Doc On The Run Podcast

3 ways to determine limb length discrepancy in a runner

A podcast listener sent in a great question for the Doc On The Run Podcast.

Sandra asked, "Is there a best way to ascertain if a person has a leg length discrepancy? MRI, measuring, what is it?"

"Limb length discrepancy" just means one leg is a little bit longer than the other.

There are lots of different ways to figure out whether or not you have a limb length discrepancy. Figuring out how big that difference might be is really important if you want to fix it.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about three different ways to determine limb length discrepancies in a runner.

Why healing fractures hurt after stopping the boot

Today's episode comes from a discussion in our Monday, Wednesday, Friday coaching group.

This was someone who actually had a metatarsal fracture and had graduated from using crutches to using the boot and was transitioning out of the boot and she asked me a great question.

She said that her foot was hurting a little bit as she was transitioning out of the boot. She wanted to know if that was normal.  Or was the aching associated with walking in a normal shoe something to be concerned about.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about why healing fractures might hurt after you stop using the boot.

Running shoe wear patterns with hallux rigidus

Today's discussion actually comes from a question from a runner in the Monday, Wednesday, Friday Coaching Group.

This is a runner who has a condition called "hallux rigidus."

He wanted to understand the best way to assess your running shoes. He also wanted to know whether or not it was possible to identify hallux rigidus just by looking at the soles of a runner's running shoes. 

When you get hallux rigidus, your big toe doesn't actually "dorsiflex" or come up away from the ground enough to allow you to walk or run without doing something to compensate. That shift in the way you walk creates a characteristic wear pattern on the sole of the shoe. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about running shoe wear patterns with hallux rigidus.

What is talar beaking on x-ray of a runner?

Today's episode comes from a discussion I had with a runner in person who had some foot pain, it was kind of weird.

He's an elite runner and he started developing this symptom that he couldn't figure out and it was in a weird spot.

He got an evaluation and part of his evaluation was X-rays of his foot. When we got the X-rays of his foot and we were looking at him, he had this thing that we call talar beaking and he wanted to know what that was.

What is talar beaking on the X-ray of a runner? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

 

Should a runner ice a broken toe?

Every treatment in medicine has pluses and minuses. Applying ice is no different. Ice can make some things better, and some things worse.

If you ice something, in general it will calm that inflammatory response, reduce the pain and make you more comfortable. 

But your goal is to get back to running as quickly as possible, not to just make you feel better.

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not an injured runner should ice a broken toe.

Trust in a real expert

Every day I do telemedicine calls with injured runners.  They often ask questions that remind me of things learned in the past, that help them understand what to do right now.

It's interesting how many times I actually think of this guy that was my mentor when I was racing motorcycles. His name is Fred Provis. Everyone called him "Motorhead Fred."

Fred and I raced together and won an endurance championship, and he taught me a ton of stuff about life (not just racing).

Much of what Fred told me, I never would've thought about doing on my own.

I did what Fred said, because I trusted him.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about why you need to trust in a real expert.

What is a subtalar joint sprain in a runner?

Ankle sprains are incredibly common in runners.

Sprained ankles account for about 10% of all musculoskeletal injuries that show up in the Emergency Room.

But there is another injury that can seem sort of like an ankle sprain, but doesn't respond to treatment the same way. 

This sprain is not in the ankle. It is a sprain of the joint under the ankle...the subtalar joint.

It's called a Subtalar Joint Sprain.

What is a subtalar joint sprain in a runner? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

The best and worst way to stop using crutches

If you suffer a severe running injury, some doctors will give you crutches to speed up the recovery process.

Healing any running injury is a race against time. 

All overtraining injuries will eventually heal.

But if you take a long time to heal, you're going to lose a lot of running fitness. You will get weaker, stiffer and develop a loss of coordination.

That loss of fitness will make it very difficult for you to achieve your running goals after you fully recover. The goal isn't to heal. The goal is to run without re-injury.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about the best and worst ways to stop crutches if you're an injured runner.

3 signs of a limb length discrepancy in runners

This podcast episode comes from a telemedicine visit second opinion with a triathlete and runner who was having pain as he ramped up his mileage.

It turns out he had what we call a limb length discrepancy, where you actually have one leg that is a little bit shorter than the other.

This is something we see a lot in runners who are starting to get problems as they increase mileage during training.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about three signs of limb length discrepancies in runners. 

Can a 5th metatarsal stress fracture posterior tibial tendinitis?

This is a great question from a runner I've been helping in the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday coaching group. 

She had a fifth metatarsal fracture and wanted to know if this could actually cause posterior tibial tendonitis.

Since they're on the opposite sides of the foot, a lot of people think that it won't cause the same kind of problem, because you wouldn't expect to have problems on both the left and right sides of the same foot.

Can a fifth metatarsal fracture cause posterior tibial tendonitis? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.