The number of people suffering from stress fractures’ has increased significantly, according to doctors. Stress fracture cases have increased by 100% since the phased unlocking last year. In the previous year, 10% of the patients were middle-aged people who had never participated in outdoor activities before the lockdown was lifted but began after the lockdown was lifted.
So far this year, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in New Delhi has seen more than 30 cases of the stress fracture. The majority of the patients are in the 30-40-year-old range, followed by the 40-50-year-old range. It was a huge increase from the previous year, according to Dr Maninder Shah Singh, Sr. Consultant Orthopedics and Chief of Foot and Ankle Service.
The pandemic has been diagnosed in a group of persons who had never exercised in their lives. For the next six weeks, they were given RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) as first-aid and were not allowed to go for a morning walk or run. They didn’t need surgery, but they were advised to avoid hard exercise for six weeks. According to the team’s trainer, it was a rude awakening for their bodies, which are unfamiliar and unconditioned to such actions.
A stress fracture is a very small crack in the bone that can occur as a result of repeated trauma. The shin bone, foot, heel, hip, and lower back are all common places to find it. The most typical symptom is pain, which decreases when you’re resting but increases when you’re doing normal things. “Stress fractures can be caused by jumping up and down repeatedly, jogging long distances, or wearing incorrect or worn-out footwear,” according to one expert. If untreated, discomfort at the site of a stress fracture can worsen, increasing the likelihood of a complete fracture in the affected bone.
Stress fractures are the most common injury in athletes and military recruits, according to Dr Jamsen. Those who complain of pain after a recent increase in activity with little rest should be evaluated, he says. According to him, stress fractures are more common in the lower limbs than in the upper limbs.
The primary advice to patients is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) as first-aid, as well as completely ceasing any morning walk or running for six weeks; none of the patients required surgery.
