Most runners are aggressive by nature.
Planning, training, eating, analyzing, reaching for goals in way that your friends may label…“obsessed.”
Sometimes we are so aggressive we make a mistake, do too much and get an injury.
The bad news is that we are now inundated with an air of “self-care” mentality that backfires.
The good news is that you already know how to heal. It is the same as recovery when training.
You need to be just as aggressive in your healing plan as you are in your training plan.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how injured runners need aggressive healing.
I just had a consultation with an injured runner who asked…
“Are crutches bad for injured runners?”
The correct answer is yes, crutches are bad for injured runners, especially if you use crutches any longer than it takes to heal your injury enough to start walking without crutches.
But if you needed crutches, and you avoid them, that could be even worse for you as a runner.
Nothing in medicine is black and white. Everything is gray. And crutches are no exception.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what injured runners should think about when injured and offered a pair crutches in a doctors office.
I just had a consultation with a woman who has been having pain in the toes and the end of the big toenails just after running.
The pain in the big toes has been getting worse.
She was also getting some numbness or tingling around the corner of the toenails.
She wanted to know… “Am I doing something wrong with my shoes?”
“Am I cutting my toenails wrong?” “Is there really something wrong on the inside of my toe?”
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what you need to think about if your toenail hurts when you run.
Every runner who is injured and has been told to stop running wants to get back to running as quickly as possible.
We all want a secret path to healing and a fast track to return to recovery.
When it comes to getting better after you get an over training injury there are really only two possibilities if you want to get back to running as quickly as possible.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how injured runners must learn or earn the knowledge and experience necessary to recover from an overtraining injury.
Today a runner asked a great question…”Can I run with shin splints?”
The short answer is yes, you can run on shin splints for a short period of time…if it shin splints.
The problem is, is that there are a couple of different conditions that are often called “shin splints” that could be something else.
The real questions are:
If I stop running because of shin splints will I lose all of my fitness?
Can I run with shins splints and still heal?
Can I run with shinsplints without getting worse?
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you can run and train with shin splints.
Today I heard a great question from a runner…
She asked…
“A doctor told me that I have a neuroma in my foot and I need to have surgery to remove it because it hurts when I run. Should I get a surgical second opinion?”
There is really one clear indication of when you really need to seek a second opinion when a doctor recommends surgery.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not how to tell if you need a surgery second opinion as an injured runner.
Do bone stimulators help with sesamoiditis?
Will a bone stimulator help the sesamoids, if the bone is not fractured?
Is there clinical evidence that bone stimulator will help sesamoiditis?
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not bone stimulator might help sesmoiditis in a runner.
I was just on a consultation call with the runner who got a metatarsal stress fracture after a long run in minimalist running shoes.
The question asked was, “do minimalist running shoes cause stress fractures?”
Minimalist running shoes do not cause stress fractures.
In fact. running doesn’t even caused stress fractures.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how minimalist running shoes do not cause stress fractures.
Do I have to stop running to rest a metatarsal stress fracture?
Let’s imagine 10 rowers in a boat.
If one rower gets tired or injured, does the boat have to stop?
Do all 10 rowers have to stop rowing, park the boat and sit on the shore?
When you have 10 metatarsal bones in your feet and only one bone is injured you don’t have to necessarily stop all activity.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you have to stop running to rest a metatarsal stress fracture.
You cannot plan a trip without a destination.
And you cannot expect to heal as fast as possible if you do not have a clear goal and a defined timeline.
The quality of the medical advice you get will depend on the clarity
of your running goals.
Running injury treatment needs to be tailored to you, your specific injury, the severity of your injury and your unique running goals.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why you should define your goal if you are injured and want to run.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
That damaged tissue doesn’t fully repair itself before you run and injure it again with the next work out on your training calendar.
That’s when muscle soreness turns into a muscle strain. It is when a normal stress response in your metatarsal bone turns into a metatarsal stress reaction or full blown stress fracture.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Endurance athletes are uniquely prone to self-sabotage.
Ironically the destruction rises out of the very skill that lends us the strength to finish a race like a marathon.
Success comes from being strong.
Healthy runners are fast runners.
No one runs their marathon as fast as possible when injured.
No one gets a new PR with pneumonia.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how endurance leads to marathon failure.
A runner and a listener to the podcast recently sent in a question regarding how long it takes to heal an old fracture versus a new fracture.
There are many risk factors for developing problems with healing a broken bone.
Each year there are about six million broken bones the United States.
Somewhere between 5% and 10% of all of those fractures do not heal as quickly as we would hope and turn into what is called a fracture non-union or a delayed union.
A “fracture non-union” is just what it sounds like. It means to the fractured pieces of bone did not unite.
They did not get back together and the fracture just did not heal.
A “delayed union” is a broken bone that isn’t healing as quickly as we would expect.
Today on the Doc On Run Podcast we’re talking about the difference in healing time of an “old fracture” vs a “recent fracture.”
Every runner in training tracks progress to monitor for improvement.
Heart rate, wattage, mileage, pace, and perceived exertion are all commonly tracked by athletes in training.
So many athletes preparing for an event, so diligently track and record metrics which reassure us and provide visual confirmation that we are on track toward our goals.
Yet, many of these same athletes simply stop recording any data at all when they get injured and abandon their training plans.
You have to think of healing just like training. You need to see progress. You need to track improvement.
There are a few metrics which you should record on a daily basis when you’re injured and trying to get back to running as quickly as possible.
Today on the Doc On Run Podcast we’re talking about 4 trends injured runners should track.
A torn plantar plate can be one of the most frustrating injuries for a runner.
A runner who has been following many of the suggestions regarding ways to reduce the stress and strain on the plantar plate ligament, has been treating the injury on her own and was getting better.
Then she recently got a set back and understandably got super frustrated.
But like most strong runners, she is focusing on the possible solutions instead of wallowing in self pity.
She wrote in and said…
I am desperate to be able to even walk barefoot without pain, to be able to run on the treadmill and jump !! I am wondering whether it is worth trying the following :
1. Massage
2. Ultrasound therapy
3. Plasma Therapy
Today on the Doc On Run Podcast we’re talking about 3 different torn plantar plate injury treatment options worth considering.
A runner and a listener to the podcast recently sent in a question regarding how long it takes to heal an old fracture versus a new fracture.
There are many risk factors for developing problems with healing a broken bone.
Each year there are about six million broken bones the United States.
Somewhere between 5% and 10% of all of those fractures do not heal as quickly as we would hope and turn into what is called a fracture non-union or a delayed union.
A “fracture non-union” is just what it sounds like. It means to the fractured pieces of bone did not unite.
They did not get back together and the fracture just did not heal.
A “delayed union” is a broken bone that isn’t healing as quickly as we would expect.
