Stress fractures of the femoral neck. A report of seven cases.

The femoral neck is an uncommon location for stress fractures. In seven such fractures, three occurred in young adults, and four in elderly adults. The characteristic symptom was exertional hip pain. The clinical findings were generally minimal. Four of these fractures were of the transverse and three of the compression type. This radiologic differentiation is important for the planning of treatment. The transverse stress fracture is potentially unstable, and the recommended treatment is prompt internal fixation. The compression stress fracture has a benign prognosis. Restriction of weight bearing for a few weeks is usually sufficient to relieve symptoms. Prophylactic internal fixation should be considered only when the trabecular bone mass has been significantly weakened by internal (i.e., underlying disease) or external causes (i.e., medication-related).