Navicular stress fractures are a common foot injury in athletes.
Thesestress fracturestend to occur in athletes whose sport requires explosive movements and sudden changes in direction.
Commonlyinjured athletesinclude runners, jumpers, sprinters, basketball, and soccer players.
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One of these problems is the location of the bone.
Signs of Injury
Athletes typically complain of vague midfoot pain just past the ankle joint.
The pain typically is most bothersome during and just after athletic activity and resolves after a period of rest.
In more severe cases, patients may even have pain with more routine activities such as walking.
There is usually no history of an acute injury, rather most athletes describe a worsening, nagging pain.
Diagnosis of a navicular stress fracture is suspected when athletes have pain directly over the navicular bone.
There may be a small degree of swelling in the area.
Sometimes the navicular stress fracture is seen on X-ray but often requires other tests to be detected.
Tests including MRIs, CT scans, and bone scans can all be used to detect this injury.
Treatment Options
The usual treatment of a navicular stress fracture is with nonsurgical management.
However, it is critical that treatment is appropriate as these fractures may not heal if not appropriately managed.
Typical treatment consists of rest from activity, limited weight-bearing (crutches) and immobilization in a cast.
Gross CE, Nunley JA.Navicular Stress Fractures.Foot Ankle Int.
2018;10(4):340-344 doi:10.1177/1941738117747868
