“High risk” stress fractures can be much more problematic compared to “low risk”, as the break can get longer and/or take longer to heal. “Low risk” stress fractures are almost always managed successfully using conservative treatment (i.e., physical therapy and no surgery), while those that are “high risk” are more difficult to diagnose and may require surgery. Thus, it’s fairly obvious that Collins’ stress fracture may be categorized as “high risk” given the Trail Blazers’ announcement that he will undergo season-ending surgery. Regardless, injury severity can be graded based on changes seen on imaging (e.g., x-ray, MRI), which are often used to plan treatment, prognosis and when an athlete will return to action.