Doc On The Run Podcast

Can running on the road cause Achilles tendinitis in one leg and calf strain on the other?

Achilles tendon injury on one leg and a calf muscle strain on the other leg? 

Talk about a bummer: 2-for-the-price-of-1 overtraining injuries! Yes, it is possible to get similar running injuries on opposite legs, at the same time.

Today I had a conversation with a runner who has developed both of these injuries from running. These are actually just opposite ends of the same biomechanical spectrum at work. During the call I was explaining to him how it can happen, and how he could make some simple changes to prevent it from happening again in the future.

How can running on the road cause Achilles tendinitis in one leg and calf strain on the other? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast!

Foot pain that is truly a pain in the butt

What would be worse than not being able to run because you had foot pain that didn't get better for a year or two?

I know one thing that would be worse... Having foot surgery to treat a problem that was not actually even located in the foot.

Think about that. You had pain in your foot for two years. Then some doctor convinces you to have surgery, only to find out there was no problem with the tendon.

You stop running. You have surgery. You wait for your stitches to heal. You have to stay off your feet until the incision is all healed.

And your foot pain does not change at all.

Sounds crazy, but this can happen. And it's most likely to occur when you have something called referred pain. The pain in your foot might be actually caused by nerve compression deep to your glues maximus...that' right...in your butt.

Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we are talking about foot pain that is truly a pain in the butt!

Methodical testing is the key to running after injury

If you just got injured, your number one goal is to not lose your running fitness as your running injury heals. 
 
If you were diagnosed with a running injury a while ago, you stopped running and now you’re just getting back to running after taking some time off, in that case your primary goal is to resume running without sustaining another overtraining injury. Especially right when you start running again.   
 
What I teach runners in the Fast Track Challenge is how to find their unique fastest path back to running. The process is all about methodical testing. 
 
Methodical testing is the key to running after injury. 

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

Scared of re-injury after trying to build strength

This morning, I was on a call with a recovering runner who signed up for a series of coaching calls to get back to running after a long-standing injury. 
 
This is an elite athlete who had multiple setbacks, and encountered difficulty getting over the hump a number of times. 
 
If you're going to get back your fitness, and if you're going to get back to training as fast as possible, you're going to have to endure some discomfort, some risk, and frankly, a little bit of anxiety every time you bump up against your limits. But that is part of the recovery process.
 
Are you scared of re-injury after trying to build strength when you've had a running injury? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

After healing a stress fracture should I use Alter-G after I start running outside?

Let's say you have been injured. You've been a good little patient. You waited around, you have done nothing. You have endured a frustrating period of boredom. And you finally started running again. That’s great!
 
Today's episode came from a webcam call I did with a recovering runner. She has a stress fracture but her foot was good enough to run outside. 

The question was  about whether or not an injured runner should keep using something like an AlterG treadmill to maintain running fitness while continuing to heal and recover from a stress fracture.
 
After healing a stress fracture, should I use the AlterG treadmill even after I've started running outside? 
 
Well, that's a great question, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Are you using a treadmill for returning to running after an injury?

Today I was out on a run and I was thinking about treadmills versus running outside. To be fair, I was actually running outside during this run. 
 
It seems like most of the runners who sign up for the Fast Track challenge, or who call me for a second opinion, the majority of them like to run outside. 

I have a question  for you.
 
If you got an overtraining injury like a metatarsal stress fracture, calcaneal stress fracture, or a tibial stress fracture, plantar plate sprain, the question is... Are you running on a treadmill to ease back into running, or are you just running outside, to see how running feels after your injury?
 
Are you using a treadmill for returning to running after an injury? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

When are x-rays useful for runners with Morton’s neuroma?

Let's say you're out on a run and you start getting some aching pain in the ball of the foot. It persists for a while. 
 
It's not really that bad. Your foot is not killing you. But it starts to bother you more and more over the course of a few weeks. 
 
Being proactive, you see a podiatrist. The podiatrist tells you that he thinks you have something called a Morton's neuroma. So he does an x-ray of your foot and what do you see? Well, nothing. Why is that?
 
When are x-rays useful for a runner with a Morton's neuroma? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

 

Best way to file toenails for marathon runners

Have you ever had black toenails after a long run?

Have you ever lost a toenail after a marathon?

Have you tried using goopy skin lubricants, or worn  bigger shoes that make you feel like you're wearing clown shoes?

If you have, but you're still having problems beating up your toenails in your running shoes when run, I've got a simple solution that may actually help. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about the best way to file your toenails if you're a marathon runner.

When is plantar fascia surgery necessary for runners?

If you're a runner with plantar fasciitis, you probably have heel pain when you get up and step out of bed. 

If that's gone on for months, you tried icing, you've tried stretching, and you've become frustrated, it starts to become pretty easy for your doctor to talk you into surgery. 

If you've had plantar fasciitis for a long time and your doctor is trying to convince you need surgery, you should listen up!
 
When is plantar fascia surgery really necessary for runners? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Ankle pain vs sinus tarsi impingement when running

If you get aching pain in your ankles when you're running, and it seems to lag and doesn't just go away, you might not have ankle pain at all. 

There's a thing that I see often in runners complaining of ankle pain, but when I actually look at the runner's feet, it's a different condition altogether.

That condition is something called "sinus tarsi impingement."

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about ankle pain versus sinus tarsi impingement when running.