Doc On The Run Podcast

Long term effects of ankle sprains in runners

Today's question comes from Diane who was listening to the podcast and wrote in because she wanted to know more about the long-term effects of ankle sprains.

Ankle sprains frequently lead to two main problems. 

Many runners mistakingly move their ankles too soon, and can wind up with chronic pain.

Many other runners fail to rehabilitate their ankle and can end up with chronic ankle instability.

Both of these common problems related to ankle sprains are completely preventable in runners.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about the long term effects of ankle sprains in runners.

Bulge in metatarsal bone stress fracture on x-ray

A runner with a stress fracture just called me for a phone consultation.

He was concerned because he got an X-ray and saw a bulge in the bone.

The question was whether or not this bulging area of healing bone in the stress fracture was a good thing or a bad thing. 

More than anything else he just wanted to know if the lump of bone on the x-ray was an indication that it was okay to start running.

Sometimes a lump of bone on your x-ray is good thing, but sometimes a bad thing.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not a bulge in your metatarsal bone on an x-ray of a stress fracture tells you if it is healed enough to start running.

Plantar Plate Sprain vs. Tear vs. Rupture in a Runner

If you're a runner who has had aching pain in the ball of the foot you may have been diagnosed with a plantar plate sprain or a plantar plate tear. Or maybe you were told you had a plantar plate rupture.

The most important factor to a runner is how quickly you can heal the plantar plate injury and get back to running.

The chances are good your doctor didn't really discuss this component of your treatment plan.

When you get a plantar plate injury many doctors will simply tell you to stop running and let it heal.

That plan can take months.

If you're a runner with a plantar plate injury you need to understand the differences between the terms used to describe the condition so you can better understand what you need to do to heal and get back to running. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about the difference between a plantar plates sprain vs. a tear vs. a rupture when you are a runner.

#265 Should I run when I am sick

It’s cold and flu season and one question that comes up this time of year is, "Should I run when I am sick?" 

The obvious concern is that if you have a training schedule and marathon on the calendar your fitness will suffer. You don’t want to lose ground. 

This is a valid concern. If you stop, it can wreck your training. 

But you have to understand something that seems to get lost on most sick runners in training.  

Not running when sick isn’t nearly as bad as not running when injured.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not you should run when you are sick.

Focus on what you can do today to recover

When you are sick or injured, you may feel like you are helpless. 

You think you can’t run.

You think you can’t build your running body. 

You think that you can’t do anything to help the situation. 

If you're injured, you're probably sitting around thinking, "Well, I can't do anything. I can't run. I can't go to the gym. I can't do anything." 

But that's not true. You just have to think about what can you do today. You have to focus on what you can do today.

Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we're talking about how you should focus on what you can do today if you want to recover from an over-training injury.

5 overtraining indicators that precede running injury

Many runners seem to be surprised when they get an overtraining injury.

However, once we start talking about the injury, they almost always know something is wrong days or weeks before they actually get the pain and real injury.

Every runner in training should pay attention to the subtle signals that tell you when you are heading for an over training injury.

If you get the sense you are in an overtrained state, you can talk to your coach, or just back off from one or two of your workouts to allow your body to recover and make sure you don't wind up injured, when you should be training

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about the 5 overtraining indicators that precede running injury.

#262 Eat like you are racing and recover like a champion

Every time you go out for a run you deliberately damage the muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments just enough to stimulate healing response that makes them stronger.

An overtraining injury is nothing more then a little bit too much tissue damage, in one particular tissue. 

 

If you are training for a marathon, your number one priority is to make sure you are recovering fast enough to avoid an over training injury. 

If you are an inured runner, your number one priority is rebuild that injured tissue so you can get back to running. 

I get asked all the time about what runners need to eat in order to rebuild tissue. And recently I was thinking about how it's not really so much what you eat as how often you eat. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about how if you eat like you are racing you will recover like a champion.

#260 The best diet for runners is consistency

If you are runner trying to get down to your race weight, you may be considering a new diet.

If you are a runner trying to build more muscle, or build tissue faster after workouts to recover faster, you might need to modify your diet.

I get questions about diet nutrition all the time from injured runners.

Do you really need more protein? 

Do you really need to eat like a cave man? 

Do you really need to build protein with protein? 

Do you have to eat protein or meat to build protein?

Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how the best diet for runners is consistency. 

Angry about lost time from running in a fracture boot

Fracture walking boots are over-prescribed and often worn for way too long by many injured runners.

Nobody who's a runner wants to be injured or wants to have to wear a fracture walking boot. 

It's really easy to get angry and resentful about feeling like you wasted time in a fracture walking boot while you are recovering.

You may be upset just because you've been sitting around recovering. 

You may be angry because you feel like a boot is the standard routine and deserve something better.

Maybe you think your doctor hasn't been proactive enough and you haven't been able to get back to running fast enough.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about being angry about having lost time from running in a fracture walking boot.

4 Risky times for running injuries

Running injuries are not random. 

Over training injuries are actually very predictable.

Runners get injured as a result of too much stress, applied at the wrong time.

Certain life circumstances can coincide with stressful blocks of training that put you at risk of developing an over training injury.

If you're training for a marathon and you want to make it to the starting line in tact, you need to know what to watch out for during these dangerous times.

Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the 4 risky times for running injuries.