Stress fractures in young athletes.

In a series of 16 cases of stress fractures in 15-year-old and younger athletes 8 fractures occurred in boys and 8 in girls. There were no differences between the sexes in the athletes' training habits. Ten of the fractures were located at the tibia, seven at its upper third and three at the lower part of the bone. Three fractures were found in the fibula, in the metatarsal bones two stress fractures and in the femur one stress fracture. Most stress fractures were caused by endurance type sports. The daily training distances were not particularly high at the time of the onset of the symptoms. In most cases the diagnosis was based on a radiological evaluation. A sufficiently long pause from all athletic activity was enough treatment. Stress fractures in children are very uncommon.