Doc On The Run Podcast

Your goal tells me how chronic your running injury

The most important first step with any athlete who signs up for a webcam second opinion or series of coach coaching calls is to ask, “What is your goal?” 
 
I was lecturing at a medical conference in Wisconsin where I was doing a whole morning session on running injury talks and diagnosis of subtle fracture patterns in athletes. 

What I told those doctors is they have to ask the athlete, “What is your goal?” 

Without understanding your timeline based on your running goal, you cannot make a useful recommendation on treatment on any running injury.

Sitting in that conference room I realized... 
 
Your goal that you have right now could tell me how chronic your running injury really is. 

Don't believe me? Well, that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Are you depressed because of a running injury?

Today, I  had a final follow-up call with a runner who did a series of consultation calls with me to get advice every week. After the series of calls he had improved and was better, but disclosed to me that he felt like he had been depressed.

He thought he might have depression because he realized something had significantly changed in his goal setting. 

He said, “I can't even imagine myself doing races anymore.”
 
Are you depressed because of your running injury? 
 
Well, maybe you are, maybe you are not. I am not a psychiatrist. I am not a psychologist, but that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Can collateral toe ligaments be surgically repaired?

This morning, I was on a second opinion call with a runner who had a couple of different injuries in his foot. 

The main problem keeping him from running was an injury to the collateral ligaments in one of his toes.

"The toe feels weak and unstable." He is understandably worried that the instability is going to cause a problem if he runs.

He was asking me:

“Well, can we surgically repair the ligaments?”

Should I have surgery to repair the collateral ligaments in my toe if I am a runner? 

Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Do I keep using compression socks until healed?

This morning, I had a conversation with a runner who had an injury. He has been getting a lot better and one of the things that really seemed to help the injury improve was wearing compression socks. 

His question was a really good one. He said:

“I had so much improvement with wearing compression socks, but with the injury I have, every time I take the socks off and on, it feels like I am moving the injured tissue now.  I am not really sure if I still need the compression.”

Do I need to keep using compression socks until my injury is really healed? 

Well, that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

2 Reasons for morning pain with a fracture boot

If you get an overtraining injury like a metatarsal stress fracture or a plantar plate sprain or Achilles tendonitis, or peroneal tendonitis, a doctor might prescribe a fracture walking boot. 

Well, it is designed to hold you still so that you can hopefully walk on something like a fracture and still let it heal.
 
The reason for this episode is this morning I was on a call with someone who has been wearing a boot and he is curious why all of a sudden, he is starting to have some aching pain in the boot in the morning when he first gets up and steps on his foot while wearing the boot.

What are the two reasons you might get pain when you have been wearing a fracture walking boot for a running injury? 
 
Well, that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

First 3 steps when runners feel a lump in the leg

I was doing a second opinion webcam consultation with a runner who noticed a lump in the calf muscle. 
 
The knot in the leg wasn't limiting his running. In fact, when he was running, this lump in the calf muscle felt better, not worse. 

So, you have to wonder, could the knot "not" be a big deal? 

There are really 3 things a runner can do immediately after noticing a bump in the leg.
 
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about the three steps you should do as the very first thing when you feel a weird lump in your calf muscle.

3 things you should not tell your new doctor

Today I am about to drive to the airport, get on a plane, fly to Wisconsin to give five lectures on running injuries at a medical conference.

As I was finalizing that talk on medical imaging strategies for athletes, I was thinking about a conversation that I had yesterday with an athlete who had a very frustrating course and actually called me for a second opinion. 

He had an injury that hass been going on for a long time. In short, he is trying to get a second opinion from me specifically because I have worked with runners.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about three things you should not tell your new doctor. 

3 mistakes runners make that lead to plantar plate surgery

I know. You don't want plantar plate surgery. 

But if your plantar plate ligament doesn't repair itself, or your doctor doesn't help it repair itself, you might get talked into surgery. 

If you have plantar plate repair surgery, you may spend a lot less time running over the weeks following surgery...because you have to let it heal. 

There are really three mistakes that I see runners make when they've had a plantar plate injury. This episode will help you avoid them.

What are 3 big mistakes runners make that lead to plantar plate surgery? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

 

Is plantar fascia really a ligament?

This episode comes from a question posted by one of the Doc On The Run YouTube viewers as a comment on the video “Where to run with plantar fasciitis.”

In the video, I was trying to explain which surfaces can help you the most when you're trying to run with plantar fasciitis. The only way to do that is to make sure you are decreasing the stress and strain on the plantar fascia ligament. 

But the question was...

Is the plantar fascia really a ligament? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

 

3 ways a doctor convinces you you need plantar plate surgery

There are three ways that a doctor might convince you that it's really time to have surgery and fix that plantar plate ligament that's been making you miserable when you've been trying to run. 

To you, it may not seem that bad. It kind of aches. It kind of swells. It kind of bugs you. But then the doctor suddenly says, “Look, it's not getting better, let's have surgery.” 

Well, how does the doctor convince you that it's time for surgery? What are the things a doctor does, that might actually lead you to believe that it really is time to have surgery?

What are the three ways that a doctor might convince you that you need surgery if you're a runner with a plantar plate injury? 

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.