ORTHOPEDIC AREA 

Medicina dello Sport 2012 March;65(1):99-104

Copyright © 2012 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Bone lesions induced by overtraining: the role of bone scintigraphy

Uña J. ¹, Ochoa M. ², De Sequera M. ¹, Cárdenas C. ¹, Allende A. ¹, Cabello D. ¹, Muñoz J. ¹, Martinez E. ¹

¹ Nuclear Medicine Department, Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; ² Nuclear Medicine Department, Insular de Gran Canaria University Hospital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

There are many stress injuries in the lower extremities due to exercise, and the case we present is an example of two injuries, which may present in children or young adults who train excessively. The patient complains of pain and tightness on exercise. The underlying pathology is probably a rupture of the insertion fibres of the tibial and soleus (Sharpey’s fibres) muscles. Probably, there is also periostitis and myositis. Also, we can see a stress fracture in the same bone. Stress fractures and shin splints are often present at the same time in different stages, and both are typical pathologies due to excessive training. Scintigraphy allows identification and early management of shin splints and stress fractures.