Doc On The Run Podcast

Two perspectives for recovering runners

Everything about the process of training is inherently inspiring and aspirational. It is all positive, and with each step of the process we get the opportunity to make a conscious decision to move forward.

Overcoming a running injury is inherently negative. It just feels like damage control mode. Running injuries feel more about digging yourself out of a hole, and less about accomplishing something significant.

Every over training injury is unique and can have a unique healing timeline. But it all depends upon what you do.

How can you make the mental shift between a coaches plan a doctor’s plan?

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast were talking about two perspectives for recovering runners.

You already know the path to recovery

I was recently watching the Wizard of Oz with my kids.

There’s this one scene, where Glenda tells Dorothy that she already had has all the ability to get home. That all she has to do is click her heels together and say, “There's no place like home” and she'll be transported there. 

Dorothy had that power all along. 

When I see runners who have had running injuries, they've been injured. They've been on this long journey of seeming like running through the haunted forest and trying to dodge the wicked witch and trying to get over this running injury. 

All injured runners really do already have the power to get better.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about how you already know the path to recovery.

Most painful part of a running injury

There's nothing worse than being in a race, and you feel like your stomach is upset. You're sick to your stomach and you're keeping on pace, but then suddenly, because you literally have an upset stomach, and you start losing pace. 

You know that your competition is getting further ahead, and you're getting further behind. That is what's really painful.

Most doctors think runners like you call me because I can help you heal your running injury. I know that those doctors are wrong. It's not really that pain that stops you from running. It's not that foot pain that gets you to call me. That's not really the real reason that most runners call me for a telemedicine visit or consultation call.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about the most painful part of a running injury.

Questions that make a stress fracture more or less likely in a runner

Earlier today I was talking with a runner who felt some pain in her foot during a run yesterday. So she got worried she might have a metatarsal stress fracture in her foot. So she booked a consultation call and we had a discussion on the phone about the possibilities. 

 

Here is what she asked:

 

“I had an aching pain for a few steps during my run yesterday...is that a stress fracture?  The aching pain was on the top of my foot for a few steps today…I want to know if it could be a stress fracture?”

 

So I thought it might be useful to talk about some of the questions I asked her to help figure out whether or not her foot pain might actually be a metatarsal stress fracture, or something else.

 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about questions that make a stress fracture more, or less likely in a runner.

How a runner with a plantar fascia rupture talks himself into surgery

A partial rupture of the plantar fascia can be a truly debilitating injury for a runner.

 

It's much worse than plantar fasciitis. You take time off. It starts feel better. Then you run and it starts to feel worse again.

 

Because it can be so frustrating it becomes very easy to convince yourself that you need surgery. 

 

In fact I was just having a conversation with an athlete who started to talk himself into surgery, even though he has absolutely no desire to have surgery one the plantar fascia.

 

His story highlights how easy it is to become frustrated, and how to overthink a mild setback in your recovery.

 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about how a runner with a plantar fascia rupture talks himself into surgery

Pain is not a setback in your injury recovery

Whether you are conscious of it or not, when you are recovering from a running injury you are probably a little bit gun shy.

 

Every runner who has ever had to cancel a race or abandon a training plan because of an over- training injury understands how demoralizing and frustrating it is to lose all of your fitness and start training just so you can rest and heal.

 

If you suffered through that routine it shouldn't really be surprising that you probably have some trepidation in the back of your mind. Although it's probably been pushed into the deepest corners of your brain you have fear holding you back.

 

Injured runners become afraid of pain.

 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about how pain is not a setback in your running injury recovery.

Skip a day to skip ahead in your injury recovery

Yesterday I was speaking to an ultra-marathoner who had a metatarsal fracture.  

 

Fortunately, the broken bone has been healing well and she's back to running. 

 

But during our discussion yesterday she revealed something interesting. She was running every day.  Just 3 miles…every day.

 

During that discussion I was trying to help her understand how it is that running every day, even short distances, in fact, extremely short by her standards as an ultramarathoner, those every day runs could actually put her at risk of re-injuring the metatarsal fracture. 

 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about how you should skip a day to skip ahead in your injury recovery.

Injured runner underdog advantage

In the pursuit of any running goal you really are only in competition with yourself.

 

When you become injured, you immediately give yourself an underdog status.

 

You start to think about all of the problems that your injury presents to prevent you from completing the workouts that you previously believed would make it possible for you to achieve your goal. 

 

Of course, none of that is true. All of those problems we call “reasons” are really just excuses. 

 

There is always a way.

 

One thing I know for sure. Every runner I have ever worked with you got injured and then set a new P.R. working from an underdog advantage.

 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about the injured runner underdog advantage.

Rest is an atrophy plan

Can you get faster by not running? 

Can get stronger by not working out?

If you're a runner and you’re listening to this my guess is that you're clear answer to both of those two questions is “NO!”

And if your answer both of those questions is no…

Why do doctors call rest a treatment plan?

The brutal truth is that rest is not a treatment plan.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast were talking about how rest is an atrophy plan.

3 keys to recovering at a faster pace

Healing after a hard workout and recovering from a running injury are basically the same process.

But when a runner gets an over training injury everything goes sideways. 

We become confused about what has happened and we start to confuse ourselves about what what should happen next. We get off course. We forget the basics. 

Our self induced confusion delays our recovery, hampers our healing and keeps us from getting back to running as quickly as possible.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the 3 keys to recovering at a faster pace.