The effect of pretraining sports activity on the incidence of stress fractures among military recruits. A prospective study.

Abstract

In a prospective study of stress fractures among Israeli infantry recruits, no correlation was found between the recruits' prior participation in sports activities or their aerobic physical fitness and the incidence of stress fractures during basic training. This finding discredits the concept that improving physical fitness prior to basic training can be a prophylactic means of limiting the incidence of stress fractures during subsequent training.