Today on the Doc On Run Podcast we’re talking about the difference in healing time of an “old fracture” vs a “recent fracture.”
A runner with a partial tear of the plantar fascia asked…
“I am struggling with a partial tear – going on 6 months of pain with running. I’ve tried everything – PT, rest, PRP, and most recently embryonic membrane injections.
This injection was four weeks ago – with crutches for 5 days after and boot for two weeks.
I’ve also had four weeks of no running at all and still have the pain.
I would love to know what your “standard routine” is for this condition.”
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about the standard routine for healing a partial tear of the plantar fascia in a runner.
#platarfascia #partialrupture #partialtear #runnersheelpain #heelpain #running #recovery #runningdoctor #runninginjury
Is there a difference in healing time when there is a crack in the bone visible on x-ray, compared to when a runner has a “stress fracture” with no visible crack on x-rays.
What do you think?
Would it take less time to return to running if you have a stress fracture with no crack visible on an x-ray than if you do actually have a crack visible on an x-ray?
The answer surprised many doctors a medical conference where I as just lecturing and it may surprise you, too.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how long it takes to heal stress reaction vs stress fracture in a runner.
If you’re a runner and you start having pain under the big toe joint and you develop this thing called a sesamoid stress fracture, you may get really worried.
In fact, if you go to see a doctor, you’re probably going to get a lot more worried because the doctor’s probably going to tell you these things can be very, very difficult to heal.
Well, it is true.
For years I’ve been lecturing to doctors at medical conferences about running injuries.
One of the things I often talk about is that sesamoid stress fractures are one of the very few problems a runner can get that really does warrant a serious dial back in activity to make sure that you can take the stress off of that sesamoid bone.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about surgery for a sesamoid stress fracture in runners.
Oxidative stress is something that normally occurs in all runners.
But we know free radicals and the consequences of an imbalance of oxidative stressors can delay tissue healing.
Anytime you have an overtraining injury and you are trying to get back to running, you have to make sure you are healing as quickly as possible.
The big question is whether or not exercise, such as running, has a positive or negative affect on oxidative stress.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about whether running increases or decreases oxidative stress.
When you decide to sign up for a race, you start training.
You follow a specific plan that you know will get you stronger and stronger, day-by-day.
You make a plan to get to your race, prepared to achieve your goal time.
But what happens when you get injured?
You basically do something completely opposite, completely different, and not at all in alignment with the strengthening process that you know works when you’re training.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why you need to execute your healing plan with the same tenacity you execute a training plan.
If you’re a runner and you get injured, you’re certainly going to be bummed out, and it is really, really easy to get frustrated.
In my experience when working with injured runners when I do consultation calls, is that most runners beat themselves up unnecessarily.
You have to look for every possible opportunity to view something as a success, as a victory, as a win when you are recovering from an injury and trying to get back to running.
You have to look for the wins when you’re training and you’re working toward a goal.
The same holds true for when you have a running injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why every step is a win when recovering from running injury.
Stress fractures are a common overtraining injury in runners.
But if you want to run on a stress fracture, its simple.
You better be sure that choice is not going to ruin your ability to run in the future.
You have to figure out whether or not your stress fracture is low risk, or high-risk.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about which stress fractures are low risk for a runner.
If you get a stress fracture your first question is probably whether not you can just keep running.
Before you can answer that question, you have to figure out whether or not the particular stress fracture you got as a consequence of over training is a high risk stress fracture or a low risk stress fracture.
If there’s a high risk your stress fracture is going to break, you may not want to run on it.
If there is a high risk your stress fracture just won’t heal if you run on it, and you probably want to back off.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about what makes a stress fracture high risk for a runner.
Shin splints are a common overtraining injury among runners. That aching pain in the front of the leg can be really annoying.
Some common questions from runners with shin splints are…
Can I run with shinsplints?
Will I get a tibial stress fracture if I run the shinsplints?
Is it really risky to keep running if I just have shin splints?
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not it risky to keep running with shin splints.
It is widely accepted among athletes that our mindset, visualizing a specific outcome and working toward that specific outcome are all interconnected.
No one wins a race without believing they can win.
And I believe no one heals unless they believe they can heal.
Whether you have a metatarsal stress fracture or an Achilles tendon injury, you have to understand that your mindset will either help or hinder your recovery.
Being injured is not always the worst thing.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how there is no shame in a running injury unless you make it shameful.
Shin splints are common among runners your ramping up their mileage.
Unfortunately, stress fractures are also common.
If you have an aching pain in the front of your leg you may be misdiagnosed with shinsplints and later find out you have a tibial stress fracture.
If that happens, your doctor might panic and want to put you in a fracture walking boot.
But it may help you to understand why of fracture walking boot help some fractures and how a fracture walking boot might (or might not) help reduce the stress in your shinbone when you have a tibial stress fracture.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you really need a fracture boot for a tibial stress fracture.
One time I saw a guy who actually flew all the way from New York to San Francisco to see me.
He had seen a bunch of doctors, he’d seen very qualified people.
He had gotten an MRI, a CT scan, some x-rays, all kinds of different tests.
He had a number of different evaluations and none of his doctors made the correct diagnosis.
After I watched him run on a treadmill and did a couple of diagnostic injection, I easily made the correct diagnosis.
He became really upset and said, “Why can’t my doctor in New York figure this out?”
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why your doctor didn’t have the right answer.
I was recently lecturing at The International Foot & Ankle Foundation’s annual scientific meeting in Las Vegas.
The conference is all for podiatrists, foot and ankle surgeons, and sports medicine doctors, to figure out how to treat foot and ankle injuries better.
I was doing a lecture on stress response, stress reaction and stress fractures in athletes.
One of the main points of that talk, one of the take home points for physicians, was about the hop test.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about when a runner should and shouldn’t do the hop test for a stress fracture.
Some stress fracture classification systems use MRI, some use CT scans and some use X-rays to try to determine how bad your injury happens to be.
Of course, the point of a classification system is to help you decide when and how to get back to activity quickly by helping your doctor make decisions.
Is this stress fracture going to heal quickly?
Is this stress fracture going to heal slowly?
Is this stress fracture something that’s high risk, or low risk?
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how doctors classify stress fractures in runners.
If you have an accident and cut the front of your leg open, you may have to have stitches to sew the skin back together.
Of course, most doctors will probably tell you that you should avoid exercise until your skin fully heals and the stitches are removed.
Depending upon the location of the stitches, it could take two or three weeks for the skin to heal.
Most runners don’t want to wait two or three weeks with no exercise while waiting for stitches to be removed.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about when you can run if you have stitches.
Ingrown toenails can be painful.
Particularly if you’re getting ready to run a marathon or some other goal race.
