Doc On The Run Podcast

Does a split peroneal tendon always require surgery in runners?

The peroneal tendons help stabilize your foot. They're kind of your landing gear when you run. They keep you from wobbling or swaying out of control. 

When you start to roll your ankle, the peroneal tendons pull your foot back under you. 

If you ignore irritation and aggravation of those tendons, they can get weaker, tear or split apart. 

The sudden trauma of suddenly rolling your ankle can cause them to split as well.
 
If you see a doctor when you suspect a split peroneal tendon, one of the first things you may find is that the doctors say this is a surgical problem. You may hear that you must have surgery to repair a split peroneus brevis tendon. 
 
That's not always true and I will explain why. 
 
Does a split peroneal tendon always mean you have to have surgery if you're a runner? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

 

Maintaining running fitness while injured is a delicate dance

Today's episode comes from a discussion I had with a runner who is only five weeks out from a marathon. 
 
She has been injured and super-aware that she could lose her fitness fast!

Her main goal on our call was to make sure that she is ready for the starting line, but more importantly, make it to the finish line fast enough to qualify for Boston. 
 
Maintaining your running fitness when you're injured is a delicate dance.
 
And that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

3 basic steps to straighten a crooked broken toe

There really are three basic steps that doctors use when you have a broken toe. 
 
The medical term for this procedure is called "closed reduction." 

We don't cut the broken toe open, look at the bones and put them in place. 

Instead, we leave the skin closed and manipulate the toe to pop the fracture back in place. 
 
This is a very common procedure doctors do. I even have done it many times in people's homes, most often with a runner who has a broken toe that really hurts.

I am going to explain the basic steps...but do not do this on your own!
 
What are the basic steps if you have a broken toe, it's crooked and you want to put it back in place?
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Do I have to use crutches for a fibula stress fracture?

One of the questions I get most often from runners with stress fractures is...

"How can I get it to heal better? How do I get back to running faster?"
 
The best way is to remove the stress so that the stress fracture can actually heal as fast as possible. That sounds obvious, but most runners aren't doing that. 
 
I talked to a runner just a couple of days ago who was not running on it, but she was walking on it...a lot. 

She told me, “Well, I have a fracture walking boot, but I'm walking in it and my foot hurts."
 
My first response was, “Why aren't you using crutches to take the stress off of it? If walking is making it hurt, you're not going to get better quickly. It'll get better eventually, probably, but certainly not as fast as possible.”
 
Do I have to use crutches if I have a fibula stress fracture? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Can MRI miss a plantar plate strain?

Plantar plate injuries are very common, and they are extremely annoying. 
 
I get lots of questions and comments both from the podcast and from the Doc On The Run YouTube channel about plantar plate sprains. 

Today's episode comes from a question posted by Jason on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel. He asked...

"Can MRI miss a plantar plate strain?” 

The short answer is yes, and I'm going to try to explain why.
 
Can an MRI miss a plantar plate strain? 
 
Well, that's a great question and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Single most effective but most neglected tool to run earlier after injury

Almost all runners who call me for a consultation have one thing in common.
 
The number one thing they want to get out of their discussion with me is “How can I start running sooner? I want to get back to running so I don't lose all my running fitness.”
 
There is one free and highly effective tool you can use as an injured runner, but most of the runners I talked to seem to be completely neglecting and ignoring it.
 
What is the single most effective but most often neglected tool injured runners can use to get back to running sooner?
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Fibula stress reaction vs stress fracture what is the difference?

If you have ankle pain and you push around on that lump of bone on the outside of your ankle, you may realize that you have pain on the bone specifically.  

If so, you might become worried that you have a thing called a fibular stress fracture.
 
If you start trying to figure out what to do, one of the first things you may find is a lot of discussion about something called a "stress reaction" instead of just a "stress fracture". 
 
What's the difference between a fibular stress reaction and a stress fracture in a runner? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

What does an elephant, a woman in high heels and a forefoot runner have in common?

This may seem like a strange episode, but I just had a conversation with a runner who is not just a forefoot runner, but she is really a forefoot runner. Like running-on-your-tiptoes kind of forefoot runner.
 
One of the things that I brought up in our discussion were some research studies that have actually calculated the amount of pressure in the forefoot when a woman is wearing high heels. 
 
What does an elephant, a woman in high heels and a forefoot runner have in common? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

4 main causes of lateral ankle pain in runners

If you've been running, training for a marathon or an ultra-marathon and you start to get pain on the outside of your ankle, you do have a reason to be concerned.
 
There are really four things that seem to cause pain on the outside of the ankle the most. We're going to talk about those today. 
 
What are the four main causes of lateral ankle pain in runners? 

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

Best imaging study for plantar plate injury in runners

If you have been told you have a plantar plate sprain, you're probably already really frustrated. 

Even minor plantar plate tears can be nagging injuries that are very difficult to get better while you're running on them. 

The bottom line is, you've got to make sure that the plantar plate ligament improves because (in general) plantar plate sprains are either getting worse or they're getting better.
 
One of the questions I get all the time from runners is what is really the best study for a plantar plate injury.
 
What's the best imaging study for a runner who is suspected of having a plantar plate injury? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.