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Stress fractures take longer to heal if low vitamin D – Aug 2020

British Army recruits with low serum vitamin D take longer to recover from stress fractures

BMJ Mil Health. 2020 Aug;166(4):240-242. doi: 10.1136/jramc-2018-000983
Thomas Richards 1, C Wright 2 3
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Background: Recruits undergoing military training experience a particularly high incidence of stress fractures. The role of combined calcium and vitamin D (25-OHD) deficiency and subsequent supplementation has been well described in the literature, but the role of 25-OHD deficiency alone is less well understood, particularly its influence on recovery once a stress fracture has been incurred.

Methods: Retrospective data of recruits who had incurred stress fractures were collected (n=37). Independent-samples t-tests were conducted in Microsoft Excel to investigate the association between serum-25 OHD and the time taken to recover.

Results: Significant differences (p<0.05) were found in the mean time taken to recover from stress fractures when participants were grouped according to serum 25-OHD level. Sufficient levels of serum 25-OHD (>50 nmol/L) at the time of injury resulted in shorter recovery times than all other groups.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated an association between serum 25-OHD level and the time taken to recover from a stress fracture. The sample population of this study was too small to contribute to the discussion about whether a minimum serum 25-OHD status should be met before entering British Army training, but a larger prospective study should be able to provide the data required for a cost benefit analysis to be conducted and a decision made.


Created by admin. Last Modification: Wednesday May 5, 2021 20:21:23 GMT-0000 by admin. (Version 6)

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15546 Recovery time F1.jpg admin 05 May, 2021 25.88 Kb 228
15545 Recovery time F2.jpg admin 05 May, 2021 23.67 Kb 257
15544 Recover from stress fracture.pdf admin 05 May, 2021 278.32 Kb 220