I recently got a call from a runner who called and asked…
“Can I run my race with an ingrown toenail?”
It seems like wanting to know whether or not she should wait until after her race to have her ingrown toenail removed, was a reasonable question.
But the answer may surprise you.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should wait until after your race to fix an ingrown toenail.
Plantar fasciitis is by far the most common cause of arch pain in runners.
Not surprisingly, most runners who get heel pain or arch pain think they have plantar fasciitis.
But sometimes runners have a more serious injury where there is actually a rip, a tear or what doctors referred to as a partial rupture of the plantar fascia ligament.
The problem with this more serious injury is that it doesn’t get better with the same treatments that will help plantar fasciitis.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 clues of a plantar fascia rupture in a runner.
Today was on a consultation call with a runner who is had a long history of Achilles tendon problems.
She’s recently tried some new things that made an improvement.
But the problem is she’s not really certain the improvement is from the new treatments she’s been doing. Because she simultaneously decreased her activity a bit.
So now she’s in this place where she is trying to figure out what to do next.
Should she continue with some simple conservative treatments that aren’t very risky?
Or should she try to just do something riskier to try to get it to finally heal, or heal faster?
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about or not a runner should try a more aggressive treatment for an aching Achilles tendon.
Some runners become concerned that if they run in custom orthotics they may become weaker and unable to run without the custom orthotics working as a sort of crutch.
Theoretically, if you have been running for a long time with custom orthotics support your feet may be accustomed to, or in some sense even dependent upon that external stability and support.
The question is…do orthotics provide relief from symptoms only, or do they support you so much you could actually get weaker?
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how a runner can get from wearing conventional running shoes with custom orthotic inserts to running without orthotics in minimalist running shoes.
Running injuries only happen in two scenarios:
1. We do something stupid. We do something we know that was foolhardy and we shouldn’t have done it.
2. We sustain an injury while pushing for progress. We are getting stronger. We are pushing ourselves to the limit. And we just push a little too far.
But anyone can get injured. In fact, for those athletes who do experience rapid success, it can even be more difficult to restrain yourself when you are getting subtle clues from your body that you may be heading for an over training injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Julia Curran who is an age-group National High Jump Champion about preventing running injuries as you experience rapid athletic success.
All overtraining injuries are the result of too much tissue damage, without enough recovery to fully heal, before the next workout “causes” a running injury.
My personal belief is that most running injuries are the result of failing to trust your training plan and your coach.
You need a coach to help you stay on track.
I think a coach is someone who can quiet your fears when its time to push the limits. Someone who truly know the difference between fear, pain and real danger.
But you have to trust your coach if you want to ride that line.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how failure to trust causes running injuries.
No one trains for long distance events, nor successfully completes a long distance event without a great deal of discipline.
Most experienced runners can run a long way, regardless of footwear.
And it is mostly highly experienced runners to start investigating the idea of barefoot running or running in minimalist running shoes.
There are many reasons minimalist running shoes appeal to endurance runners. But running in minimalist running shoes requires an advanced level of discipline.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about why most runners lack the discipline required for minimalist running shoes.
When a runner’s joint wears out, one option is to remove the damaged cartilage and replace the joint through artificial joint surgery. The problem is, artificial joints typically wear out a lot faster than normal joints.
The base assumption is the running will wear out an artificial total joint replacement.
More than 25 years ago an orthopedic surgeon told me that I should stop running.
He said if I didn’t stop running I would have to have an artificial joint replacement. He also said if I ran on that artificial joint I would destroy the joint replacement surgery, ruin the implant and would have to have yet another surgery.
Can I run after total joint replacement surgery?
Most runners wear running shoes when they run.
And the type of shoes you choose can help protect you from the forces of running.
If you have high arches, in general at your feet are more stable and more rigid.
A rigid foot type generally translates to higher peak forces when you run, and particularly when you land as a heel striker.
Cushioning type running shoes can help protect your feet from the pounding forces of running, if you have high arches.
If the running shoes are perfect for you, they will help provide support and cushioning to protect you from the pounding forces of running.
In theory, running shoes should protect you from overloading structures in a way that could lead to an over training injury.
If you have flatfeet, you may have flat feet, you need “motion control” running shoes.
Motion control running shoes, pronation control running shoes, and stability running shoes are all basically the same thing. These are all shoes designed to stabilize unstable feet.
Every runner needs the very best running shoes. Every runner pronates. But it is when and how much you pronate that actually matters.
In general, people with flat feet pronate more than people who do not have flat feet. But not all runners need pronation control running shoes.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about why flat feet need motion control running shoes.
Very few things are worse to a runner than a running injury.
If you have ever been injured it is devastating. To add salt to the wound, while you sit on the couch recovering, but getting weaker, you realize it is preventable.
Listen closely…
When you run, pain is mandatory, but running injuries are optional.
Today we have a special guest on the show.
We are talking with the RunRx founder Valerie Hunt about the importance of developing better running form and strength for runners to prevent running injuries.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking about the importance preventing preventable running injuries.
Every cloud has a silver lining. If you’re injured right now, you need to look for the value in the discomfort right in front of you.
If you have pain when you are exercising there is a risk you will do damage to the healing tissue.
That’s why doctors tell you to stop running. Doctors don’t necessarily want you to lose all of your fitness, but they don’t want you to make the injury worse.
If you have been injured you have probably done some exercises in the past few days or weeks that cause pain.
When you are injured you have the possibility of making assessments with immediate feedback.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how you can find the value of exercising with pain.
“All in moderation.”
I’m not sure who said that, but it definitely was not an endurance athlete.
Unfortunately the idea of training in moderation, treatment of running injuries in moderation and everything in between has infected the recovering runner’s world.
We do our speed work too slow and our base training too fast.
As a consequence of that moderation of our workouts we do not reap the full benefit nor the intended purpose of either of those workout sessions.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how the gray areas in training and the gray areas in healing are what is really slowing you down.
“If you’re not training, you’re not getting more fit.” – Mark Allen
The very best way to lose all of your running fitness is to get injured and be forced to stop training.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with 6-Time Ironman World Champion Mark Allen about the importance of preventing preventable running injuries.
In this episode Mark is going to share with you three and truly useful ideas:
1. The keys to competing at a high-level for decades – and never have a serious injury.
2. The shift it takes to make a difference between losing and winning.
3. Simple changes any athlete can make today to stay healthy, get stronger and run longer.
A runner who was listening to the Doc On The Run Podcast asked about the association between low aerobic fitness and running injuries.
Any runner who gets an injury does so simply because the tissue has not performed the way it should.
The harder your tissues work when you exercise, the more oxygen they require.
When you are working hard and simultaneously depriving your tissues of oxygen, you’re putting yourself at risk in a number of ways.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how low aerobic fitness can lead to a running injury.
