There are two types of pathologic stress fractures: fatigue fractures and insufficiency fractures. A fatigue fracture is a stress fracture that results from the application of abnormal stress to the bone with normal elastic resistance. An insufficiency fracture occurs in abnormal noncancerous bone with decreased elastic strength to normal stress and is most often associated with osteopenic or osteoporotic bone. Pathologies that facilitate insufficiency fractures are metabolic disorders, inflammatory conditions, bone dysplasias, neurological disorders, and drug therapy.

Radiographer: TSRM Fabio Imola