[Stress reactions of the bony skeleton of athletes]

A stress fracture atypical lesion caused by overstraining the bony skeleton could result in a long-term rest in training. Depending on the type of stress, the localisation changes. The lower extremities are without doubt afflicted most frequently. Complaints, findings and x-ray findings may be unspecific. This complicates the diagnosis in the same way as stress fractures with rare localisation. The concept "stress fracture" is often misleading and should preferably be replaced by "stress reaction". This applies particularly to non-typical radiological patterns. Diagnosis, differential diagnosis and therapeutical aspects are discussed.