stress fracture update

I had a quick visit with the orthopedist today.  He did locate a very tender spot on my shin which is where I think one of my osteotomy screws was.  He thought it would be very unusual to develop a stress fracture in that part of the tibia, even with a hole there, as the bone is very strong in that location.  But he told me he couldn't really think of another reason for the pain there.  He advised me to stop running until the tenderness is gone.

He thought an x-ray would be reasonable if the pain persists, but we didn't get one today.

So, it looks like I will be sticking to the bike for a little while.

Stress fracture?

Last week, I started to really notice pain in my left leg.  It wasn't the knee, but just below it in the top part of my tibia.  In fact, it felt like it was right about where the screws were from my tibial tubercle osteotomy (which were removed at the end of May, 2010).  By the end of the week, I could really feel the pain while walking, and I started to think it could be a stress fracture.  In hindsight, it had started just after I ran the Shamrock Shuffle race on 3/27.  At this point, I haven't run since 4/2.  On that run, the pain actually seemed to get a bit better as I went, which really wouldn't go with a stress fracture.  Over the weekend, I rode my bike, which did not cause any pain.

There's a thing called the "hop test", which is supposed to be helpful in deciding if a stress fracture is present, and my hop test is negative.  I've arranged for my orthopedic doc to take a look at me tomorrow to see what he thinks, but I'm now not sure sure it really is a stress fracture.  However, I think I will likely skip the BAA 5K this weekend, which I had signed up to run.

Anyway, I'll post an update with the orthopedic doc's thoughts after I see him.