Bulge in metatarsal bone stress fracture on x-ray

A runner with a stress fracture just called me for a phone consultation. He was concerned because he got an X-ray and saw a bulge in the bone. The question was whether or not this bulging area of healing bone in the stress fracture was a good thing or a bad thing. More than anything else he just wanted to know if the lump of bone on the x-ray was an indication that it was okay to start running. Sometimes a lump of bone on your x-ray is good thing, but sometimes a bad thing. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not a bulge in your metatarsal bone on an x-ray of a stress fracture tells you if it is healed enough to start running.