How are tight calves related to metatarsal stress fractures

This episode comes from a question from a runner, who wanted to know what it means when calf muscles are tight and you have metatarsal stress fractures.  He wrote in and said, "Hey doc, I meant to inquire about stress fractures in the metatarsal joints and how you can tell. I have a friend who's experienced a stress fracture, and he says his calves seemed to tighten up when the pain developed."  There are really two ways tight calf muscles can be related to metatarsal stress fractures. One is the cause. The other is an effect.  Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how tight calves are related to metatarsal stress fractures in runners.