Tibial Stress Fracture: A Diagnostic Pitfall

The author reports a young police cadet with a history of heavy running about 10 km per day for a few months, presenting with left shin pain especially during exercise. His first plain radiograph was not helpful and his MRI findings favored an infective or neoplastic process. However, three-phase bone scintigraphy suggested a stress fracture resulting in avoidance of a dispensable biopsy procedure.