Abstract

A group of 295 Israeli infantry recruits was evaluated in a prospective study of stress fractures which began in basic training. On the basis of scintigraphy, 91 of the recruits (31) were found to have sustained stress fractures during basic training. Sixty-six of the 91 recruits with stress fractures (72) were followed for a minimum of 1 year after basic training to determine the natural history of a soldier who sustains a stress fracture and resumes training after a period of rest. Five clinical patterns were observed: (1) uneventful recovery (47); (2) protracted recovery (13.6); (3) symptoms consistent with recurrent stress fractures in new sites (19.6); (4) intermittent nonstress fracture bone pain (16.7); and (5) chronic stress fractures (3). The incidence of recurrent stress fractures was 10.6. A control group of 60 recruits who sustained no stress fractures in basic training had a 1.7 incidence of stress fractures after basic training. Recruits who sustained stress fractures in basic training continued to be a higher risk for stress fractures during subsequent training. Verf.-Referat