Doc On The Run Podcast

What info would I give to a high school cross-country team?

I was just lecturing at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation meeting in Hawaii. One of the podiatrists came up to me and asked me a question after one of the sessions.

He said that he was going to be working with a local high school cross-country team.

He wanted to know what I thought would be the most important things to share with cross-country runners to try to reduce their risk of injuries amongst the team throughout their cross-country season. 

What information would I want to share with a high school cross-country team? 

That's a great question and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

What is a common cause of 5th metatarsal fracture in a trail runner?

If you're a trail runner or a marathon runner or an ultra-marathoner, well, the last thing you want to do is get a fracture. 
 
If you break something, you have to sit still until it heals, and that can take a long time. 
 
What is a common cause of fracture in a trail runner? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Can the toenail grow back if the root of the nail is removed by biopsy?

Bruised toenails are extremely common in runners. Many consider black and blue toenails a rite of passage when training for your first marathon. 
 
However, if a bruise under the toenail appears without any trauma, it can be worrisome. 

A solitary dark linear streak is alarming to dermatologists and podiatrists. Because if you get a solitary linear bruise that doesn't drift out like a typical bruise under the nail usually does, your doctor might be concerned that you have something called acral-lentiginous melanoma.
  
If your doctor performs a tissue biopsy of the nail matrix to make sure you don't have cancer, well, you might be worried that your nail is going to be deformed.
 
Can the toenail grow back normally if you remove part of the root of the nail because you had a biopsy?
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

When can I start running after metatarsal fracture if no healing on the x-ray?

If you get a fracture of the metatarsal, you have to make sure that it's healed before you start running on it. 

It doesn't matter if it's a stress fracture, or a traumatic fracture where you stepped in a hole, tripped or fell off a ladder. 

Deciding when it appears to be healed enough to withstand the forces of running is the key.

The most common way doctors decide when the fracture is fully healed is by taking an X-ray. 
 
When can I start running after a metatarsal fracture if I have no healing on the X-ray? 
 
Well, that's a great question and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

When should I start working out with a plantar plate sprain?

Plantar plate injuries are one of the most difficult injuries for runners. 

The reason is that they can take a long time to get better. Every time you take a step, you're applying direct pressure to the plantar plate ligament. 
 
Every time your heel comes up off the ground, you bend the toes, and you're stretching the plantar plate ligament. 
 
The plantar plate ligament doesn't really have a great blood supply, and they can be extremely frustrating for runners. So the big question is: 
 
When can I start working out if I have a plantar plate sprain? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Is it risky to run with cuboid fracture?

I was on a call with a marathoner who had a cuboid fracture.

He was getting better, and he was trying to figure out how he could start running.

The cuboid bone is an irregular bone at the base of the metatarsals, and it's sandwiched in between the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones and the heel bone. It is a bad bone to break. So he had a valid question:

Is it risky to run with a cuboid fracture? 

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

When can I run if my doctor says don’t run?

I don't like it when I hear a doctor said, "Don't run." 

What the doctor should say is, "Let's figure out how you can run." 

And if you're injured, that's what you should be thinking about too. 

Not, "When can I run?" 

But, "How can I work out right now?"

When can I run if my doctor says "don't run" because of an injury? 

That's a great question, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

How likely is a setback if I run while stress fracture heals?

Today I got a great question from a runner who had a 4th metatarsal stress fracture while training for a marathon. He wanted to know how likely it was to get a setback, or re-injury, if he is running while the stress fracture heals.

How likely is a setback if I run while my stress fracture heals? 

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

What can doctors do to relate to runners?

Today's episode comes from the question-and-answer session at the International Foot & Ankle Foundation meeting in Las Vegas. I was lecturing on Medical Imaging Strategies in Runners to Avert Misdiagnosis.
 
At the end of this talk that I was giving, one of the doctors, Dr. Brad Hayman, asked a great question, 
 
"A lot of us doctors who are not runners have a very difficult time relating to some of these runners because we don't necessarily get why it's so important that they're doing a particular race."
 
What can doctors do to relate to injured runners? 
 
Well, that's a great question, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Can I let runners run in an ankle brace after an ankle sprain?

Today's episode comes from the question-and-answer period when I was lecturing at the International Foot & Ankle Foundation Medical Conference in Las Vegas. The talk was Conservative Management of Ankle Sprains in Runners Who Want to Run.
 
During that talk, I explained to the doctors everything that I do with runners who have ankle sprains. Afterward I got a great question from Dr. Bryan Markinson, who is a  prominent  physician from New York.

He said:
 
"Okay. Is this stupid or is this not stupid? Because, I get runners who really want to run. I figure when they're in good shape, it's okay for them to run in an ankle brace. Is that really a thing that you recommend or not?"
 
Can I let runners run in an ankle brace after they've had an ankle sprain? 
 
Well, that's a great question, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast