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. 2005 Oct;87(10):1385-90.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.87B10.16666.

Fatigue injuries of the femur

M H Niva  1 , M J Kiuru, R Haataja, H K Pihlajamäki
Affiliations

Fatigue injuries of the femur

M H Niva et al. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2005 Oct.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the anatomical distribution and incidence of fatigue injuries of the femur in physically-active young adults, based upon MRI studies. During a period of 70 months, 1857 patients with exercise-induced pain in the femur underwent MRI of the pelvis, hips, femora, and/or knees. Of these, 170 patients had a total of 185 fatigue injuries, giving an incidence of 199 per 100 000 person-years. Bilateral injuries occurred in 9% of patients. The three most common sites affected were the femoral neck (50%), the condylar area (24%) and the proximal shaft (18%). A fatigue reaction was seen in 57%, and a fracture line in 22%. There was a statistical correlation between the severity of the fatigue injury and the duration of pain (p = 0.001). The location of the pain was normally at the site of the fatigue injury. Fatigue injuries of the femur appear to be relatively common in physically-active patients.

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