Doc On The Run Podcast

What is a tendon synovectomy surgery?

Let's say you have a nagging tendon injury that's really been painful. It's been bugging you a lot when you run. 

You have had persistent pain either on the side of the ankle that just won't seem to go away, even if you run less.  

You see the doctor and she says, “Look, we tried everything. We should do surgery. Your tendon is not really torn, but we should do this surgical procedure called a "synovectomy" to get it to calm down so it will finally stop hurting.”
 
What is a tendon synovectomy surgery? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

 

Broken toes with an ankle sprain?

Let's say you're out on a trail run, you roll your ankle and sprain it. So what do you do?

You limp home, you get back to the car, you ice it, you take some pressure off of it, you elevate it, you do all the right stuff. But, it's really painful and swollen the next few days.

Then, maybe a day or two later, it's black, it's blue and swollen. But even worse, you look down and you're kind of dismayed because your toes are swollen like sausages.

Believe it or not, I have had a number of patients who called me, not because they sprained their ankle, but because they were actually worried they may have broken toes as well.

Is it possible to break your toes at the same time you get an ankle sprain? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

 

Should I get a CT scan or test walking to see if fracture is healed?

Today's episode comes from a discussion I just had yesterday with an athlete. He had a metatarsal fracture non-union.

A "fracture non-union" can develop when there is a crack in the bone that moving a little bit too much and doesn't completely heal.

Non-unions can happen if you get a stress fracture, and you keep running on it and you're tough and you're strong and it doesn't really hurt that bad.

If you keep running and repeatedly stress that crack, it can't heal.

Should I get a CT scan or should I test walking to see if my fracture is healed?

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

What is a bone callus in a metatarsal stress fracture

When you get an injury to a bone like a metatarsal stress fracture, you can develop a thing called a "bone callus."

You might even see it as a lump visible on the x-ray in your doctors office.

Whether the lump is made up of hard bone, fibrocartilage or something in between, it may help you to understand the significance of that lump in your foot.

When the bone callous appears, and the size of the bone callous itself, can tell your whole lot about your progression of healing, and whether or not you might get other problems in the future.

What is a bone callus in a metatarsal stress fracture? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the 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.