They can occur many places in the body, but runners most often get them in the shin bones. That is why it occurs gradually – over time, the bones are asked to do just a little bit more than they’re ready for, and the shock is great enough to cause a slight crack. Rather, the pain begins gradually, usually as a slight twinge, and only intensifies as you continue to run on it. With every step, sharp pain will shoot from your foot up your leg, and it will get worse the longer you run on it. If the pain is sharper and concentrated over a smaller area – usually no bigger than a dime – it is more likely to be a stress fracture.
The last thing you want to do is come back too quickly and retrigger your injury. Stress fractures are almost always caused by some of the errors that I outlined earlier – increasing mileage and intensity too quickly, wearing shoes without enough cushioning, and doing too much of your running on hard surfaces. Unfortunately, when you have a stress fracture, you need to stop running.
The bone will continue to rupture, and you could develop a complete break, which will add considerably to your downtime. If you definitely have a stress fracture, you are best off not running for at least four weeks, as well as avoiding other weight-bearing activity during this time.
