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Femoral stress fracture - how to tell?
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I've been having a pain deep in the right thigh. I went to the sports doc to check out possible femoral stress fracture or quad strain, but the doc couldn't tell, and didn't feel my symptoms were bad enough to warrant a bone scan, but given I've had tibial stress fractures in the past I'd like to figure this out. The pain did start when I switched bikes, but I'm riding the same saddle height now (it was 2cm too high when I first got it). I can walk, bike and lift weight just fine.

Does anyone have a tell-tale sign for femoral stress fracture? I know when I fractured my tibias non-weight bearing paw-back really was the sign every time.
Thanks
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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When I had mine last year it DEFINITELY showed up when I ran causing me to limp. Didn't hurt on the bike or during the swim (well only MINORLY) when I pushed off the wall at very specific angles.

I had a minor one (doc said 1 or 2 on scale of 1-10). Compression side SF. Total of 5 weeks off of running. And then slowly picked the volume back up.

cheers
S.

// qui audet adipiscitur
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [spomeroy] [ In reply to ]
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I hate not knowing for sure it's a stress fracture. But even if the doc sent me to get a scan it would be 4 more weeks anyways. Guess the best course is to figure on it being one and take the time now, salvage what I can of a season. Should be in shape again by July I guess.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah it sucks. I had mine diagnosed in March/April and was still able to finish my first Full IM in August. And by the time race season started I was able to get in a couple of shorter distance races.
Funny thing is I think my run got faster by the time I started back up and was able to race.

Hang in there.

cheers
S.

// qui audet adipiscitur
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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I think that is a tough question to answer because you don't know until you know. I may be wrong, but I think some sort of diagnostic test (bone scan, MRI) has to be done in order to confirm there is a SF.

From my personal experience, I had a SF in my femur a few years ago. If I ran 2-3 days in a row or if I did a hard run, pain would be bad enough to make walking very difficult for a day or so after. Also, had pain while cycling and even just walking at times. Finally, I would have pain just sitting around. Not constant, though. Would come on unexpectedly and last maybe 5-15 minutes. I can't really remember how often this happened. Maybe a couple times a day, but it easily could have been every couple days. Hard to really describe the pain, but I think I explained to my doc that it felt like my bone was being put through a meat grinder.

Hope that helps and hope you don't have a SF.

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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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Pain in your thigh? I currently have a femoral stress fracture. The discomfort feels like hip flexor soreness and the inability to run. It was never sharp pain for me. If you did go to a doctor and complained about hip pain, an MRI is usually done to rule out a femoral stress fracture. This is something you really don't want to mess around with. If it's a tension stress fracture (on top of the bone) this is very serious. A compression (what I have) is less serious but a lovely 12 week recovery period is
the minimum.

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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [zdesmond] [ In reply to ]
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It sounds like yours was worse than mine is. I can walk/bike no prob, but the day after a run was brutal, especially 2 days runnign in a row. I never run 3 in a row!

To be honest, I wasn't too pleased with my sports doc. She simply did not want to send me for a scan. My GP won't send me for a bone density test either, despite getting now 6 fractures since 2004, running 60K/week with no speedwork (only LT) in those years. He claims I over train.

She told me 2 weeks pain free then start running. Maybe because she was due to deliver a baby in a week, she doesn't care.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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I have one right now. They thought it was a labral tear and sent me to PT. After 4 weeks of no improvment the doctor decided to do an MRI. It is when he found the stress fracture. I have to be on crutches for 3 weeks and then start rehab from scratch (he mention aqua jogging, checking how I run on a treadmill, yadayada).

My symptoms are that I just couldn't walk with out limping the day after a run. Felt a pinching pain around the ingle if squatting with that leg. If I lay down on my back, flex my leg and somebody pushes my knee agains my chest, again, a pinching pain in my ingle.
Last edited by: Maui: Mar 29, 10 10:53
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [Trigirlpink] [ In reply to ]
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I feel it right in the middle of the thigh, deep in. I also had piriformis pain, IT pain, Psoas pain, knee pain, upper hamstring pain, all on that same side. Basically knee-hip all hurt. Now, 2 weeks no running and the pain is almost gone 100%.

Maybe I should go back and see whoever covers my doc's mat. leave.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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for me, it felt like a concentrated sore spot on the back inside of my left thigh. sometimes the pain would be in one spot, other times it would radiate down to the knee and up into the hip joint. running made it worse; i still felt it when biking and swimming but not quite as much.

it didn't feel like a muscle problem at all - that's what was baffling. i tried stretching and massaging the area and couldn't duplicate the pain.

i had a bone scan done to confirm the dr's suspicions. no running for 6 weeks, no NOTHING using the legs for 4 weeks.

king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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That is just negligence on your physicians part. An MRI is necessary when someone has been complaining about hip pain for as long as you have. If anything, it's to rule things out. Go get another doctor!

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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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At first I was the same way -- it got progressively worse. Started as dull, achy kind of pain and progressed from there.

As we aren't medical professionals it is really hard to say one way or the other. My advice would be to pay attention to your body, if the pain doesn't feel right stay off it so that it doesn't progress (after diagnosis I had about 3 months of no activity). Even when it first started and really wasn't bad the pain didn't feel right. Not sure if that makes any sense.

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team website: http://snappletriteam.com/

team blog: http://snappletriteam.com/?page_id=10
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [zdesmond] [ In reply to ]
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For sure it makes sense. My tibial fractures, I knew it wasn't right. I'll go back and play hardball to get a scan, but continue to play safe for now. As long as I can bike it's not that bad!

I think what did it was tempo runs on the indoor track. That was the first I felt it, after an 8K tempo
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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Bone scan showed revealed mine.
6 weeks on crutches, 6 more no running and i was good.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [Karaya0321] [ In reply to ]
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I'm still not convinced it is one. Pain gone after two weeks? Maybe I caught it as a stress reaction? My first one I ran a half on, and it ended up hurting all the time for weeks.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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Speaking from a medical standpoint, the ONLY way to tell any suspected fracture is an X-Ray...period. That's my $0.02, ask your primary for an outpatient series to confirm and go from there. If your hellbent on training with a fracture (assuming you have one) look into doing pool running of find an Alter-G treadmill in your area, they work great for rehab and still allow you to get runs in without added stress.

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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [Need4Speed305] [ In reply to ]
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Before I get blasted I will add this side note. Depending on what insurance you have will depend on how you can proceed with this. Most carriers will only allow you to have an MRI or a scan of sorts after an x-ray has shown a positive fracture or "further diagnostic testing" is required. I didn't read your whole post but after doing so I was a bit set back by your constant string of fractures in the past. Typically people don't get bone failures from swim/bike/run activities that often unless they have underlying issues, soft tissue injuries are much more likely. I would push for a density scan and see if you are deficient in any markers on your blood labs. I have no idea what your history is like or what your current health is, but something isn't right there...

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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
To be honest, I wasn't too pleased with my sports doc. She simply did not want to send me for a scan. My GP won't send me for a bone density test either, despite getting now 6 fractures since 2004, running 60K/week with no speedwork (only LT) in those years. He claims I over train.

She told me 2 weeks pain free then start running. Maybe because she was due to deliver a baby in a week, she doesn't care.

You need to find a new doc. All kinds of red flags there for bone issues. And you need - and deserve - a bone scan.

FIND A NEW DOC who will give you the care your deserve.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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Other than bone density, anything else I should have them look into? The more I know (or seem to) the more I can push for what I need.

My GP is one of those anti-endurance sports types. He thinks 30 min "cardio" 3x/week is sufficient.
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Re: Femoral stress fracture - how to tell? [mr.fincher] [ In reply to ]
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After you look into finding a new doc...

Have them do bloodwork to find if your vitamin D level is adequate.
Ask for an NTX study - it's a urine sample from which they can measure bone turnover.
Oh, and the DEXA scan (bone density) and a bone scan.

PM me if you have any questions.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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