Doc On The Run Podcast

Why should runners sleep in boot for 5th metatarsal stress fracture?

If you get a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal, there are a couple of reasons why you might want to sleep in a fracture walking boot.

Your goal is to keep the total amount of stress applied to that stress fracture under your threshold for healing, throughout the entire 24-hour period. 

Why should I sleep in a boot for a fifth metatarsal stress fracture? 

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

Bone Scan vs. X-ray for 2nd metatarsal c reaction in a runner

If you get a metatarsal stress reaction or a metatarsal stress fracture your doctor may order medical imaging to figure out how bad it really is. 

Your doctor's goal is to really figure out if it is a stress reaction or is it a stress fracture.

What is the difference when it comes to medical imaging using a bone scan versus an x-ray when you are looking for a second metatarsal stress fracture in a runner?

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

 

First test run 2 weeks after injury, how long should I run?

You have a couple of options when you get injured. 

One option is to wait so long that you know for a fact it has to be healed enough that it can withstand the forces of running. 

The other option is to move that timeline faster and make things happen a lot quicker. The only way to do that is by testing. One of the things you can test with is a test run. 

A runner asked me how long her first test run should be, if she had been two weeks since the injury actually had happened.

Let us say you have been injured and you take a couple of weeks off. How long should your test run be? 

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

Can thinking about healing make your running injury heal faster?

Whenever you consciously give your brain direction, your subconscious brain will go to work to achieve it.

Your subconscious mind is not just controlling things that you want to happen but it's controlling things that you don't want, too. 

If you focus on negativity, if you focus on your injury getting worse, you will probably get worse.

So, the question is can you take this aspect of your brain and controlling your subconscious mind and use it to your advantage when you are trying to heal and get back to running?

Can simply thinking about healing make your running injury heal faster? 

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

Why Stress Reaction can take longer than Stress Fracture to heal in a runner

Which do you think is worse, a stress fracture or a stress reaction? 

Well, since a fracture is a crack and a reaction is just inflamed and irritating, you probably think stress reaction. However, it's not true. Sometimes stress reactions take longer than stress fractures to heal in runners.

Why can a stress reaction take longer than stress fractures to heal in a runner?

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

Cushioning shoes vs Stability shoes for a test run?

I was just on a call with an injured runner who is about to go out for a test run. 

She is very excited because she is going to get either a yes or a no on deciding if the tissue in her foot that is been healing is strong enough to withstand a little bit of running at a medium pace for a short distance. 

This is an important test because if it hurts, obviously no running, right? You got to wait some more. But because you want to get a yes, you want to make sure that your chances of getting the yes are as high as possible. 

The way that you do that is you protect the foot as much as possible. So, the shoes you should use for your test run really do matter a lot. 

If you are going to go out and try a test run after you have been injured, what kind of shoes should you wear? Cushioning shoes or stability shoes? 

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

My FHL tendon sheath is inflamed should I inject it before my 100 mile trail race?

What if you were ramping up for several years to run 100 miles, but then you got tendinitis?

If you start getting pain because you have been doing lots of hill repeats, you could get irritation of the FHL tendon and specifically the tendon sheath that surrounds it where it bends around the back of the ankle. One of the treatment options is to inject it with corticosteroids. 

So, this runner called me and wanted to know whether or not it would be a good idea for her to inject the tendon sheath with cortisone before her trail race. 

If my FHL tendon is inflamed and irritated, should I inject the tendon sheath before my 100-mile trail race? 

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

Should I use tape for extensor tenosynovitis?

If you get pain on the top of your foot because you irritated the extensor tendons, they can be very painful. 

A runner asked me recently about using athletic tape to heal extensor tenosynovitis.

Since it seems like athletic tape can help almost any type of musculoskeletal injury, you might be wondering, could taping help the tendons or the tendon sheath on the top of your foot when it gets aggravated.

Should I use tape if I have extensor tenosynovitis? 

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

If I only had 30 days to return to running after injury

Yesterday I was at the Twin Cities Foot and Ankle Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. The reason I was there is I was invited by the Minnesota Podiatric Medical Association to come and give a one-hour lecture, about "What's New in Sports Medicine." 

It may not surprise you that most of what I was talking about was how to help injured runners get back to training, full activity, after overtraining injuries, as quickly as possible.

After my talk, another doctor out in the hallway approached me, and she asked an interesting question. What she asked was... 

“If you yourself had an overtraining injury, whether it was a stress fracture, a plantar plate sprain, a tear of the plantar fascia, a split in the peroneal tendon, no matter what the injury was, if you yourself were given a deadline of 30 days to healing that thing enough, you could actually run outside without worrying about re-injuring that piece of tissue, what exactly would you do?” 
 
If I had only 30 days to return to full running after an over training injury, what would I do? 

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

What can a runner with hallux rigidus when if not a good candidate for cheilectomy surgery?

Today's episode comes from a running injury from Jamie. He wanted to know about hallux rigidus. 

He asked:

“Are there any non-surgical approaches to helping hallux rigidus when you are not a good candidate for a cheilectomy?” 

What can a runner do when you have hallux rigidus but you're not a good candidate for cheilectomy surgery? 

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