March fractures of the foot

1. 1. Six hundred and ninety two cases are reported with 724 march fractures. 2. 2. These patients were all treated by use of the steel bar countersunk in the slip sole of the shoe. 3. 3. Fifty-eight cases did not respond to the usual treatment; of this number thirteen were hospitalized and forty-five excused from certain portions of their training cycle. These fifty-eight trainees eventually finished training and were qualified for overseas. One man received a medical discharge. This was for an injured right knee and not for his march fracture. 4. 4. Two hundred thirteen thousand and twenty-four training hours were saved during fourteen months using the march bar treatment. 5. 5. Our series shows that most of the fractures occurred when the training cycle was stepped up in the fifth and sixth weeks of training. 6. 6. March fracture occurred more often in the right foot than the left. Any one of the metatarsal bones may be involved and one soldier can have two or three march fractures at the same time. 7. 7. The relative lengths of the first, third, and fourth metatarsal bones were measured in 692 cases of march fracture; the second metatarsal being used as a base and given the value of zero. The metatarsals of 100 normal feet were measured, and these measurements compared with the march fractured feet. There was no conclusive evidence of a relatively shortened first metatarsal playing a part in the etiological factor of march fractures.