Has anyone gotten stress fractures from cycling? I have a history of stress fractures from my time in the army... specifically 4 in my right leg and 5 in my left. These injuries are actually the reason I started cycling, and my legs seem to feel better all the time, but every now and then I still get the pain. I know stress fractures are a result of impact, so I'm just wondering if cycling, with little impact, can aggravate these old injuries. The exact symptoms are a slight hint of shin splints, which might relate to tibial stress fractures (?) in both legs. These may be a result of hiking across campus with the wrong type of shoes on. The one that really bothers me is the site of my first fracture, at the top of my femur, almost at my groin on the inner side of the bone. I actually went to the doctor thinking I had a hernia, and they found the fracture.
From my understanding of stress fractures, they result when the muscle starts to separate from the bone. The muscle no longer provides the proper support to the bone, so the bone cracks under pressure. Is it possible that my cycling is causing this muscle breakdown, and I'm just experiencing muscle soreness? I'm hoping this would be the case, and that even though the muscle isn't "quite right" for lack of a better term, the lessened impact on cycling would prevent or lessen the likelyhood of the bone actually cracking.
Doctors have told me that they often see people with bad stress fractures to have symptoms similiar to fibromyalgia (sp?) where there is basically inexplicable pain. This may be an option as well. I've taken this stand in the past with the attitude that I'll just have to live with the pain. This is fine with me... I just want to make sure I'm not doing any more damage to the bone.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Robie
From my understanding of stress fractures, they result when the muscle starts to separate from the bone. The muscle no longer provides the proper support to the bone, so the bone cracks under pressure. Is it possible that my cycling is causing this muscle breakdown, and I'm just experiencing muscle soreness? I'm hoping this would be the case, and that even though the muscle isn't "quite right" for lack of a better term, the lessened impact on cycling would prevent or lessen the likelyhood of the bone actually cracking.
Doctors have told me that they often see people with bad stress fractures to have symptoms similiar to fibromyalgia (sp?) where there is basically inexplicable pain. This may be an option as well. I've taken this stand in the past with the attitude that I'll just have to live with the pain. This is fine with me... I just want to make sure I'm not doing any more damage to the bone.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Robie
