A hairline fracture, also referred to as stress fracture, is one of the most common injuries in sports, but can happen to anyone. It is considered to be an overuse injury and occurs when your muscles become tired and are unable to absorb added shock. With time, the overload of stress or force is transferred from your fatigued muscles to your bone. This causes a tiny crack in your bone, a hairline fracture.
An hairline fracture can occur in any bone in your lower body, but they are more common in some areas than others.
The tibia, or shin bone, is the most common site of a hairline fracture. Next, is the metatarsals, the bones in your foot behind your toes.
Because stress fractures progress slowly, a common tibia hairline fracture can, at first, be felt as shin splints, pain along the inside of your tibia. The pain begins over a large area along your shin bone, and is mostly noticed after a difficult exercise routine or activity, or pain may not be noticed until the morning after. With a stress fracture, the pain will increase while the area of the pain will decrease, becoming more specific.
See your doctor if you have pain, especially if it worsens or persists.
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