Doc On The Run Podcast

How does callus show healing on non-displaced fractures?

Today's episode comes from a question on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel.  We were talking about how bone callus shows up as evidence of healing after a fracture in a runner.
 
Her question was:
 
“If there was no visible gap in between the bones where the fracture is, will the callus still be visible on the X-ray ? How will the callus show for non-displaced fractures on imaging? Thank you so much for creating this channel and for sharing all your expertise to the world.”
 
How does callus show healing on non-displaced fractures? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Audit your stress level to avoid re-injury

I was just on a webcam call with a runner who signed up for an initial consultation and then decided to get a few weeks of additional coaching where we just check in every week to make sure that he's not making any big mistakes that are going to cause a re-injury. 
 
We were talking about how the whole goal is to keep running without slowing down the healing.

The way you do that is that you stay below your threshold for re-injury or re-fracture of the bone.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how you should audit your stress level to avoid re injury when you start running after you're recovering from an overtraining injury.
 

Top 3 Mistakes Runners make with plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of foot pain that might keep you from running. 

But some treatments that help "normal" patients may cause lingering trouble in runners. 

It seems like most of the runners who call me for help have made at least one, if not two of the three biggest mistakes runners can make with plantar fasciits.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about the top three mistakes runners make with plantar fasciitis. 

Would collagen supplementation help an interstitial tear?

Today's episode comes from Olivia who asked a question on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel: 
 

“I believe I'm dealing with an interstitial tear. Would supplementing collagen help the healing process?”
 

An interstitial tear just means you have little bitty tear on the inside of a tendon or ligament. 
 

You can get these types of injuries in the plantar plate ligament, the plantar fascia, or any tendon. All of those tendons and ligaments are made of collagen. 
 

So, it seems reasonable that collagen supplementation might help the healing process. But is it proven to work?
 

Would collagen supplementation help an interstitial tear and a runner? 
 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

What size compression socks should I buy?

Compression socks are a useful tool when recovering from a running injury.  Just a little compression can gently squeeze all that inflammatory fluid out of your foot, your ankle and your leg. 

I was talking to a runner yesterday who asked me about the best compression sock sizing. She was worried that if the socks were too tight, they could hurt her fracture when she was pulling the socks on. That is a totally valid concern!

If it hurts when you're pulling on compression socks, you might actually be stretching, straining, and stressing the injured tissue. All that added stress could prolong your recovery. 

But if the compression socks are too loose, then you don't get much benefit. Size matters. 

What size compression socks should I buy if I have a running injury? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

3 Signs runner has the wrong doctor

If you got injured, but you're trying to get back to running, one of the most important decisions you can make is which doctor you choose to see. 

And it is entirely your choice. 

I just got off a call with a runner who had a really serious issue. 

She rolled her ankle. She treated it like a normal ankle sprain. 

But about six weeks later, it was still a little bit puffy. It still hurts. It was still bugging her, and she wanted to get a second opinion.

She did the right thing. She went and saw an orthopedic surgeon to get a second opinion. 

When we were on the call yesterday, there were three things that I saw as definite red flags and definite signs that this woman was seeing the wrong doctor. 

What are the top three ways you can be sure you're seeing the wrong doctor? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Intractable dubious metatarsalgia diagnosis

Today's episode comes from one of the Doc On The Run YouTube viewers.  

Casey wrote in and he said, 

“This year I suffered from this problem after switching to zero drop running shoes and I was finally running pain free. The zero drop running shoes made me into a forefoot runner instead of a heel striker. I was doing great but then I started having pain in the ball of my foot from a callus. I then started having this pain and I did exactly what you said to do in this video and it worked great and specifically this video showing how to remove a callus in a specific way with a specific technique.”

He also said, “Great information here, everything I was researching kept saying it was metatarsalgia but my pain was different. Thank you for the great video.”

Many runners get unfairly stuck with a metatarsalgia diagnosis. 

What is the intractable dubious metatarsalgia diagnosis? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today but the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

What is the sinus tarsi?

I get lots of questions about "sinus tarsi syndrome" in runners.

It seems like most runners who call me don't even really know what it is. 

The sinus tarsi is not a structure, so much as a space.  

That space contains some structures that can cause pain after an ankle sprain. The sinus tarsi may also ache in flatfooted runners as well.

The sinus tarsi confuses many runners because it is kind of in the ankle, but kind of in the foot as well.

What is the sinus tarsi? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Biggest danger with popping a broken toe back in place (avascular necrosis)

I had a question on one of my YouTube videos in which I was trying to explain the procedure for broken toes called "closed reduction."  That's the fancy term for popping the broken bone back in place or "re-setting the fracture." 

You may have heard someone say, “Well, I had a fracture and the doctor had to "set it" or the doctor had "put the broken bone back in place.”

There is a risk and a benefit to everything. Even with non-surgical fracture treatment.

Putting a fractured piece of bone (in a broken toe) back where it belongs is more likely to make it heal in the right position, because you put it back in the right position. 

If you leave the broken bone in the wrong position, it may heal and then cause problems later because it's crooked. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about the biggest danger with popping a broken toe back in place. 

Should a runner have surgery to shorten a long second metatarsal bone?

Today's episode comes from a second opinion discussion with a runner suffering with a nagging plantar plate ligament injury. 

She was considering surgery for a plantar plate sprain.

Truth is, her plantar plate sprain was not really that bad. 

It's pretty common when runners have trouble healing a plantar plate sprain, the doctor may recommend a number of different surgeries.

One of those surgeries is where we actually shorten a bone in an attempt to decrease the tension and pressure on the plantar plate ligament.

Should a runner have surgery to shorten a long second metatarsal bone? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.