15:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/?p=5017"},"modified":"2023-05-05T15:42:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T13:42:41","slug":"dont-miss-femoral-stress-fractures-in-the-female-runner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.physiotutors.com\/dont-miss-femoral-stress-fractures-in-the-female-runner\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t miss Femoral Stress Fractures in The Female Runner!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Case study<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A 28-year-old woman presents to the physiotherapy clinic with a 3-week history of left groin and anterior thigh pain that has progressively worsened while training for her first half-marathon. She has reduced her training schedule to two sessions a week due to her pain and is currently unable to run beyond 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the ONE condition that you don\u2019t want to miss in this runner<\/em><\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A stress fracture is caused by repeated sub-optimal loading on a bone over time as opposed to a single severe impact. Stress fractures in the hip and pelvis region (femoral neck, pubis, sacrum, and ischium) are more common in female runners and should not be missed, as a possible differential diagnosis of hip and groin pain. Femoral stress fractures account for around 11% of all stress fractures in the athletic population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk Factors<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are multiple risk factors for the development of stress fractures within the athletic population. The key risk factors for stress fractures are highlighted below, as a checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Clinical Presentation<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In female runners, a history comprising of amenorrhea reduced calorie intake, and previous bone stress injuries should raise the suspicion of a stress fracture (Lodge et al. 2021<\/a>).  Most runners usually present with vague symptoms about the hip and groin region.  Typically, the pain is diffuse around the groin, anterior hip and can radiate to the proximal thigh region. Tenderness is rarely elicited, even with severe stress fractures. The pain typically worsens with impact activities and worsens over time. In advanced cases, it may progress to night pain and even limping during walking (Petrin et al. 2016<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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