Doc On The Run Podcast

Extensor Tenosynovitis in Runners

Why runners get extensor tenosynovitis?

Basically what happens is that you get this problem from a number of things. The most common thing is overuse. When you get inflammation of the tendon sheath injury it’s usually because you work the tendons too hard.  But with the extensor tendons, it really doesn't happen that much unless you do a lot to hill repeats. But it’s not the tendons that get injured, it’s the inside of the tendon sheath that becomes inflamed and that's what causes pain.

The first thing is what exactly does that mean? All these medical terms you hear like extensor tenosynovitis, they all sound very long and they sound very technical or important but I think that's because most doctors just want to charge you by the syllables.

In this episode we're talking about Extensor Tenosynovitis.

 

Why doctors misdiagnose runners

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about why doctors misdiagnose runners.

All I do is talk to runners who are injured and want to run and ninety nine percent of the time when a runner calls me for advice is because they aren’t getting better and they want a second opinion.

Well much of the time the runner has been misdiagnosed. If you don't have the right diagnosis, you will be doing the right treatment for the wrong problem and you're not going to get better.

In this session we’re going to talk about the top six reasons doctors come up with the wrong diagnosis when you're injured.

Bone Stimulators For Healing Metatarsal Fractures

I spend a lot of time talking to runners who have metatarsal stress fractures. Let’s face it, they’re common. And a metatarsal stress fracture may be one of the most disruptive injuries to you as a runner can encounter.

The reason metatarsal stress fractures are so worrisome to you is that most doctors will tell you it takes six weeks for bone to heal. And whether or not that’s actually true is entirely different episode.

I was recently in Reykjavik Iceland giving a talk on stress fracture healing strategies in runners. All of the people in the audience were physicians.

The main point of that lecture was to help doctors understand not everybody needs six weeks to heal a metatarsal stress fracture. And every single patient has the potential to significantly accelerate the healing process depending upon a number of factors.

What you eat, how much you sleep, what you’re doing to activate the recovery process can all influence the rate of healing when you have a stress fracture.

One of the super tools I recommend doctors consider for their patients is a bone stimulator. And in this episode I’m going to help you understand how a bone stimulator might help, if you get a metatarsal fracture.

3 Keys to Less Time on Crutches

Let’s Face it…Crutches Suck!

It’s still hard for me to believe that the same crutches, the same design that doctors hand out to patients today are more or less the same kind of crutches handed out to injured soldiers during the Civil War.

And although crutches are truly terrible, they can be a useful treatment to help any injured runner heal faster.

But you as a runner have to understand there’s a very high price to pay for using crutches. With one week of immobilization and non-weight-bearing on crutches you will have a 17% reduction in the muscle diameter size in that lower extremity. At six weeks, the damage is 60% and you actually can wind up with permanent atrophy as a result of being on the crutches too long.

That’s right. You can actually get permanent weakness as a consequence of using the crutches.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about 3 keys to less time on crutches.

Avoid foot fungus from swimming pools

Yesterday I was talking to my sister, who is of course, also a marathon runner.  She has been running marathons way longer than me and she is always fit.

She runs in the morning and then swims later in the day.

Swimming is a great way to cross train, supplement your aerobic fitness, strengthen your core fitness and frankly stay cool and relax in the summer.

But I got an email from a runner who had a bout of toenail fungus that was severe enough to need laser treatment to kill the fungus in the toenails.

After the treatment she said:

Now that I’m feeling “fungus free” – new mindset, a few days on the oral meds, new shoes, new yoga mat, flip-flops for the health club – I’m wondering:  Is it OK to go back to swimming?  This is one of my favorite leisure and workout activities at my health club (Club Sport). I take it that I should wear flip flops to and from the pool, etc.  Any other advice or precautions? 

Yes! You can swim.

You just have to make sure you don’t pick up any more fungus.

The fungus doesn’t just jump up and attack your toenails. Runners and triathletes can get it, first in the form of athletes foot.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how to avoid getting infected with foot fungus from swimming pools.

Why you aren’t healing like a professional runner

I actually did some research recently in preparation for a presentation I was going to be giving on running injuries at the International Foot & Ankle Foundation medical conference in Seattle.

When I went to Medline, which is the search engine that catalogs medical research articles for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, I entered the search terms “running” and “injury.” That search produced 5,093 articles that were published in authoritative medical journals around the world. So not only do a lot of runners get injured, apparently a lot of researchers are writing scientific articles about running injuries.

The primary objective of that research study was to figure out the true incidence of lower extremity injuries among distance runners. Basically they wanted to figure out how often runners really get injuries like shin splints, stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis.

In this episode we’re talking about why you aren’t healing like a professional runner.

Injury recovery with Elite Triathlete Christiann Arbini

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking with Christiann Arbini about injury, recovery and what it takes to bounce back to national championship racing after a doctor told her she was done.

For years I’ve been saying you should fire your doctor when they try to rob you of hope and Christiann was a great example of how are you can succeed even if the conventional medical wisdom is not really on your side.

Christiann qualified for the 2018 USA Olympic distance national championship triathlon race and that’s not really the awesome part. The best part is that she did that after she suffered a serious injury while skiing and was told she might have to hang up racing altogether. Not only is she racing but she also has a thriving coaching business for athletes.

Christiann Racing is both a wellness coaching business which is dared to be fit for life and through that Christiann encourages athletes to reach for big goals, inspires them to succeed and helps you to become the best version of yourself.

How Can A Runner Heal a Plantar Plate Sprain?

A plantar plate sprain is an overstretched, possibly even partially ripped ligament on the bottom of one your little toe joints in the ball of the foot.

When you get a plantar plate sprain, there are really 3 issues:

1. Inflammation
2. Tissue damage
3. Stress preventing healing

You have to address all three if you really want to get better quickly and get back to running.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how a runner can heal a plantar plate sprain.

100% Recovery Means Free Speed

Are you recovering at 100% capacity?

Are you doing truly everything you can to maximize your capacity for healing after your workouts? If you’re not, you’re wasting a lot of time when you’re training.

On Friday I was lecturing at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation meeting in Seattle. This is a medical conference where foot and ankle surgeons, podiatrists and sports medicine physicians go to get their continuing medical education. One of the lectures I was giving was on recidivism in runners and what doctors can and should be doing differently to help reduce the risk of re-injury.

One of the concepts I was trying to explain to doctors is the idea that there is no overtraining, there is only under-recovering.

How Can A Runner Heal a Stress Fracture

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we are talking about how a runner can heal a stress fracture.

When you get a stress fracture, there are really 3 issues:

1. Inflammation
2. Tissue damage
3. Too much stress preventing healing

You have to address all three if you really want to get better quickly and get back to running.