What is a grade 5 metatarsal stress fracture?

If you're a runner and you think you have a grade 5 stress fracture because your radiology report said that or some doctor told you that, well, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is, is that you don't even have a stress fracture if you have a grade 5 stress fracture. It's not a stress fracture at all.

The bad news is, is a grade 5 stress fracture, is what we call a non-union where you had a stress fracture but that stress fracture actually failed to heal.

You have basically an unhealed, and probably not going to heal, stress fracture, unless you do something.

What is a grade 5 metatarsal stress fracture? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.