Stress Fracture - Fibula

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Markoid Oct 2018 2:16pm, 10 Oct 2018 12 posts	0 Markoid Hi all, lurker Mark here and I have a stress fracture... I'm yet to be diagnosed properly - as they don't show on xrays for a few weeks I've been told, and in some cases needs an MRI to find. However, I'm treating it as one given symptoms and ruling out other likely ailments. Do any you folks have experience of a fibula stress fracture? If so, how long before you were back to normal (focused) training? So far, my plan looks like this: Two weeks total rest. Four - Six weeks no running, need to be pain-free for 5 consecutive days before moving onto next stage. During this time I will aqua jog as much as possible, as I've read from a few sources that an elliptical will still stress the bone, as will cycling. Then, six more weeks on a back to running programme, with run/walking and slow inccrease of time on feet. Then (sigh) I can resume a proper plan with workouts etc.
snayak Oct 2018 2:22pm, 10 Oct 2018 248 posts	0 snayak I had a stress fracture of the fibula. Took almost four months off running but did a lot of cycling in that period to keep fit. You might not need as long depending on the severity but I wanted to be cautious. The cycling definitely helped as I got straight back into my regular mileage when I went back to running. You're right about it not showing up in xrays for a few weeks but I would get one done in a couple weeks to make sure it is indeed a stress fracture.
Markoid Oct 2018 2:34pm, 10 Oct 2018 15 posts	0 Markoid Four months - wow...from research it does seem as though the fibula sfx's take longer than tibia and metatarsal to repair. I'll certainly push for another x-ray next week, that'll be 3 weeks, so should be some signs. It seems as though digital xrays have also improved and diagnosis is easier than it used to be. Good to see that your cycling didn't aggravate it. I'd rather cross-train on an elliptical than aqua jog too! I think I'll test it on a machine before getting into a pool and looking weird. Thanks snayak.