Stress fracture of the calcaneus

Stress fracture of the calcaneus is one of the most frequently reported stress fractures in the military (20% - 40%). However, despite hundreds of reported stress fractures among soldiers in our army, there has been no report of a stress fracture of the calcaneous. This is attributable to the different type of training in the IDF. We describe the first calcaneal stress fracture in Israel. The typical radiological finding is a sclerotic band perpendicular to the long axis of the calcaneus. This finding is different from that of stress fractures of the femur, tibia or metatarsus. In a patient with pain in the calcaneus with a history of intensive running and/or marching, stress fracture rather than acute calcaneal trauma should be suspected.