Doc On The Run Podcast

#208 Challenge your doctor to do better when you are a runner

If you're a runner and you've been injured, you need to challenge your doctor to do better.

You are going to probably feel like challenging your doctor would have to be somewhat confrontational. 

That doesn't mean you have to be offensive. 

But you have to do something different if you really want to get your doctor on board with a rapid return to running.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how you should challenge your doctor to better when you are a runner.

#207 There is no healing without risk.

Everybody wants to believe that there is some best practice, some standard of care, some safest way for you to heal when you get a metatarsal stress fracture or achilles tendinitis or peroneal tendinitis or plantar fasciitis or any other common overuse training injury when you're a runner.

But there is nothing that is risk-free. 

Nothing is free in medicine. 

It's not free in terms of costs, and it's not free in terms of risk. And for most runners, the risk part is the bigger part of the equation.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how there’s is no healing for a runner without risk.

#206 How long do I have to take off from running to recover?

How much time do I need to take off from running after my race?

The time you need to take off from running after race all depends on how long the race is and how hard you ran.

How much time do I need to take off from running if I get a running injury?

That depends upon your physiology and the status of your healing machine today.

You need to think about how fast you think you can heal, based on your fitness, physiology and level of training.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how long you should take off running to recover. 

#205 The risk free way to heal a metatarsal stress fracture and other unicorns

A runner with a metatarsal stress fracture recently asked… 

“Isn’t it true that a fracture walking boot and crutches is the risk-free way to heal a metatarsal stress fracture?" 

Although I hope you won’t tell my daughter, there are no unicorns. 

And there is no risk-free way to heal a metatarsal stress fracture. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how the risk free way to heal a metatarsal stress fracture and other unicorns.

#204 Rock climbing is a lot like sports medicine

This weekend I was rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park with my son. At one point he started climbing up to a point where we were going to practice rappelling. 

He chose to climb up a way I knew was more difficult than necessary. But he wanted to proceed, so I let him.

You have to know whether or not you can proceed with the given activity without getting hurt.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how rock climbing is a lot like sports medicine.

#203 The 3 most important ways runners prevent foot fungus

Toenail fungus may be gross but it's common, especially in runners. 

Running shoes are perfect little incubators for foot fungus.

The inside of shoes are hot, dark and moist. Running shoes can be the ideal environment for fungal infections. And you want to make sure you don't get a toenail fungus infections, you need to make sure you keep the fungus out of your shoes. 

But there are three simple precautions you can take to make sure you don't have a fungus farm in your running shoes. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about the 3 most important ways runners prevent foot fungus.

 

#202 if you haven’t taken an action you haven’t made a decision

Many years ago I heard a quote from Tony Robbins. He said, “Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.”

When you're an injured runner you can't just wait for it to heal like a normal patient because the whole time you're waiting, things are getting worse. You are losing your aerobic fitness, you are getting weaker, you are losing your neuromuscular connections. Your form is falling apart. 

If you have an overtraining injury and have decided you want to heal faster than the average patient, you have to take action.

Today on Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about how if you haven't taken an action, you haven't made a decision. 

#201 3 Ways a runner can confirm a self diagnosis of plantar plate sprain

If you are a runner and you have some pain, and maybe a little bit of swelling, in the ball of the foot under the toes, you might be concerned you have a plantar plate sprain. 

 

Maybe you were diagnosed with “metatarsalgia.” Maybe you thought you had a metatarsal stress fracture. 

But maybe after listening to one of these talks on plantar plate injuries, you started to think you might have plantar plate sprain instead.

Obviously if you are treating the wrong condition, you are not likely to improve very quickly. If you want to maintain your running fitness and get back to running as quickly as possible you have to have the correct diagnosis and start getting better.

In the simplest sense, there are basically three ways to tell for sure whether or not you have  plantar plate sprain.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about 3 ways a runner can confirm a self diagnosis of plantar plate sprain.

#200 Should an injured runner be patient?

I just got an email recently from someone who is a runner and one of the things he asked, he said, "Should I be patient, and are the chances good that the pain will subside after four to six weeks on its own, of just not running?”

Well, that's a good question, but that depends. 

The first thing that you have to think about when a doctor tells you, you just should take off running, and stop activity, stop doing everything for four to six weeks, you have to ask yourself several questions.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not an injured runner should just be patient.

#199 How do trail runners get chronic ankle instability?

If you go to the doctor, and you tell the doctor that you run on trails, you've sprained your ankles before, and you seem to roll ankles frequently, the doctor will tell you that you are suffering from “chronic ankle instability.”

If your ankle just feels unstable when you're on uneven ground, when you step on a root, or rock, or something, if your ankle sort of flips out from under you a little bit, it seems like you're spraining your ankle (but it doesn't even hurt), well that's something that we call “chronic ankle instability.”

Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we're talking about how trail runners get chronic ankle instability, and what you can do if you have it.