Runners want to run. Ballet dancers want to dance.
But runners just run. Ballet dancers, don’t just dance.
Ballet dancers practice the basic moments that make them better dancers.
I just recorded a new Doc On the Run Podcast interview with Valerie, the founder or RunRx.
That interview is coming out soon (so watch for it), but she made such a great point, I thought you should hear about her ballet/runner analogy now.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about what runners can learn from ballet dancers to help prevent running injury.
When you get injured, you can lose ground very, very fast.
You don’t have to lose all of your fitness just because you’re in the recovery process.
Don’t throw in the towel.
Don’t give up.
Do something.
Stay fit through the injury recover process.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the two rules from Warren Buffet that can help injured runners.
When you get injured, you can lose ground very, very fast.
You don’t have to lose all of your fitness just because you’re in the recovery process.
Don’t throw in the towel.
Don’t give up.
Do something.
Stay fit through the injury recover process.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the two rules from Warren Buffet that can help injured runners.
Races really don’t injure runners.
Any runner who gets injured in a race really did the damage long before the actual running event.
During the build phase, you actually feel really strong. Your muscles are getting stronger. Your aerobic fitness is in good shape.
But your tendons, ligaments and bones don’t build strength as fast as the muscles.
They are all actually more prone to injury during that phase. The big build phases of training are also where you happen to ramp up your workout intensity and your running volume.
And that’s when most people get injured, not surprisingly.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how races don’t cause running injuries.
Why do you wear running shoes?
Running shoes are supposed to cushion when you land.
Running shoes are supposed to prevent some of the damaging forces when you run.
Running shoes are supposed to supposed to support your feet when you run.
Running shoes are supposed to supposed to protect you when you run.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how worn out running shoes cause running injury.
Races really don’t injure runners.
Any runner who gets injured in a race really did the damage long before the actual running event.
During the build phase, you actually feel really strong. Your muscles are getting stronger. Your aerobic fitness is in good shape.
But your tendons, ligaments and bones don’t build strength as fast as the muscles.
They are all actually more prone to injury during that phase. The big build phases of training are also where you happen to ramp up your workout intensity and your running volume.
And that’s when most people get injured, not surprisingly.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how races don’t cause running injuries.
Runners should be believe in medical research.
I am absolutely convinced that if the study or clinical trial shows a high likelihood you will have an adverse event like a heart attack or stroke when you take a medication, you probably should not take that medication.
Clinical research can show you very clearly what you should not do.
Clinical research however does not always show you so clearly what you should do.
And that is where things start to get cloudy.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why runners should not look for a cure through a clouded lens.
Toenail fungus is gross!
And believe it or not, toenail fungus, the stuff that causes athlete’s foot, it’s all the same, and it lives in your home.
If you get toenail fungus or if you get athlete’s foot and you’re treating either of those fungal infections on your feet and you’re a runner, you have to make sure that you get rid of all of the fungus in the areas in your home where it accumulates if you really want to get rid of it for good.
Otherwise, if you spray some stuff on your skin, if you apply some stuff to your toenails, if you get laser treatment for your toenails or any of those things, and you don’t eradicate all of the fungus from your home, you’re just going to re-expose yourself to it, and you’re way more likely to get reinfected later.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the 8 places where runners foot fungus lives in your home.
When plantar fasciitis first starts, doctors call that an “acute case” of plantar fasciitis.
Acute plantar fasciitis (which just started) should be treated differently than chronic plantar fasciitis (that has been around for months).
There are 2 common mistakes runners make with plantar fasciitis.
There are also 3 things runners should so do right when plantar fasciitis begins if you really want it heal and get back to running as quickly as possible.
If you do everything right, you should notice a huge improvement in just a few days.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about first aid for plantar fasciitis in runners.
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.
Most of the time when runners go to the doctor with a running injury, the doctor tells you to quit running.
The doctor is simply trying to pick the simplest fastest way to reduce the stress and strain on the injured tissue.
But of course, runners want to run.
Whenever runners call me for a consultation and it is always because they really want to know the answer to one specific question:
“Can I run with this injury?”
The answer is never as simple as either yes or no.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the difference no, maybe and probable, an injured runner and you’re trying to figure out whether or not you can run and still heal.
If you are a runner in training and you break one of your toes, or snap a metatarsal bone, you may worry about hoe long you need to stop running.
When you are get a fractured bone, you probably want to know what it will take to heal the bone and how quickly it is going to heal.
One of the ways doctors classify broken bones in the feet and toes is whether it is a “displaced fracture” or a “non-displaced fracture.”
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the difference between a displaced vs non-displaced fracture, and what it means if you are a runner.
Yesterday I was talking to a runner who had an ankle sprain that didn’t improve.
After about a year of not be able to run, having pain when walking and becoming really frustrated with not being able to run, he called me for a second opinion.
During that discussion he asked me whether or not it would be better to get an MRI or a CT scan to evaluate the bone, joint and surrounding soft tissue to determine what was really going on and preventing him from getting back to running.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether an MRI or CT of your foot is better when you have a running injury.
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.
Runners often get dark discoloration in the toenails. That discoloring can happen after long runs, trail runs, wearing ill-fitting running shoes or trauma.
The question is whether or not the dark brown, blue or black area in the toenail is just a bruise or something more ominous.
If you get a bruise under the toenail, it will gradually get better.
If you get toenail fungus, it will gradually get worse.
Today on the Doc On the Run podcast we’re talking about how a runner can tell a bruise under the toenail from toenail fungus.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are only two cases in which a metatarsal stress fracture needs surgery.
Before we get into that, I want to stress one point.
If someone tells you you need surgery, you need a second opinion.
Never, ever, ever have surgery when only one person tells a runner should have metatarsal surgery!
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about the only 2 times a metatarsal stress fracture needs surgery.
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.
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.”
f 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.
Training for a marathon is an active process. You have to think about what you’re going to do, you have to come up with a plan.
You have to design a training program that will get you stronger, get you faster, get you more fit and better prepared for your event, if you’re going to finish your race on time.
When you get injured, healing itself from that injury is an active process, but unfortunately by default, people revert into a passive process.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how healing a running injury is an active process.
There are only two cases in which a metatarsal stress fracture needs surgery.
Before we get into that, I want to stress one point.
If someone tells you you need surgery, you need a second opinion. Never, ever, ever have surgery when only one person tells a runner should have metatarsal surgery!
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about the only 2 times a metatarsal stress fracture needs surgery.
This episode is probably going to rub a lot of runners the wrong way.
No runner wants to think they lack discipline. Running is all about discipline.
Running is about getting up early in the morning, about going for long runs in the dark, running when it’s raining, running when it’s hot, running when you just don’t feel like running.
