Several studies have looked into the causes of stress fractures in runners, but their etiology is still not well understood. McClay says she believes they are a result of some combination of structure, mechanics and training. Incidence rates of fractures of this nature have been noted between 5 and 15 percent, depending on the definition of injury and study population, she says. Once the factors associated with tibial stress fractures are identified, intervention strategies to minimize these risks can be developed. Studying runners both before and after injuries will allow us to assess whether mechanics are altered as a result of injury.
Stress fractures are among the more serious of injuries that runners can sustain.
There are a number of theories surrounding the development of these fractures. The most current thought is that stress fractures are at the end of a continuum of bony injury that may begin with the clinical diagnosis of acute shin splints, progressing to stress reaction and, finally, to fracture. According to studies, women are reported to be at greater risk, and the tibia is the most common site of stress fractures in runners, accounting for between 30 and 50 percent of total stress fractures reported. McClay says she chose to study only women because of the greater occurrence of stress fractures in females. These women are running on a regular basis and for a considerable distance.