Doc On The Run Podcast

Running From Fat to Fit with Nick

Injured runners need the full solution

Any time you get a running injury you are facing a tremendous task. 

You might think that your job is to get help and heal the injuries quickly as possible. 

But that would only be partially correct.

Your real job as an injured runner is to seek the full solution.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how injured runners need the full solution.

Is an MRI best way to check for a tendon tear in a runner?

If you are a runner who thinks you have a tendon tear, ligament tear or other overtraining injury, you may want an MRI. In fact, you may be convinced an MRI will give you a crystal clear picture of what may be wrong inside your foot or ankle. 

But, I believe many many runners and doctors rely way to heavily on MRI for running injuries. 

Today we are going to talk about a study published in Foot and Ankle International in 1998.

The research study was led by Dr. Matthew Rocket (a well-respected foot and ankle surgeon) in Houston Texas.

This was a great study comparing the effectiveness of MRI and diagnostic ultrasound when trying to decide whether or not there is an actual tear in a tendon around the foot and ankle.

Is an MRI best way to check for a tendon tear in a runner?

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

I think I tore my plantar fascia. Can I run this weekend?

I got a call recently from a runner with a torn plantar fascia. It was a unique situation, but truthfully really not that rare.

Any time you have an injury and you want to run, you have to make some really important key decisions, based on only a few important factors. 

This case will be instructive in helping you figure out how you can make that decision, and decide if (and when) it might be safe for you to run.

If you just had an injury, but you have a really important event you want to run, you gotta check out this episode!

"I think I tore my plantar fascia. Can I run this weekend?"

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

If you PR with an injury, the injury happened for you and not to you

Most runners understandably feel like a victim of an over-training injury.

They say something like, "Well, I was feeling strong, I was feeling ready for my race, I was really feeling great, and then this happened to me. I got a stress fracture, I got Achilles tendonitis, I got peroneal tendonitis, got plantar fasciitis, something happened to me and now I feel like I've lost all my fitness and I can't run my race." 

Well, most of the time we just reflexively think that things happen to us, but sometimes things really do happen for us. 

What do I mean by that? Well, sometimes the bad thing actually has a silver lining that you can't even see.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how if you PR with an injury, the injury happened for you and not to you.

How soon can I run after 5th Metatarsal Fracture Surgery?

Today's episode actually comes from a comment and a question sent in by one of the viewers of the Doc On The Run YouTube channel. 

This was Jean, wrote in and she said, 

"Hello, Dr. Segler. I had a fifth metatarsal fracture repair surgery five weeks ago. I was started to walk without crutches and a knee walker or a scooter as of yesterday, but my foot feels achy, though. Well, as a runner, when can I possibly resume running after my metatarsal surgery?"

This is what everybody wants to know. 

I didn't do the surgery and I don't know all the details, but I can tell you that depending upon when you're going to run after a surgery depends upon several things.

How soon can I run after fifth metatarsal fracture surgery? 

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

How can a bone stress reaction turn into malunion from running?

I was just talking to a runner over webcam who had been researching metatarsal stress fractures, but heard something about a "malunion" and knew that a fracture malunion was a really bad thing. 

He had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in one of his metatarsals. 

If you continue to stress a metatarsal stress reaction enough, it can progress to a full-on metatarsal fracture. 

So, he wanted to know, "If I run on my stress reaction, is it going to turn into a malunion?"

How can a bone stress reaction turn into a malunion, from running? 

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

 

Treating Injuries is fast but treating runners is slow

Many years ago when I was first in practice, I met someone who was a doctor, and who was a runner herself. She liked to treat runners and she happened to make a lot of money. A whole lot of money!

I was very impressed with her, so I actually flew across the country to spend one day in her office following her around to see exactly what she does to make so much money working with runners. 

There was one particular visit with one runner, which really struck me.  

Right before we walked into the treatment room, the doctor spun around, looked at me and said, "Okay, this guy's a runner. He has plantar fasciitis. I'm going to show you how to treat plantar fasciitis in a runner in under a minute."

The encounter was nothing like I expected...

Treating injuries is fast, but treating runners is slow. 

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

How does a displaced fracture heal naturally without medical treatment?

Today's episode comes from one of the YouTube viewers Doc On The Run YouTube channel who had watched one of the videos on fractures. He asked a great question.

This is from Saif. What he said was, 

"Thank you for such a short and effective, informative video. My question was, does displaced fracture heal naturally without medical treatment? And the thought process was that how did our ancestors and primitives heal without medical care or deal with these displaced fractures?"

How does a displaced fracture heal naturally without medical treatment? 

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

Should I run with a pad for plantar plate sprain?

Today's episode actually comes from a question sent in by Melissa. 

She signed up for the Plantar Plate Masterclass and she asked a very specific question.

She asked:

Should I run with a pad for a plantar plate sprain? 

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