For most people who are runners, we feel like and we believe that we have lots of discipline. We do what most people will not do, and that’s why we can run and we can do events and finish them successfully.
But, lack of discipline does contribute to running injuries. Let me explain…
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how lack of discipline causes running injury.
Lots of runners who are in the midst of training, for some reason, they want to get custom orthotics.
I know that we, as runners, we’re always looking for the tools, the latest training techniques, the newest, coolest shoes, the best kind of socks, the newest heart rate monitors, whatever…to help us train better and be faster.
There are a lot of misconceptions about custom orthotics and there are a lot of things that you should understand before you get custom orthotics.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what runners should do before getting custom orthotics.
A few days ago, I got an email from a runner who wanted to know whether or not he should have surgery to fix his Jones fracture.
Well, the first thing you have to know about this is that you should only have surgery if you believe that is the only way you’re going to heal appropriately.
When you’re a runner, you really have to think about surgery very carefully. Because when you have surgery, your healing actually doesn’t begin until after you’re done with surgery.
The healing process is always taking place, and you don’t get any credit for anything that happens before the time you have surgery.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not a Jones fracture needs surgery when you’re a runner.
A couple of days ago I saw a runner who started having some arch pain in his left foot after he was did a run.
After he noticed this arch pain, he got some arch supports, and they actually made his arch hurt a lot worse.
Arch supports are supposed to take pressure off of the arch.
They are supposed to support the arch. They are supposed to make you feel better.
But sometimes, arch supports can actually complicate another problem and make you feel a whole lot worse.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about why arch supports might actually make your arch hurt worse.
It’s that time of year, and here in California there is tons of poison oak out on the trails!
I recently ran the American River 50 mile Endurance Run, and I got poison oak on that run.
Now, I’ve had many episodes with poison oak. I also see lots of runners who get it on these long events, I see lots of runners that get it on their normal trail runs on Saturday or Sunday.
In the first place, you don’t have to get poison oak. But you can also do something about it if you do get poison oak.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 weapons against poison oak for trail runners.
For about 15 years now, I’ve been teaching other doctors about running injuries. Every time I speak in a medical conference now, I ask doctors why they don’t like treating runners.
I know some runners are actually surprised to hear this, but if you are a runner, yourself, and you’ve been to the doctor and you’ve had some doctor look at your intake form or some nurse look at your intake form, and said something like, “Do you really run that much?” or “Why do you exercise so much?” or “Are you obsessed?” or “Are you some kind of exercise addict?””
Well if you’ve heard any of these things, you probably understand not all doctors like to see runners.
But when I am at medical conferences, I always ask doctors, “Why is it that you guys don’t want to treat runners? What’s your problem with them? Why is it that you think it’s difficult to treat them? Do you think they’re unreasonable? What is it?”
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 reasons doctors hate treating runners.
If you are runner and you started having pain in your foot and you concerned you have a metatarsal stress fracture, you may think you need to get an x-ray of your foot.
But why?
You probably want to know how bad it is!
You probably also want to know whether or not you can run, right now.
But you may be surprised to hear that x-rays of your foot will not really help answer either of those two questions if you are a runner and suspect you have a metatarsal stress fracture.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the only 2 reasons you should get an x-ray for a metatarsal stress fracture.
If you are runner and you started having pain in your foot and you concerned you have a metatarsal stress fracture, you may think you need to get an x-ray of your foot.
But why?
You probably want to know how bad it is!
You probably also want to know whether or not you can run, right now.
But you may be surprised to hear that x-rays of your foot will not really help answer either of those two questions if you are a runner and suspect you have a metatarsal stress fracture.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the only 2 reasons you should get an x-ray for a metatarsal stress fracture.
When you’ve been injured and you are starting to run again you have a very delicate balance to maintain.
Your number one goal is to increase your fitness without stressing the injured tissue enough to inhibit the recovery.
The goal is to get stronger without slowing the healing process.
That healing process is always in motion. Every day the healing tissue gets stronger. And every day for healing tissue can withstand a little bit more activity than the day before.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we’re talking about the slope of 2 lines you need to compare when you’re returning to running after an over-training injury.
A metatarsal stress fracture, is probably one of the most common running injuries that you could get when you’re training for a long distance event like a marathon, or an ultra marathon or if you’re relatively new to running.
But the problem, of course, is that not all running injuries that seem like stress fractures are actually stress fractures.
If you think you have a metatarsal stress fracture, but you have something else…it probably won’t get better.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 conditions misdiagnosed as a stress fracture in a runner.
For most runners, when they’re training for a marathon training program, or an Ironman the period of growth is usually about three weeks.
You take a period where you are increasing your activity, then you back off and start increasing again from a lower point, to allow yourself to recover fully and decrease your risk of sustaining an overtraining injury.
You should do a similar thing when you are recovering from a running injury, but that period can be much shorter because your increases are happening during a period where you’re actually healing and recovering from a running injury.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about periodization in recovery and healing running injuries.
Sometimes it’s hard to do a trail run and have that run be only on a trail surface.
You can’t always run a trail run…entirely on a trail. What I mean by that is that you have some pavement, some asphalt, some road, or whatever, that you have to run on in order to get to the actual trail part.
It ends up being a mixed trail run.
Mixed trail runs can put you at risk of an over-training injury.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about avoiding injury on mixed trail runs.
You have to remember that the most important goal when you have a stress fracture that’s healing, and you want to get back to running, is to match the healing of the metatarsal bone with the stress you apply to that bone so you can continue to very deliberately ramp up your activity without making the stress fracture worse.
The worst thing you can do after you’ve been healing with a stress fracture is to re-injure the bone.
Obviously when that happens, you have a huge setback, you’ve just lost weeks of training, you’re going to lose more fitness, and in some cases you might have to start over again with the fracture walking boot. You don’t want to do that.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about why the “Hop Test” is the worst test for a runner with a stress fracture who thinks the metatarsal bone has healed enough to run.
If you think about most of your runs, you do a warmup, you do the body of the workout, and then you do a cool down.
One thing that is interesting is I have recently noticed a number of runners who have gotten injured by doing runs where they’re finishing on the hardest part of their run.
That can put you at risk of an over-training injury.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about why you should put the trouble in the middle of the run.
The harder you train during your big build blocks just before a marathon, the more risk you will sustain an over training injury. Because that’s when you are using harder.
The more activity you do when you are healing an injury, the more risk you will slow the healing process. Because you might stress the tissue too much.
But some activities inherently have a lot more risk than other activities.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the #1 riskiest running activity.
If you killed it this weekend on your workouts, congratulations! But, if you put a lot of into that effort this weekend, there is some possibility you are really treading close to that threshold for injury that could push you over into an over-training injury.
