One of the most dreaded ailments among runners is a bone stress injury, and with good reason: they demand a lot of rest and rehabilitation time. Preventing this life-altering illness requires awareness of the common risk factors that put you at risk.
If only they could avoid it, all runners would avoid injuries that would keep them from running, even if only temporarily. Bone stress injuries, in contrast to soft tissue injuries, often need many weeks of rest from jogging.
With stress fractures, like with any other medical condition, prevention is key. There is still much to learn about what causes bone injuries, but there are numerous established precautions you may take.
This week’s audio guest is not just a physician with expertise in bone injuries, but also an avid runner. Emily Kraus, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. At Stanford, she investigates the causes of bone stress injuries among distance runners for the Healthy Runner Project.
Emily Kraus, MD, Discusses Stress Fractures
When it comes to running-related ailments, Emily is a RED-S and stress-fracture (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). She also works as a medical adviser for the Adaptive Sports Injury Prevention Program and does gait analysis for the Stanford Run Safe Injury Prevention Program.
Emily’s enthusiasm for her work with runners originates in her own enthusiasm for the sport. She has finished a number of marathons, including Boston, and an ultramarathon of 50 kilometers. Emily has a vast body of knowledge and can run a marathon in 2 hours and fifty minutes.
Emily and I cover every angle of bone stress injuries in this episode.
- Distinguishing between a stress reaction and a stress fracture, as well as the best method for identifying a bone damage.
- Bone injury risk factors, such as those unique to runners and those connected to nutrition
- When and who is at risk for developing RED-S and stress fractures
- What to expect from bone injury treatment and rehabilitation
- Methods for preventing stress fractures
If you’re a runner and you want to understand more about bone fractures and how to avoid them, this episode is for you.
