Stress Fractures of the Fibula

Stress fractures of the lower part of the fibula are common in athletes. This paper reviews fifty such injuries and discusses the natural history, signs, symptoms, radiographic appearances and treatment. All were seen in the Athletes’ Clinic at the Middlesex Hospital between 1952 and 1955, at which they represented an approximate incidence of 3 per cent of new patients seen. An excellent summary of the literature was given by Burrows (1948), who recorded twenty-four stress fractures of the lowest third or middle third of the fibula, and a larger number in the uppermost third. Since then ten more have been published, eight in children, by Griffiths (1952) and two by Richmond and Shafor (1955). The high incidence in athletes has not been noted before.