If you are an athlete or consider yourself an active person, experiencing an injury while exercising is always a possibility. While regular exercise is crucial for an overall healthy lifestyle, we hope you never do get hurt!

Minor injuries like strains or sprains are common and have a shorter recovery time compared to painful injuries like stress fractures. If you are experiencing pain while exercising, stop what you are doing and come see us right away.

Our AFC Urgent Care Boulder team explains what stress fractures are below, so read on to learn more.

Does a Stress Fracture Hurt Right Away?

Unlike regular bone fractures, stress fractures typically don’t appear after a singular event or accident. Instead, they develop slowly over time due to some type of overuse activity. Stress fractures occur when you put constant pressure on your bone due to some type of repeated motion, like long-distance running.

Our bones have a flexible quality to them and can withstand occasional pressures, but if the motion becomes too much or happens too often, tiny cracks can appear. Over time, the cracks can worsen or deepen and cause significant pain.

Stress Fracture Symptoms

• Pain when exercising
• Tenderness at the site
• Mild swelling and redness
• Pain that gets worse over time

What Is the Recovery Time for a Stress Fracture?

Even though a stress fracture is not a full fracture, it still needs significant time to heal. Recovery looks different for everyone, but it is not uncommon to take up to eight weeks to fully heal.

While you wait for the injury to heal, it is imperative that you avoid whatever activity caused the injury in the first place. If you continue to exercise in the way that injured you originally, you could make the fracture worse or even suffer a full break of the affected bone. Speak with your medical provider to get the OK before doing any sort of gentler exercises during your recovery time.

Activities That Can Cause Stress Fractures

• Long-distance running
• Dance
• Gymnastics
• Track and field events

If you are experiencing pain in your legs or feet during exercise, come see us at AFC Urgent Care Boulder.