• A hairline crack in a bone that usually occurs from overuse; left untreated, this may lead to displacement of the bones.
  Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
  Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
• A small, traumatic break or severe bruising of a bone caused by repetitive application of force.
  NCI Thesaurus
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• (fractures, stress) Fractures due to the strain caused by repetitive exercise. They are thought to arise from a combination of MUSCLE FATIGUE and bone failure, and occur in situations where BONE REMODELING predominates over repair. The most common sites of stress fractures are the METATARSUS; FIBULA; TIBIA; and FEMORAL NECK.
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
• Stress fractures are small incomplete fractures that often involve the metatarsal shafts. They are caused by repetitive weight-bearing stress.
  Merck Manuals
  Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
• The stress fracture, first described by Breithaupt in 1855, is a common overuse injury seen in athletes and military recruits. The injury is usually seen in the lower extremities, but it has also been reported in the upper extremities and the ribs.
  Medscape
  WebMD, 2019
• Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone. They're caused by repetitive force, often from overuse - such as repeatedly jumping up and down or running long distances. Stress fractures can also develop from normal use of a bone that's weakened by a condition such as osteoporosis.
  Mayo Clinic
  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Stress fracture, any overuse injury that affects the integrity of bone. Stress fractures were once commonly described as march fractures, because they were reported most often in military recruits who had recently increased their level of impact activities. The injuries have since been found to be...
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020