Doc On The Run Podcast

Find your #1 missing piece in running injury recovery

Think about what happens when you start running.

You decide you want to run. You make a decision, then you go out and you actually run.

You start working on your running form. Maybe you hire a coach You add a little speed work. You also start doing some strength training to supplement your running fitness. Eventually you even start working on your pacing strategies for your races.

These are all things that are important pieces of running. But thinking about your pacing strategy when you haven't even started running is a really bad idea. It doesn't matter what you think about pacing if you can't actually run the whole distance.

There is a most important piece, at each point in the process. This is especially true in running injury recovery as well. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about finding your number one missing piece in your running injury recovery.

Tuning out running injury tuning in for recovery

Overtraining injuries only happen when you ignore a problem.

No runner wants to be injured. 

Most runners who call me for web-cam visits have been tuning out the signs of impending injury...long before they actually got injured. You get an overtraining injury because you did feel something, but you ignored it.

Don't forget...you could not become an accomplished runner if you were not capable of tuning out discomfort and putting in the work to become a strong runner.

But that works against you when you get injured.

Tuning out injury, tuning in for recovery and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc on the Run podcast.

Can a mallet toe cause a plantar plate injury?

I just did a web-cam call with a runner who had a thing called a "mallet toe" deformity. He had pain in the ball of the foot when running.

He said he was reading about plantar plate sprains, and thought, "Maybe I have a plantar plate sprain because I got this funky toe."

He wanted to know if a mallet toe could cause a plantar plate injury. 

Can a mallet toe cause a plantar plate injury?

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

Breakthrough runs do not always feel great

When we think about training for endurance events like marathons, we expect the payoff to feel good. 

We are patient with the process, yet in the progression of building fitness, we always expect that when we have a breakthrough run, it's going to feel great.

It is just not true.

When you do a run that is a lot longer, or a lot faster, you know you've made a breakthrough.

Breakthrough runs do not always feel great and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

Extensor substitution in runners what is it?

I was just watching an injured runner walk. We were trying to pin down her diagnosis and figure out why she was getting injured.

She asked me what I actually saw when analyzing her gait.

One of the things I saw was that she had this thing called extensor substitution. 

She wanted to know how it contributed to the issues she has been having when she was running.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about extensor substitution in runners.

Running after injury keep your head up

What happens when you look down at your feet as you run? 

Many injured runners start looking down toward the injury, even as they run.
 
What do I mean by that? 
 
We start to hunch over, our running form falls apart, and we do all the things that are completely counter to everything that we know about good running form.
 
If you're running after an overtraining injury, you really need to keep your head up.
 
That's what we're going to talk about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

Achilles tendon calcification in runners with tendinosis

If you are reading this because you are researching Achilles tendinosis, I'm sorry.
 
Achilles tendinosis is one of the worst injuries a runner can get. 
 
Tendinosis is a serious problem and must be treated aggressively.
 
It is helpful to understand what you really need to do.

You also need to understand Achilles tendinosis treatments doctors often recommend, which you might want to avoid. 
 
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about Achilles tendon calcification in runners with tendinosis. 

Injured runners cannot find a solution when refusing to look at the problem

One of the things that's really important is that you really have to think about what it takes to ramp up without getting injured, and that requires tracking and paying attention to everything.

I'm going to let you listen in on a recording from an actual live session in the Injured Runner's Aid Station explaining these keys to ramping up and running without getting reinjured, while using the advantages that you already have with your runner's mindset.

Today, on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how injured runners cannot find a solution when refusing to even look at the problem.

Which runners need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis?

The reality is, there are only two kinds of runners that I think really need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis.

The runners who don't mind losing all their running fitness and the other group of runners who really need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis are those that basically assume they have the wrong diagnosis.

Which kind of runners really do need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis? Is it somebody with mild plantar fasciitis? Moderate plantar fasciitis? Severe plantar fasciitis?

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

Anxiety robs injured runners of action

One of the worst things when you're an injured runner is to stop taking action. 

Think about what would happen if you did this with a marathon. If you were to sign up for a race and you didn't do anything to actually gain fitness in preparation for that event, would you expecto to do well?

It blows me away when I see injured runners who have spent years in disciplined training, yet then when they get injured, they just sit in a puddle of inaction that keeps them stagnant and prevents them getting back to running.

Anxiety robs injured runners of action, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.