Doc On The Run Podcast

#148 If it doesn't hurt worse, can I still ramp up running?

Should you ramp up your running training when your healing injury doesn't feel like it does not hurt much worse while running?

As soon as the healing stress fracture gets a little bit stronger, you should start ramping up your fitness so you don't just lose all of your running fitness.

The big question is, is whether or not it's okay at that point to really ramp up training, keep running longer, keep running harder when it seems like the very mild, barely-noticeable foot pain isn't really getting worse.

#147 How much stress reduction does your foot need to heal and run?

Any over-training running injury is caused by too much stress applied to that one structure. Once it starts to heal and you are trying to return to running, you have to keep the overall amount of stress applied to that one healing structure low enough so it can continue to heal even while you ramp up your activity and run.

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about how much stress reduction you need in your foot to heal while you continue to run.

#146 Why injured runners should avoid out and back runs

The reason I like out in back runs for long runs is it makes me committed. I can’t quit. But out and back runs can actually put you in a really vulnerable position when you've been injured. If something starts to hurt during your run, if you've noticed some new odd sensation, you still have to get home.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about why injured runners should avoid the out and back.

#145 Top 3 Road Hazards for Runners

A pothole is a classic road hazard. It is an obstacle in the road that can cause trouble. If you're going fast in your car and you hit a pothole, it can actually blow out your tire. If you are running and you step in a pothole, it can break your foot. 

Road hazards are avoidable dangers in your path that cause trouble. This is true for drivers of automobiles and it's true for runners as well. Today we are going to talk about the top three road hazards for runners.

 

The Best Night Splint for Runners

A tight Achilles tendon can cause a variety of problems for runners. A night splint is a brace that is supposed to help stretch a tight Achilles tendon by holding the foot in a corrected position while you sleep. 

A night splint is often recommended to runners when they get plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis. 

But there actually is a brace that I think is really much better than a night splint. It is not actually a night splint, but it is something called the “Equinus Brace.”

#143 How a marathon mindset can predispose you to injury

As soon as you sign up for a marathon you start to think about what it will take to finish it. You come up with a plan. You design a series of of workouts. And you realize you are going to have to suffer.  

Before you even begin you first workout, you convince yourself that success will require pain and suffering.  

But if you maintain your marathon mindset and you just tell yourself you're supposed to suffer you will suffer yourself right into an over training injury. And then you won't have days of workouts to reorganize. You may wind up with weeks or months of completely avoidable time on the couch.

#142 The One Goal when you have a running injury

Last week I was lecturing on running injuries at a medical conference.  A doctor in the audience asked, "What do you do exactly when a runner tries to renegotiate their activity level with you, the doctor?”

When you're injured, you have to face it. You have to shift your mindset. The most important thing you can do as an injured runner is to remember that your actual most important goal is to finish your race on time.

Let me explain the one goal you should have when you get a running injury.

#141 How long before I can run with a stress fracture?

How long before I can run on a metatarsal stress fracture?

The short answer is this, you can run as soon as the metatarsal bone has healed enough, becomes stable enough, to withstand the stress you apply to that bone when you run.

Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we're talking how long it should take before you can run on a metatarsal stress fracture.

#140 Pain is a tool to recover faster from running injury

If you want to get back to running sooner, you have to figure out a way to maintain the maximum level of activity your healing tissues can withstand without causing any further damage and without impeding the healing process. There is a fine line between healing while your running fitness diminishes and healing while simultaneously advancing your fitness.

When it comes to healing and trying to figure out the line between too much activity and not enough activity, pain is your guide.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how pain can be used as a tool to recover faster from running injury.

#139 Is it dangerous to run on a stress fracture?

Is it dangerous to run on a stress fracture? Stress fractures are one of the most common problems runners get when over training. When injured, stress fractures can keep you off running for a really long time. 

Runners are often running on stress fractures. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. You have to figure out whether or not you're going to cause any permanent damage to the bone, or disrupt your long-term goals, before you can decide whether or not it's dangerous to run on a stress fracture. 

Today on The Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about whether or not it's dangerous to run on a stress fracture.