A stress fracture is a small crack in a bone, or severe bruising within a bone. Most stress fractures are caused by overuse and repetitive activity, and are common in runners and athletes who participate in running sports, such as soccer and basketball and army recruits during their training period. Stress fractures occur most often in the second and third metatarsals in the foot. Other bones of foot that can have stress fracture are calcaneum, cuboid, 5th MT just distal to tuberosity. Stress fractures are overuse injuries, they occur over time when repetitive forces result in microscopic damage to the bone. 

• Abrupt increase in daily activity
• Deficiency in bone
• Improper equipment
• Lack of warmup
• Any change in surface of contact

• Pain that diminishes during rest
• Pain that occurs and intensifies during normal, daily activities
• Swelling on the top of the foot or on the outside of the ankle
• Tenderness to touch at the site of the fracture
• Possible bruising

If the symptom continues for few weeks even after proper rest and analgesic one should visit a Specialist Foot & Ankle surgeon.

Your doctor can suspect it from your history and examination finding like inability to walk and local tenderness. To confirm the diagnosis he may prescribe you for imaging tests like x-ray or MRI and some blood test to exclude other possible cause. X-ray is nonconclusive in early few weeks of symptom. MRI is most confirmatory to establish the diagnosis.

Selfcare and prevention: Rest, icing, modification of activity can resolve the symptom.

Doctor may advice you specific modification of your training and activity. Protective pneumatic boot for mobilisation or plaster cast application is very effective to resolve the condition. Very rarely may require fixation if spontaneous healing does not happen. Physical rehabilitation in the form of strengthening of foot & ankle muscle and balancing reflex is required following the prolong immobilisation.