Doc On The Run Podcast

Injured runner or recovering runner?

I talk to injured runners all the time, and what I see is there are some runners who are kind of over the hump.

They've started figuring out that they're injured and they're going to have to do a whole lot of work to actually get back to running quickly.

Then there are other runners I see who are basically just demoralized and depressed because they're stuck in a rut.

Are you an injured runner or a recovering runner?

There is a difference, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

How long to wait before running with a stress fracture?

I got a question from a runner who's had a metatarsal stress fracture who's very frustrated, who's trying to figure out how to get back to running.

He went and saw a doctor and he was told that he had a stress fracture and the doctor told him to take some time off of running.

Then he started watching some YouTube videos, started listening to some podcasts, and then asked me a very serious question:

How long do I have to wait to run with a metatarsal stress fracture?

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

I am not built to be a runner

I just got off a consultation call with a runner who called me for a second opinion, and she had an injury.

She actually said that a doctor told her she wasn't built to be a runner.

I'm not built to be a runner.

Is that true? What does a runner look like?

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

Rest = Recovery

In this podcast episode we’re talking about one of my favorite false beliefs. It's that rest equals recovery.

This sort of makes sense to most people, but then runners get confused and wind up calling me for second opinions because they're still a little confused when they hear this.

Rest equals recovery. That's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

I cannot run because it got a running injury

In this episode we're talking about whether or not you can't run just because you got a running injury and this is a thing I hear all the time from injured runners.

They call me because they're frustrated because they're runners, they got a metatarsal stress fracture, or a plantar fasciitis, or a plantar plate ligament sprain, or Achilles tendonitis.

They say, “My doctor said I can't run because I got a running injury. Does that make sense to you?”

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

The slippery slope of running injury recovery

A running injury is always bad. No runner is ever happy to have a stress fracture or to have plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis...or something worse.

If you get an overtraining injury and you're trying to recover, but you're not getting better fast, you need to stop and evaluate. 

The biggest problem I see with most injured runners is that they half do the recovery.

You stop running. You stop working out. All you do is sit around. 

You are waiting and waiting and waiting to heal. But all of that waiting puts injured runners in a dangerous place.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about the slippery slope of running injury recovery. 

Should a runner have surgery for a plantar plate tear?

If you are a runner with a plantar plate injury, it is pretty easy for a doctor to make a convincing sales pitch on surgery. There are a couple of reasons that you should consider surgery for a plantar plate sprain. 

The first reason surgery makes sense is you tried everything else and nothing non-surgical will work. 

But you have to be honest about your non-surgical attempts. 

Here are some examples I often hear from injured runners.

"I used the fracture boot a little bit, but had to take it off to drive."

I "sort of taped the toe." 

I  used some pads, "but I'm not sure if they are in the right spot."

You have to be honest with yourself about those treatments before you can say that you failed those treatments. that. 

But when you have clearly failed all of the non-surgical treatments and you cannot get better, then and only then does surgery makes sense.

Should a runner have surgery for a plantar plate injury?

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

Should an injury runner assess running form?

I was recently doing a webcam call with an injured runner who wanted to know whether or not he should try to work on his running form.
 
He got injured and he started to get better. But the injury kept coming back. He was in a cycle of yo-yo healing. Better, then worse, then better again.

After a big race he got a lot worse.  His question was whether or not working on his running form might help halt the recurring running injury cycle.

Should an injured runner work on running form?
 
Well, that depends and that's what we're going to talk about today on The Doc on the Run podcast.

Can a stress fracture spread from one metatarsal to the bone next to it?

One thing that's really demoralizing if you get a stress fracture is to spend a bunch of time in a fracture walking boot and then go get something like an MRI and be shocked and horrified when the doctor says, "Well, not only do you have a stress fracture in that bone, it looks like you've got a stress fracture in another bone as well."

If you think this stress fracture might have spread well, it could.

But not the way an infection would spread. 

There is a way that stress related inflammation in a neighboring bone can spread after getting the original stress fracture.

Can a stress fractures spread from one bone to another? 

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

How to take an honest injury inventory for runners

I was just on a call with an injured runner who's been having trouble for a couple of months. He wanted to know what to do next. 

The very next step in most cases is getting baseline numbers so you can figure out where you really are with your fitness, your injury, and your recovery...or lack thereof.

You've got to take an honest inventory! 

The whole key to getting recovered as quickly as possible is letting the injury heal...while you work to maintain your running fitness so that you can get back to running faster.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about taking an honest inventory when you're a runner with an injury who's trying to get back to running.