Stress fractures may be minor injuries, but they are nothing to play around with. Stress fractures are small bone fractures that commonly occur in the foot, ankle or lower leg as a result of repeated high impact on the feet and legs, as well as muscle overuse. Stress fractures commonly affect runners or people who engage in high-impact activities like football, basketball or soccer, but non-athletes who do too much too soon or push themselves too hard are also at risk.
Significance
Low-impact aerobics are ideal for people who have joint problems that prevent them from doing high-impact forms of exercise, but no exercise is an option when you have an injury, no matter how minor it is. Exercising with any injury will make it worse and potentially debilitating, depending on the type of injury. In addition, your recovery time will be longer.
Effect
A stress fracture can develop into a bigger, more serious fracture requiring more time to heal or one that may not heal properly if you continue to exercise on it even at low intensity. It's better to stop exercising, apply an ice pack, take acetaminophen to relieve the pain and keep your weight off the affected leg or foot as much as possible until you see your doctor. Don't take ibuprofen for the pain, since ibuprofen can inhibit healing of the fracture.
Signs
Pain in the foot or leg that worsens when you work out and goes away when you're done is the usual symptom of a stress fracture. The pain grows more severe over time and eventually occurs even when you're doing your normal daily chores. The area of the fracture may become swollen, tender and bruised. Get medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The sooner a stress fracture is treated, the sooner you can resume your favorite high- or low-impact workouts and the less chance you'll end up on crutches. Your doctor will do an X-ray, bone scan or magnetic resonance imaging -- MRI -- to determine the severity and location of the fracture. He may put the affected foot or leg in a cast and prescribe protective footwear or crutches if necessary.
Recovery
Stress fractures can take one to two months to heal, or even longer. Any activity that places weight on the affected foot or leg, including walking or low-impact aerobics, should be postponed until you're medically cleared to resume those activities. In the meantime, you may be able to do non-weight-bearing activities like working out on seated rowing machines, swimming and cycling.
