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Nonunions of stress fractures of the tibia

Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Richard A. Rogers, MD

Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

A. Brant Lipscomb, MD

Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Stress fractures of the tibia commonly occur in the proximal metaphysis and heal readily with rest. Frac tures of the middle third of the tibia, on the other hand, are uncommon. We encountered six stress fractures of the middle third of the tibia over a 5 year period. None of these fractures healed with simple immobilization. One was treated with electromagnetic stimulation and failed to unite 2 years after presentation. One patient underwent a biopsy of the lesion without bone grafting and it had not healed when he was last seen. One patient sustained two acute complete fractures, and the stress fracture finally healed after the second acute fracture was openly reduced and internally fixed. The other three lesions were excised and grafted because of failure to unite. They all healed promptly. Stress fractures of the middle third of the tibia are unusual lesions. However, care must be taken in treating them. The patient must protect the extremity until the fracture has completely healed. Surgical excision and bone grafting of the lesion may be required if the fracture does not heal with plaster immobilization.

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