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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 87-B, Issue 10,
1385-1390.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.87B10.16666 Copyright © 2005 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery Fatigue injuries of the femurM. H. Niva, MD, Research Fellow1; M. J. Kiuru, MD, PhD, MSc, Radiologist, Associate, Professor1; R. Haataja, MSc, Assistant Professor in Biometry2; and H. K. Pihlajamäki, MD, PhD, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Associate Professor1
1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research Institute of Military Medicine, Central Military Hospital, P. O. Box 50, FIN-00300, Helsinki, Finland. Correspondence should be sent to Dr M. H. Niva; e-mail: maria.niva{at}fimnet.fi
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. This article has been cited by other articles:
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