I get calls all day from people who do a lot of stuff and push the limits a little too far on the weekends. But if you do some simple things to accelerate your recovery right after those big workouts, it can make a huge difference to avoiding an over-training injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the Legs Up The Wall Pose to speed your recovery after your weekend workouts.
Once your injury is clearly improving, you will want to run. I know you want to run. You are runner! I get it!
Many recovering runners blow it and get a set-back just because the very first run is too much.
Before you can resume training and ramping up your running, you have to make sure running will be safe. That’s where the “test run” comes in.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how to do your first test run outside.
When you get a metatarsal stress fracture, and you want to get back to running, you have to make an assessment on how bad it really is.
The only other options is to stick with the standard treatments of “don’t do anything for 4 to 6 weeks.”
To do to figure out how bad your stress fracture really is…
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about 4 critical steps to deciding how bad is my stress fracture.
Resting is not all healing. If you rest too much, you’ll get weaker.
If you want to get back to running, as soon as you’re healed, you need to do something to prevent all of the changes that can slow you down and put you at a higher risk of re-injury once you actually do get back to running and training.
Gravity and the pounding forces associated with running…that’s only one of a half a dozen contributing factors that can prevent healing of a running injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about cycling workouts for recovering runners.
The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your entire body, and if it gets injured, you’ve got a real problem.
The Achilles tendon is what allows you to pull your heel up, off the ground, push off and accelerate when you run.
What many runners don’t understand is that the Achilles tendon also helps slow you down and decelerate when you’re trying to slow down, absorb force as you’re landing while you’re running.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about Achilles tendon early warning signs in runners.
I received and email from a runner who wrote, “I ran today and my foot hurt when I ran. What should I do right now?”
You want to take the quickest course of action that you can when you get an injury, and most people miss this.
Many times what we do instinctively is we stick our head at the sand.
We just could say, “Okay, well I’m just going to wait and see how bad it is tomorrow.”
But when you do that, you’re actually missing some crucial steps. There are really a few things you need to do right now.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about what to do now, if your first just started hurting when you ran today.
As an athlete I’m sure you know that it’s important you believe you can accomplish your goal.
What’s interesting to me is that many patients, many injured runners don’t really think that much about how important it is that you actually believe in the treatment you’re being offered.
If you feel uneasy about the treatment, you shouldn’t do it.
If you you don’t think the treatment plan makes any sense, you shouldn’t do it.
If you you don’t think the treatment is going to work for you, even if you trust the doctor, you shouldn’t do it.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how if you don’t think it will work, you shouldn’t do it.
There are lots of things that you as an injured runner may hear in a doctor’s office that really can be false evidence. Something that the doctor presents to you, that you then accept as fact.
“All fractures take six weeks to heal.”
”I treat all my patients with this particular time on crutches and it always works.”
“In my hands, this particular surgery works well for this condition.”
“You just have to take this pill, if you want to get better.”
Or, my favorite, “You have to stop running to heal.”
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how runners should take note of Doctor’s F.E.A.R. False Evidence Appearing Real.
“First, do no harm.”
This basic idea is at the foundation of medicine. Doctor’s are sworn to the Hippocratic Oath, and they want you to get better. Even if that means preventing you from harming yourself when you are injured.
As a runner you may feel like the very treatment offered to you will permanently harm your ability to train, run and perform…forever.
But there is way to turn this idea around and get the doctor to buy-in to your concerns.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how the Hippocratic Oath can help you get back to running sooner.
Two very common causes of foot pain in runners are neuroma and capsulitis. Some treatments help both conditions. But some treatments will only help one and not the other.
If you have pain in the ball of the foot when you run, you need to do do 3 things to heal quickly:
Accurate treatment
Accurate diagnosis
Aggressively do the things that help and avoid the things that slow your recovery.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about pain in the ball of the foot in runners and why the right diagnosis matter.
Remember, injuries aren’t caused by running too much!
Running injuries are caused by applying too much stress to specific structures like the fourth metatarsal bone, Achilles tendon, peroneal tendon or your posterior tibial tendon when you’re running on a slope or changing direction.
If you want to reduce the risk of getting over training injury, mix things up and run the other way.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about about why you should reduce your risk for injury and run the other way.
Which is more likely to cause an injury….running fast, or running slow?
Explosive speed workouts can put you at risk of injury. True.
Running at your limit can put you at risk of injury. Also true!
But believe it or not, if you spend too much time running slow, you may actually increase your risk of an overtraining injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about about how slow may be your injury speed.
Morton’s neuroma is a common cause of pain in the ball of the foot in runners.
Doctors often tell runners to stop running when when they get a neuroma. Sometimes doctors even tell runners they need surgery to remove the inflamed nerve.
But don’t be confused. Runners should always figure out how to keep running!
This episode is inspired by Cathy, who sent a comment which all runners with Morton’s neuroma should find encouraging.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how you should not let Morton’s neuroma stop you from running.
Lots of running injuries are aggravated by bending of the toes.
Plantar plate sprains, sesamoiditis, and Morton’s neuroma all get irritated when you bend the toes too much while you run.
If you have any of these conditions it may help if you add some stiffness to your running shoe.
One way to help decrease pain in the big toe joint and the ball of the foot is too add a carbon fiber insert to the running shoe.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking whether or not you should add carbon fiber stiffening insoles to your running shoes.
When you get an over training injury, what happens?
It’s too much stress applied to one structure over too shorter time without enough recovery to actually let it fully heal before the next workout.
There are a few things that you can pay attention to that often signal the possibility of an injury that’s coming on.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about signs to look out for that may signal you are heading for a running injury.
Are your running shoes the best for your run today?
You and I both know there are lots of different kinds of running shoes on the market. You can buy neutral running shoes, pronation control shoes, somewhere in between with structured cushioning, minimalist running shoes, maximalist running shoes.
There are all kinds of running shoes, and they are all built for different runs, different foot types, and different runners. Every shoe has its place.
Every runners longs the one perfect running shoe.
Everybody wants the best running shoe…built just for you.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how to choose the best running shoes for the run.
Are your current running shoes putting you at risk for a stress fracture?
One common reason for too much bone stress is that a runner didn’t have enough cushioning because they were using a shoe that was too stiff, or wasn’t padded enough, or soft enough, and they were running on concrete or asphalt.
That run, in those particular running shoes, beat up the bone too much and then the bone started to crack and develop into a stress fracture.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what the worst running shoes for stress fractures.
I was recently at a medical conference and I asked all the doctors in the audience … I said, “What causes stress fractures?”
A doctor raised his hand and the very first thing he said is, “Running too much.”
Well, that is just not true.
“Running too much” is the default answer, but that doesn’t make any more sense to me than telling you that not running will cure your stress fracture.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what really causes stress fractures.
