Biomechanical factors in tibial stress fractures

The overall aim of this research is to gain insight into the etiology of tibial stress fractures. Three dimensional motion analysis data along with structural data will be collected from 40 subjects (200 at each site) over a 3- year period. 30 of the subjects will have sustained a tibial stress fracture prior to the study and the other 370 will have not. Subjects will be recruited primarily from track teams, running clubs, and physicians local to the University of Delaware and University of Massachusetts. Within this Annual Report, information concerning adherence to work objectives, preliminary results with respect to the proposed hypotheses, and reportable outcomes are presented for the third year of the investigation. Overall, we have adhered to most work objectives and have proposed plans for rectifying any discrepancies. The preliminary analysis of the data demonstrates encouraging results and support of most hypotheses.