Taking care of your feet is very important. There are many people who don't understanding how to properly care for their feet, and, because of that, they end up having injuries. One common foot injury is stress fractures. Here are some things that you need to know about stress fractures of the foot.

What Causes A Stress Fracture?

Stress fractures happen when you put too much pressure of the same type and the same placement on your foot. For instance, many runners get stress fractures because of the repetitive movement of running. You might end up getting a little injury on your foot that is able to heal if you can rest it. But if you are running often or are on your feet often, the small injury then becomes worse and worse, until you get a hairline fracture in the bone. Thus, stress fractures aren't usually cause by an isolated fall or stumble. It is with repetitive movement that the fracture will occur.

Additionally, it is hard to know if you have a stress fracture in the beginning because the foot will just ache and you will feel a localized pain. It is not a shooting pain in the beginning. But then as the foot is used more, the pain will get worse and worse until it is very hard to use it.

How Do You Treat A Stress Fracture?

Rest is the best way to treat the fracture. The fracture just needs time and rest to heal, so you will be told to stay off the foot and avoid doing the activity that caused the fracture, such as running or dancing, if that was the cause.

You might also be given a boot or a brace to help sustain the muscles so that you can properly walk on the foot without damaging it more.

Can You Prevent Stress Fractures?

Stress fractures are hard to prevent because they are hard to detect early on. However, if you feel pain in the foot at any time during a strenuous activity, you should stop what you are doing and rest.

Another way to protect the feet is to wear proper shoes. If you are running, you should buy shoes that fit properly and have plenty support. This will help you to prevent the fractures as best as you can.

By understanding these things you can know what to do if you get a stress fracture. To learn more, contact a podiatrist at a location like Laurel Podiatry Associates, LLC.