First Rib Stress Fracture in an Adolescent Elite Tennis Player

Abstract

Case: A 16-year-old, right-hand–dominant, Asian male, elite tennis player presented to the clinic with a 1-month history of left shoulder pain. Originally, the pathology was believed to be shoulder-based, but lack of improvement after several weeks of therapy warranted further imaging, which ultimately revealed a nondisplaced fracture of the posterior left first rib. Conclusion: Stress injuries are not uncommon in the sport of tennis, but atraumatic rib fractures are rare. Given the increase in youth sports specialization and overtraining and other risk factors such as adolescent age and race, it is important to keep rib stress fracture on the differential.