The number of hours you sleep really has a direct correlation with your risk for running injury.
Running injuries never happen because you ran too far. Injuries happen because you loaded one structure too much, you beat it up too much, and you didn’t let it recover enough before the next workout.
You don’t have to run less. But you have to rest more.
It’s not necessary to spread your workouts farther apart. But you must maximize the recovery.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how much rest your running body really needs.
Barefoot running injuries don’t happen to novice runners.
Most runners who decide to run in minimalist running shoes or run purely barefoot, they don’t take up running and decide to do that in minimalist shoes or barefoot right out of the gates.
Most of the people I see, most of the runners I talk to, most of the runners who call me for a consultation and want to ask questions about their barefoot running injuries, they are experienced runners.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the number one mistake runners make with minimalist running shoes.
Barefoot running injuries don’t happen to novice runners.
Most runners who decide to run in minimalist running shoes or run purely barefoot, they don’t take up running and decide to do that in minimalist shoes or barefoot right out of the gates.
Most of the people I see, most of the runners I talk to, most of the runners who call me for a consultation and want to ask questions about their barefoot running injuries, they are experienced runners.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the number one mistake runners make with minimalist running shoes.
Broken toes are common, but they can really hamper your training when you’re getting ready to run a race.
If you break your toes a few weeks before a big race the question is always whether or not you will be able to run your race.
Today’s episode is based on the questions sent in for a runner who broke a couple of toes and wants to know whether or not she’s going to be able to run her race in a few weeks. This episode will help you understand the questions to ask if you fracture your toes and you still want to run.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you can run your race with broken toes.
It’s no big secret that I really don’t like fracture walking boots for runners.
I think doctors over prescribe them. When you use fracture walking boots for too long, it causes weakness, stiffness, decreased bone density, loss of neuromuscular connections, and a whole bunch of unnecessary increased risks where you getting another different overtraining injury when you’re actually back to running and full training.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the 3 times you really might need a fracture walking boot if you’re a runner with a metatarsal stress fracture.
If you’re a runner who gets tightness in your calves and develops Achilles tendinosis it can be very difficult to get it to heal and it can be very frustrating.
Some runners fail multiple treatments including stretching, home exercises, physical therapy, braces, PRP injections and many other treatments. You just have to figure what it will take to get the Achilles tendon to heal so you can get back to running.
Today’s episode is based on a question sent in by a runner who has failed many different treatments for Achilles tendinosis…but still wants to run.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about chronic Achilles tendinosis treatment failures in a runner.
If you have pain and swelling in the toes after a run, you might be worried you have a stress fracture in the toes.
But you have to figure out if the injury is in one of the bones of the toes, or if you have a metatarsal stress fracture instead. Because stress fractures in the metatarsals are common in runners, but stress fractures in the toes are rare.
But you also have to make sure you don’t have a plantar plate sprain.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about toe stress fractures from running.
If you are running with pain in the ball of the foot that seems like a stress fracture, it could be a plantar plate sprain.
If you get a plantar plate sprain right before a race, the obvious question is whether or not you should do the event.
If you have a sprain of the plantar plate ligament, you may still be able to run.
You just have to decide how bad the injury is, what your long-term goals are, and how badly you want to to participate in the event.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you can run with a plantar plate sprain.
Hydration is one of the limiters for many runners. It seems like often-missed, low hanging fruit that has the potential to boost performance in long events like marathons and ultra-marathons.
I know as runners we all want to focus on working harder, suffering more and trying to come up with some new technique or training plan that’s going to get us faster and stronger. But in many cases when we are already training at a high-level there are very few gains to be made by working harder. Some of the biggest gains actually come from small changes in other areas, like improving nutrition, improving the quality of our sleep or by maintaining a state of optimal hydration.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we are talking about staying hydrated during your long runs with Josh Sprague, endurance athlete, and founder of Orange Mud.
How often should you get new running shoes? That depends on how quickly they wear out! Some runners get new running shoes every few months. Some running coaches tell runners to replace running shoes every 200 to 500 miles. If you keep running in worn out shoes, you may be putting yourself at risk of an over training injury.
But a lot of different variables can affect how quickly your running shoes wear out. If you understand the variables that can affect how long your running shoes last, you can make much better decisions about how frequently you need to replace your running shoes.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how often you should replace worn out running shoes.
Do you really need custom orthotics if you’re a runner?
If you’re a runner and a doctor suggests custom orthotics, you may need orthotic inserts, but you may not. At least not forever.
Many runners just need custom orthotic therapy for a short time to help heal an injury and keep running.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about whether or not you really need custom orthotics for running.
When we run, we feel better. But what happens when you get busy, or even worse you get injured and you’re not really able to run.
Do you get bummed out? Do you get anxious? Do you get depressed?
In this episode we have a fantastic interview with William Pullen who literally wrote the book on Dynamic Running Therapy.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we are talking with William Pullen the author of Running With Mindfulness about how Dynamic Running Therapy can improve low mood decrease anxiety decrease stress and help depression.
If you are a runner with a metatarsal stress fracture, you can simply stop running and wait for the bone to heal.
The other option is to figure out how to heal it faster and keep running while the stress fracture is still healing.
If you do that, you can get back to running a lot faster!
The process for healing and getting back to running is not that complicated.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about the 12 Steps to healing and running with a metatarsal stress fracture.
If you are running and you get plantar fasciitis, you probably want to get back to running as soon as possible.
Many doctors will tell you to quit running. Doctors may also recommend lots of other treatments for plantar fasciitis like cortizone injections, custom orthotics, icing, elevation, supportive shoes, physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and even surgery.
Most runners with plantar fasciitis simply don’t need most of these treatments.
Today, on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the single best treatment for plantar fasciitis in runners.
Running with a stress fracture might be risky. But so is medicine. The treatments doctors recommend to runners with stress fractures are also risky. Just different kinds of risk.
Medicine is all about risk versus benefit. Everything in medicine has risk.
There’s risk with everything. There is risk with running with a stress fracture. There is risk with using a fracture walking boot when you get a metatarsus stress fracture. If you do use a boot, you’re may be more at risk of other over-training injuries later. So there’s risk even with not running!
Today, on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how running with a stress fracture is all about risk management.
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.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should ramp up your running when it doesn’t feel like it doesn’t hurt much worse when you resume running after an injury.
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.
There are lots of different ways to remove pressure. Just remember, you have got to do it in a graduated fashion, but the goal is to actually increase the amount of stress applied to that healing structure right at the time the healing tissue is strong enough to take it.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about the stress reduction you need in your foot to heal while you continue to run.
The reason I like out in back runs when I’m doing long runs is it makes me committed. 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.
