Stress Fractures in Runners: Warning Signs

Should shoulder exercises be painful?
Some mild discomfort during rehabilitation is often acceptable, but exercises shouldn't cause severe or progressively worsening pain.
How often should I do my shoulder exercises?
This depends on your injury and stage of recovery. Your physiotherapist will prescribe a program suited to your individual needs.
Can resistance bands replace weights?
Resistance bands are excellent for early rehabilitation, but many people eventually benefit from progressing to free weights or gym equipment.
Should I copy exercises from YouTube?
Not always. Exercises that are appropriate for one shoulder condition may aggravate another. It's important to know what you're treating before beginning rehabilitation.
Why Choose The Addison?
At The Addison Physiotherapy, we believe rehabilitation should be individual - not generic. We assess your shoulder, identify the underlying cause of your symptoms and prescribe exercises based on your goals, lifestyle and stage of recovery.

Whether you're aiming to return to the gym, sport or simply everyday life without pain, we'll help you build a stronger, more resilient shoulder.

Stress fractures rarely happen from one bad step.

More often, there is a gradual progression where bone is repeatedly exposed to more stress than it can recover from.

Early warning signs

Be particularly cautious about running pain that:

is very localised
worsens with impact
is tender directly over the bone
starts earlier as training continues
progresses from running pain to walking pain
doesn't behave like your usual muscular soreness

Where do runners develop stress fractures?

Common sites include the:

tibia
metatarsals
navicular
femur/femoral neck
pelvis

The location matters because some bone stress injuries are considered higher risk and require more conservative management.

Why do they happen?

Training load is important, but it isn't the whole story.

Assessment may also consider:

recovery
sleep
previous stress fractures
strength
nutrition
energy availability
menstrual health where relevant
training surfaces and footwear

Don't keep testing it

One of the biggest mistakes runners make is repeatedly going for “a little run to see how it feels.”

If a bone stress injury is suspected, early load modification and appropriate assessment are important.

Catching the problem earlier on the bone stress continuum can potentially prevent a smaller stress reaction progressing into a more significant injury. This distinction is also emphasised in our existing bone-stress content.