How Long Does It Take For A Fracture To Heal, And When Can I Return To Sports After Such An Injury?

Dr. Daryl Rosenbaum answers the question: 'How Long Before a Fracture Heals?'

ByABC News
December 22, 2008, 3:55 PM

July 1, 2009— -- Question: How long does it take for a fracture to heal, and when can I return to sports after such an injury?

Answer: Well, it really varies for how long a fracture is going to take to heal depending on how bad the original fracture was and sometimes which body part. Fractures that are in our weight-bearing bones, especially in the legs, sometimes require a little bit longer before you can get back to the normal activities that you would. Sometimes stress fractures take a little bit longer to heal. But as a general rule of thumb, we sort of pick four weeks as a general range for most fractures to heal, but that's just for the bone to heal itself back together. It can be a little bit longer after that before that you're actually able to do those physical activities or sports that you're used to doing.