Doc On The Run Podcast

You got injured because you were too weak

Yesterday it started to snow. So I decided to go out on a trail run on the trail in this picture.  

I only saw one deer and two people.

As I ran around a corner under a cliff two climbers approached wearing jackets, with fleece hats under their helmets and all their climbing gear.

I stopped, looked at them and I asked, "Isn't it too cold for climbing?" 

One of the climbers smiled and said, "Isn't it too cold for a trail run?" We all started to laugh.

The reality is that it is never too cold to go for a trail run. But excuses for getting stronger abound. 

This is true when you are injured, too.

You got injured because you were too weak.

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

Lacing running shoes with bursitis from tailor’s bunion

One of my Elite Access patients sent me a message. He was having pain from an inflamed Tailor's bunion bursa at the base of the pinky toe.

He got a bigger shoe with a wider toe box that decreased the pressure. But when he was running, his foot was sliding around in the shoe, and it was still causing a problem.

He asked me if there was any solution. And yes, there is...

Today, on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how you can lace your running shoes differently when you have bursitis pain from a tailor's bunion. 

The longer you wait the more pain you can expect when you run

When you get injured, a lot of things go wrong. 
 
1. Because you have pain, you suspect you have to stop training.

2. When you see a doctor, they confirm your fear and tell you that you really need to rest. 
 
You translate that into really strict rest, doing nothing basically. You stop exercising. You stop training. 
 
All kinds of bad stuff starts to happen. It is a lot more than just losing aerobic fitness. 
 
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how it is that the longer you wait, the more pain you can expect when you actually return to running after you get an over-training injury. 

Do I need surgery if metatarsal fracture non-union starts hurting?

Today we're talking about metatarsal fracture, nonunion surgery versus no surgery.

I know some people will think that I probably should have gone straight from #665 to 667 because frankly, there are some negative connotations surrounding those three letters, 666...the number of the beast.

But I decided to do this episode anyway. And, I decided to dedicate this one to a buddy who is a beast. 

He's tough, he's active, and he happens to have a metatarsal nonunion that hasn't stopped him from doing a whole lot of fun, active things. 

I'm hoping in this episode you can learn a little bit about the different options you have when you get a metatarsal fracture nonunion.

Is fracture boot best for calcaneal stress fracture?

A calcaneal stress fracture is a terrible injury. 
 
What is a calcaneal stress fracture? 
 
"Calcaneus" is the medical term for heel bone.  When you get a stress fracture in the heel bone, doctors call it a calcaneal stress fracture.  When you run with a calcaneal stress fracture there is a risk the bone can actually shatter and break apart. 

That obviously would be bad. 
 
But there are three really interesting facts about the heel bone that you should think about.
 
Is a fracture walking boot the best thing when you have a calcaneal stress fracture? 
 
Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Runners who recover faster workout before the perfect time

Today I went out for a run, but truthfully I wasn't really excited about it. It was cold, it was pouring rain, and I had a lot of stuff to do. I could have easily justified not putting on my running shoes, not going out and slogging through a bunch of mud puddles. 
 
I also hate to admit that part of the truth is, I had new running shoes. I just didn't want to get them all nasty and dirty running in the rain, because they were brand new. 
 
But I did run.

I enjoyed that cold wet run more than I thought that I would. But that's almost always the case when you're not really wanting to go out and workout, but you do anyway. Right?
 
When you're injured, and you're not exercising, you may wonder, "When should I start to exercise?" 

Remember, the best time to plant a tree was 100 years ago. 
 
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how runners who recover faster workout before the perfect time.

How can a dancer’s pad lead to plantar plate sprain?

I just got a great question from a runner who had been using a thing called a dancer's pad. 

A dancer's pad is sometimes used to help an injury to these little bones under the big toe joint called the "sesamoid bones."

If one of the sesamoids is painful and irritated and you're trying to take the pressure off of it, an easy way to do that is to place a dancer's pad in your shoe. 

How can a dancer's pad lead to a plantar plate sprain? 

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

How uncertainty costs injured runners

If you're a runner and you are listening to this, you probably have some kind of injury that's doing one of two things. 

Either it's keeping you completely off of your feet and you're not running at all, or you are basically running in a halfway fashion. You are not really doing your full workouts. Your workouts are not really gratifying.  And you don't really feel like you're making progress. 

You have to remember here, the enemy is time. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about how uncertainty costs injured runners. 

Running the Grand Canyon with a calcaneal stress fracture, donating a kidney and other crazy adventures with Kate

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast we have a real treat for you. Kate is someone I met through the Grand Canyon R2R2R Run Group and she has an amazing story!

If you are not familiar with what running the Grand Canyon entails, you start at one side, run from the rim of the Grand Canyon Down treacherous trails all the way to the bottom, then run across the bottom of the canyon and back up out of the canyon on the other side. Then you turn around and run back. 

Kate has agreed to come on the show today to talk about running the Grand Canyon. 

More specifically she is here to talk about running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim with a calcaneal stress fracture!

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Kate Stopa, about calcaneal stress fractures, running the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim, giving up a kidney.

You’ll have to wait 6 months before you can have an MRI

I just got a call from an ultra-marathoner I have seen a number of times over the years. 

He is not a wimp. He's a tough guy. He's very smart. He knows his body really well, and he got what we suspected was a partial tear in the plantar fascia. 

He didn't get better. He took weeks off. He couldn't run. He couldn't even hike! it was killing him, so I ordered an MRI. 

I diligently prepared the order for his MRI. I sent it to the facility. I wrote up all the various details which basically proved that his MRI study is medically necessary and completely justified...and they should pay for it. 

Well, the insurance company denied prior authorization for his MRI. 

You won't believe this, but the insurance company said he had to have heel pain FOR 6 MONTHS before they would allow him to get an MRI.

What would you do if you're a runner and you were told you're going to have to wait six months to get an MRI in order to make a decision about what you would do for treatment?

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