Common Bone Problems That Athletes Suffer From!

When athletes begin training for marathons and put themselves under the pre requisite training for such an event, they might experience pain as a result of bone mass increase in areas of maximal stress. If however, the training and exertion is too rapid, the bone might begin to fail and the stress reaction might cause the bone to pain and eventually fracture in extreme cases, due to a stress fracture. The athlete will experience unbearable pain at night before such a stress fracture happens.

An X-ray is needed to determine if such a stress fracture has developed and the extent of the fracture. Prior to the fracture, the area affected will develop black or blue bruising. Hip bone is often the site of injury and many different factors may cause trauma to it. Stress fractures are caused by prolonged and repetitive injury and are common in long distance running athletes. Hip impingement might result from abnormally shaped hip bones wherein the bones grind against each other and deteriorate the connecting joint. The iliac crest (present in the greater pelvic part) of the hip bone impacting the muscle overhead, can lead to hip pointer injuries.

1. Osgood Schlatter Disease is an overuse condition affecting children, mostly boys who participate in athletics. The patellar tendon and surrounding tissues get inflamed and with proper rest, ice compression, and elevation of the knee, it can be treated.
2. Premature osteoporosis is a condition that affects female athletes in particular due to low calcium levels and menstrual dysfunction which hamper the body’s bone building process.
3. Overtraining in male athletes may lead to osteoporosis due to reduced testosterone levels.
4. Osteopenia or the loss of bone in athletes may result due to overtraining and psychological stress. The calcium is mainly resorbed from the ‘cancellous bone’ (bone tissue that has a structure similar to a mesh, containing many pores) in the femur.
5. Most athletes suffer from low bone density and in extreme cases, this might lead to osteopenia. Cyclists are found to have the highest loss of bone density amongst athletes.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!