Upper extremity stress fractures

Upper extremity stress fractures are much less common than lower extremity stress fractures but do occur nonetheless. The major motions found to contribute to stress fractures in the upper extremity include weight lifting, weight bearing, throwing, and swinging [1]. These phenomena are abundant in athletic training and competition, and thus place athletes at risk for stress fractures. The early recognition and treatment of these fractures is important in treating and getting athletes back to competition quickly. This chapter seeks to describe the mechanism, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of stress fractures in the upper extremity that commonly affect athletes.