Running too much? You might need to skip your upcoming marathon, and here’s why

Dear Dr. Selesnick,

Q: I run for exercise about 12 miles per week. About two months ago I upped my miles, as I am training for a half marathon scheduled in two months.

Last week I started to have pain on the outside of my calf while running. This week I had to stop running altogether as the pain worsened. I have no swelling and X-rays taken at an urgent care were normal. I was told to rest.

I am worried I won’t be able to run the race. Resting to me is not a good option so I was am asking what I should do next?

A: A very common overuse injury in runners is a stress fracture. A stress fracture is caused by repetitive micro trauma that exceeds the strength of a bone resulting in micro fractures. These fractures become more painful the more you run and in rare circumstances can result in complete fractures of the bone.

I am concerned that you may have a stress fracture of your fibula bone on the outside of your calf. I think you should see an orthopedic surgeon for an exam.

An MRI scan can be more sensitive to diagnosis a stress fracture, as routine X-rays are non diagnostic about 2/3 of the time.

Most stress fractures require a period of rest to allow proper healing that sometimes can take up to two months. It is also important that you maintain a proper diet to maintain normal bone metabolism.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is team physician of the Miami Heat and director of Miami Sports Medicine Fellowship, Doctors Hospital. Send your questions to HarlanS@baptisthealth.net