Introduction
Materials and methods
Search strategy
Eligibility criteria and study selection
Follow-up less than 3 months |
Less than ten stress fractures reported |
Reoperation as primary treatment following refracture or non-union |
Review-, cadaver- and animal studies |
Patient overlap |
Methodological quality
Data extraction
Statistical analysis
Results
Article selection
Methodological quality
Clinical outcomes
Surgical treatment
Treatment | Studies n | Fractures∆ n | Age years (range) | Follow-up months (range) | Union rate % (95%CI) | Radiological union time weeks (range) | Delayed union rate % (95%CI) | Non-union rate % (95%CI) | Refracture rate % (95%CI) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surgery | Overall | 12‡ | 350 | 20.8 (19–28) | 44.2 (14.5–123.6) | 87 (83–90) | 13.1 (7.5–42.6) n = 305 | 3 (1–5) | 4 (2–6) | 7 (4–10) |
IMS | 8# | 210 | 21.1 (19–28) | 48.3 (14.5–123.6) | 91 (87–94) | 14.8 (7.5–42.6) n = 181 | 4 (2–8) | 2 (1–5) | 3 (1–6) | |
Tension band wiring | 1 [15] | 86 | 20.2 | N/A | 80 (71–87) | 11.3 n = 86 | 0 (0–4) | 11 (6–19) | 9 (5–17) | |
Plantar plating | 1 [33] | 38 | 19.7 | 23.0 | 90 (76–96) | 9.1 n = 38 | 0 (0–9) | 0 (0–9) | 11 (4–24) | |
Medullary curettage and bone grafting | 1 [13] | 2 | 28.0 | 16.0 | 100 (34–100) | N/A | 0 (0–66) | 0 (0–66) | 0 (0–66) | |
Non-surgical | Overall | 43 | 26.2 (23–28) | 108.9 (16–255.7) | 56 (41–70) | 20.9 n = 8 | 0 (0–8) | 33 (20–47) | 12 (5–24) | |
Cast | 14 | 27.5 (24–28) | 38.9 (16–144) | 64 (39–84) | 20.9 n = 8 | 0 (0–22) | 29 (12–55) | 7 (1–31) | ||
Combined* | 23 | 26.2 (24.8–28) | 151.5 (16–255.7) | 56 (37–74) | N/A | 0 (0–14) | 39 (22–59) | 4 (1–21) |
Treatment | RTS rate at any level % (95%CI) | RTS time at any level weeks (range) | RTS rate at pre-injury level % (95%CI) | RTS time at pre-injury level weeks (range) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surgery# | 100 (98–100) n = 231 | 10.1 (6.3–15.2) n = 253 | 99 (96–100) n = 171 | 14.5 (8.5–22.2) n = 117 | |
100 (97–100) n = 107 | 9.6 (6.3–15.2) n = 201 | 98 (89–100) n = 47 | 10.6 (8.5–12) n = 65 | ||
Tension band wiring [15] | 100 (96–100) n = 86 | N/A | 100 (96–100) n = 86 | N/A | |
Plantar plating [33] | 97 (87–100) n = 38 | 11.6 n = 38 | 97 (87–100) n = 38 | 22.2 n = 38 | |
Non-surgical | 100 (78–100) n = 14 | 19.3 (9.9–26.3) n = 14 | N/A | 9.9 n = 6 | |
100 (21–100) n = 1 | 26.3 n = 8 | N/A | N/A | ||
Combined* [11] | 100 (77–100) n = 13 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Non-surgical treatment
Zone | Treatment | Studies | Fractures* n | Age years | Follow-up months | Union rate % (95%CI) | Delayed union rate % (95%CI) | Non-union rate % (95%CI) | Refracture rate % (95%CI) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zone 2 | Surgery | Overall | 74 | 19.8 | 40.9 | 91 (82–95) | 1 (0–7) | 1 (0–7) | 7 (3–15) | |
IMS | 1 [21] | 60 | 19 | 40.9 | 97 (89–99) | 2 (0–9) | 2 (0–9) | 0 (0–6) | ||
Non-surgical | Overall | 20 | 24.2 | 247.7 | 65 (43–82) | 0 (0–16) | 10 (3–30) | 25 (11–47) | ||
Cast | 1 [11] | 1 | 24 | 144 | 0 (0–79) | 0 (0–79) | 0 (0–80) | 100 (21–100) | ||
Weight-bearing | 1 [11] | 13 | 24.8 | 255.7 | 85 (58–96) | 0 (0–23) | 8 (1–33) | 8 (1–33) | ||
Zone 3 | Surgery | Overall | 69 | 22.8 | 65.3 | 91 (82–96) | 0 (0–5) | 3 (1–10) | 6 (2–14) | |
IMS | 69 | 22.8 | 65.3 | 91 (82–96) | 0 (0–5) | 3 (1–10) | 6 (2–14) | |||
Non-surgical | Overall | 1 [5] | 8 | 27.6 | 40.0 | 88 (53–98) | 0 (0–32) | 13 (2–47) | 0 (0–32) | |
Cast | 1 [5] | 8 | 27.6 | 40.0 | 88 (53–98) | 0 (0–32) | 13 (2–47) | 0 (0–32) |