Doc On The Run Podcast

Bedrest is like Chemo for Runners

One of the most powerful ways to reduce stress and strain on any piece of injured tissue is to get completely off of your feet.  Bedrest can do that. 

I was talking with a runner recently who asked a great question, 

“Should I just do bed rest?” 

I answered, 

“Bed rest is like chemo for runners.”

With chemotherapy, we're basically giving you a powerful drug. 

But is it going to kill the tumor first, or is it going to kill the patient first?
 
Bed rest is like chemotherapy for runners, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

It’s not plantar fasciitis if you call for a ride instead of finishing your run

Today I was on a call with an injured runner who was told she had plantar fasciitis. 
 
She was confused and she started doing some research. She enrolled in the Runner's Heel Pain Course because she was trying to figure out why her "diagnosis" didn't seem to match her gut instinct. 

She suspected her diagnosis was wrong. 

If you have heel pain, and you call for a ride instead of finishing your run, it's not plantar fasciitis. 
 
And that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Doctors goal with fracture boot versus your goal with boot

Risks of PRP vs Cortisone injections for Hallux Rigidus

I was just on a call with a runner who has had this condition called "hallux rigidus."  and it's where your big toe joint starts to get stiff, becomes rigid, and it doesn't move as much.
 
Hallux rigidus is a progressive condition, especially if you continue to irritate the joint. You can damage the joint cartilage. The stiffer the big toe joint gets, the more pressure on the cartilage when the big toe is trying to fight that stiffness. Sometimes that movement hurts.
 
He was asking me about the options on different injections.
 
What are the risks between an injection like a PRP or platelet rich plasma injection versus something like a cortisone injection when you have hallux rigidus? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Running allergy and injury recovery

Have you ever been to the doctor and heard this, “You must be allergic to running because you get injured every time you go running.” 

A recovering runner and I were on a call talking about how she could get back to running and how to "just go for a run" without getting re-injured. 

We were talking about this approach of getting her running fitness back now, and returning to running faster without just sitting around waiting.

She told me something I had never heard.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about running allergies and injury recovery. 

Top 5 reasons Runner’s Heel Pain doesn’t get better

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common conditions that affects runners.

In fact, foot pain consistent with plantar fasciitis accounts for about 40% of all visits to the podiatrists in the United States each year.

Unfortunately, just because you think that you have plantar fasciitis, and you started doing some simple things to treat it, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to get better.

If you are a runner, and you think you have plantar fasciitis, you must realize there are some avoidable mistakes you could make when trying to self-treat runner's heel pain.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about the top five reasons runners heel pain doesn't get better. 

Logical vs. Psychological barrier to healing running injuries

I just had a discussion with a really interesting patient. He was a pro triathlete. He had some difficulty getting past a particular injury.

We were talking about all of the ways that you can encounter barriers to healing. And how you can start making progress in spite of them.

We were talking about two different things, logical and psychological barriers.

What's the difference between logical versus psychological barriers to healing injuries in runners?

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

6 Stages of fracture healing in runners explained

Every runner with a stress fracture wants to know "when can I run?" 

How soon you can start running after a foot fracture really depends on when you have enough strength in the bone so that the healing fracture will withstand the forces applied during running without breaking the bone again.

It all depends on what you do to speed up (or slow down) the bone healing process. The rate of fracture healing depends on your physiology, and it depends on stages of bone healing.

But it does NOT depend entirely on generic timelines.

How long is each stage of fracture healing when you have a broken bone?

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

3 ways runners lose fitness after an ankle sprain

The first thing any runner should do when you roll your ankle is protect the ankle from further injury. In fact, the algorithm doctors use to treat ankle sprains is P. R. I. C. E.

P stands for Protection, meaning don’t roll it again. Don't make it worse. Then, Rest it. Ice it. Use Compression to keep it from swelling. Elevate it to get the fluid out if it's really swollen.

So, what happens is, you're a runner, you're out on a trail and you roll your ankle. What happens if you don't follow the PRICE method? 

]It just might take a whole lot longer before it gets better.

What are the most common three ways I see runners lose all their fitness after they get an ankle sprain?

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

3 Best signs heel pain is NOT plantar fasciitis

There are three key indications that tell me that somebody may not have plantar fasciitis, but probably have something else.

If you think you have plantar fasciitis, you may have a different form of runner's heel pain. Treating the wrong condition will not get you back to running. Understanding the ways plantar fasciitis shows up can help you make sure you don't have something else causing your heel pain. 

What are the three best signs that your heel pain is not Plantar fasciitis? 

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