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Tibial stress fracture
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Fellow Ironpeople, I would appreciate hearing thoughts on my tibial stress fracture. I am a 60-year-old lifelong recreational athlete who has maintained fitness since teenage years with a lot of cycling, along with weights and similar activity. I got into triathlon at age 47, and I finished Ironman 5 times from 2006 to 2010, although never faster than 15 hours. I have stuck with the tri way of life since then, and raced Oly distance at least once per year. I have been doing a minimum of 3.5 hours of cycling per week over recent years – 60, 60, 90. After a summer break, I got back into it last September, October, and November, with regular cycling and a gradual buildup along those lines. I was planning on a gradual return to running in the new year. On Thanksgiving Saturday, I cycled hard for 90 minutes, having done the two 60’s earlier in the week, with a lot of standing in spin class. Things were great. Then, on Thanksgiving Sunday, I came down with severe shin pain, which was aggravated by weight bearing. I treated it as shin splints – rest, ice, compress, elevate. After 3 weeks, December 18th, I got a diagnosis – tibial stress fracture, largely on the basis of localized pain and edema – and a recommendation to rest and take calcium supplements. The ortho said after three good days, I should cycle at 50% for a half hour, and go from there. I thought that the previous three days weren’t too bad, so I cycled for the 1st time in three weeks that day, at 65% of the watts that I would normally be at, and doing so was perfectly fine for 15 minutes and 3 seconds. Then, I experienced abrupt tingling pain in my shin, and I stopped. After 7 weeks off since then, with no exercise except weights 2 or 3 times per week, I tried cycling at 60% for 10 minutes twice in a week in early February, but I felt that I was aggravating the injury. So here I am, 14 weeks after the injury, taking calcium and vitamins D, K, and K2, and feeling like I am not fully healed, although I do feel like I have been walking normally the last couple of weeks. I am hesitant to risk re-injury. I now realize I had the same injury twice before, in about 2008 and 2011, due to downhill running after not training downhill, but those injuries cleared up in 2 weeks or so. Does anyone have thoughts to share? Thanks
Last edited by: lharveyt: Mar 4, 18 16:32
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Re: Tibial stress fracture [lharveyt] [ In reply to ]
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Have you not been back to the ortho since December? I would go back and ask him if you have not.

I had a tibia stress fracture last year from running. It was bad enough i had to go on crutches for 6 weeks. Maybe something to consider if you dont think it is healing completely so far.

Otherwise you could see an endocrinologist if you cant figure out why this is happening.
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Re: Tibial stress fracture [Old97] [ In reply to ]
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Many thanks, Old97
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Re: Tibial stress fracture [lharveyt] [ In reply to ]
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I thought I had a similar stress fracture. After an MRI, it turns out to be focal edema of the bone marrow in the tibia. The doc that I've been seeing has said that there is no ETA for recovery as "Every bone is different". I've had the pain for 14 weeks now and the MRI was just done last week, with the doc saying that I'm looking at another 6 weeks of keeping off my feet as much as possible.
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Re: Tibial stress fracture [A.Hart] [ In reply to ]
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Good luck with it all, A.Hart, I wish you the best
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Re: Tibial stress fracture [lharveyt] [ In reply to ]
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run on soft surfaces - grass, trail.
get new shoes.

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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