RISK FACTORS FOR STRESS FRACTURES IN MALE ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Stress fractures (SF) are common injuries in athletes caused by overuse and repetitive activity. The prevalence and risk factors for SF in male athletes are not well documented as they are assumed to be more common in female athletes. Our study was aimed at establishing the prevalence of SF among male athletes and analyzing the selected risk factors for their occurrence. Ninety-three randomly selected volunteer male athletes from different sports aged 19.2±2.8 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants provided information about their demographic data, history of SF, and lifestyle risk factors and completed the Eating attitude test (EAT-26) for identifying eating disorders risk. Crude odds ratios (OR) of the groups with and without a history of SF were calculated to assess the association of SF with the studied factors. A total of 23 (24.7%) of the athletes reported at least one SF in the past, and 23.7% of them have had two or more SF. Most of the injuries (69.6%) were located in the lower extremity, and 60% were in the foot and ankle. Participation in competitions and weight loss of more than 10 kg in the past were identified as the only significant factors associated with SF incidents in male athletes (OR 24.8, 95% CI: 1.4-425.4; OR 153.3, 95% CI: 8.5-2770.6, respectively). These results suggest that engagement in competitive sports, which is associated with higher training volume and extreme weight loss practices, should be considered as a factor for increased risk of SF in male athletes.