The whole key with training through an injury or returning to running sooner when you’ve had an overtraining injury is to make sure that you’re doing as much activity as you can do without making the injury worse.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about why injured runners should avoid the out and back.
A pothole is a classic road hazard. It is an obstacle in the road that can cause trouble. If you are 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.
Hazards are avoidable for drivers of automobiles and they are avoidable true for runners as well.
Today we are going to talk about the top three road hazards 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.”
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we are talking about the best night splint for runners.
As soon as you sign up for a marathon you start to think about what it will take to finish it. You know you will have to build an enormous amount of fitness to finish. 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.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we’re talking about how a marathon mindset can predispose you to injury.
This weekend I was speaking at the International Foot & Ankle Foundation meeting in Lake Tahoe, lecturing to a group of physicians, podiatrists, foot and ankle surgeons, all about running injuries.
At the end of one of the lectures, there was a question and answer session. One really interesting question that came from Dr. Thomas was whether or not there is something to do differently when doctors negotiate with athletes. And specifically, she asked, “What do you do exactly when a runner basically tries to renegotiate their activity level with you, the doctor?”
Great question and critical for any runner to understand this…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 most important goal is to finish your race on time.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about the one goal you should have when you get a running injury.
This is the first question I get from runners when they get a stress fracture like a metatarsal stress fracture in the foot. This could also apply to other kinds of stress fractures, like a tibial stress fracture or a calcaneal stress fracture, or any other stress fracture in your foot.
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.
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 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.
Is it dangerous to run on a stress fracture? Well that’s a great question. 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 really 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.
If you get pain and swelling in the ball of the foot you might become worried you have a fracture. Let’s face it. When runners get an aching pain in the foot at the first thing we worry about is probably a stress fracture.
The good news is that in the overwhelming majority of cases where you have pain in the ball of the foot at the base of the toes, it is not usually a broken bone. But it can happen. In today’s episode we have an interview with Coach Craig Moss who is a 46-time marathon finisher.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about a fracture in the ball of the foot and what it takes to get back to running with Coach Craig Moss.
You get a running injury because you made a mistake in over-training. You tripped over something. You did just a little too much in your workout. Something went wrong. It was an accident.
But healing does not happen by accident. Healing a running injury has to be intentional, just like your training.
Think about what you do in training. You have a very, very specific plan to make sure you stay on track, but it is not by accident.
And it’s the same way with the healing process after you have an over-training injury. Don’t forget, when you get an over-training injury, all it really is is an exaggerated form of the same tissue damage that you get in normal training when you’re running.
So, you can use that same sort of active plan being very intentional about when you’re going to heal, and how quickly. All of that must be deliberate, but you can’t have mistakes in healing the same way you can’t have mistakes in your workouts.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about how healing a running injury does not happen by accident.
If you’re not moving, you’re more injury-prone. If you got an over-training injury from running, and you’re not moving, if you’re not exercising, things are actually getting worse for you. You are actually getting more injury-prone, not less.
This is the misconception: if you get injured, you have to sit still. You have to rest. You have to ”take care of yourself,” and you have to heal. And that is what physicians feed us runners most of the time; this idea that they should just calm down, sit down, chill out, relax, recover, take it easy…whatever. But you know as an athlete, there are only two possibilities: Either you’re getting stronger, or you are getting weaker. And if you’re getting weaker, you’re actually more injury-prone.
But that all quickly changes, because you are healing. What you have to do is determine when you’re ready for the next phase of healing. How do you do that?
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about how if you’re not moving, you’re actually getting more injury-prone.
Faster means “faster.” It means making decisions quicker. And forward means you and your doctor are making decisions more frequently so you can shorten the recovery time and move forward towards running and your next marathon, your next iron man, next trail run, whatever it is, faster.
Runners really can fast-forward their healing process, but that requires you doing all the right stuff, not just the stuff the doctor tells you to do.
So how does that really work? Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how runners fast-forward healing.
The key with recovering from running injuries faster than normal patients is to identify what it is helping your healing, and what may be hindering your recovery. Runners don’t choose the rate of recovery. Runners choose our habits, and our habits choose our rate of recovery.
What happens a lot of times is that when we’re in training we’re really religious and diligent about maintaining good habits. We protect our sleep. We make sure we get enough sleep. We go to bed earlier. We hydrate. We’re eating all the right foods. We’re protecting our nutrition, our health, and the recovery process. Then when we get injured, a lot of that changes.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about why you shouldn’t have high hopes for healing if you have downhill habits.
How does healing change on a weekly basis? It’s going to continue to change throughout the healing process from day to day. No, it’s not going to change a great deal in one day, but it’s going to change a lot in a week, and it’s going to change a whole lot more in two weeks.
Everything’s getting stronger: your muscles, your tendons, your bones, your ligaments, everything. You’re getting stronger and stronger the whole time you’re training and the whole time you’re healing.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how last week’s healing won’t heal you today.
Why do runners heal faster? Simple…You are not a normal patient if you’re a runner.
Not only do you exercise more, you eat better, you sleep better. You as a runner are a well-primed healing machine and this is the bottom line. If you think about it, if you’ve been a lifelong runner, what have you been doing? You go out and you train. You do tissue damage and then your body rebuilds it. So you have been teaching your body, physiologically priming that system, to heal. Your body knows how to heal.
Today on the Doc On the Run podcast, we’re talking about why runners heal faster.
This morning I got a call from Amy in Houston, and she’s running a marathon in 10 days. She’s doing the Houston Marathon. Today is Thursday, so a week from Sunday she is running the marathon. She has pain, and she’s 10 days out, and wants to know if she can run now. That’s the thing. She says, “I got this new pain, and I wanna run and finish my training.” She admits that she didn’t really train effectively, so she didn’t train as much as usual. She normally is prepared for the marathon, but this year a bunch of stuff happened, just didn’t get to train as much. Her plan was to try to run 10 miles today, on Thursday, and then maybe do a final 18 mile run on Saturday, and then maybe a few runs next week, you know, five, seven miles, or six miles, or whatever a couple of times next week, leading up to the marathon next Sunday.
So, her question is whether or not she should run. She has this weird pain, this weird soreness. She’s not sure what it is. She’s done a bunch of marathons, but she doesn’t know what it is. Is it a good idea to run or not? All right. So, just to back up, let me tell you, the first thing you have to know is that if she goes and sees a doctor, they’re almost certainly gonna tell her to not run. Right? Why? Well, doctors tell you to not run, because they assume you wanna heal. Now, that sounds kind of simple, but that’s the thing. When you’re a runner, we know that that’s not always the only consideration and certainly, in many cases, not even the primary consideration. They’re not assuming your goal of finishing a marathon, an ultra marathon, an Ironman Triathlon, anything. They’re not assuming that that goal of finishing is actually more important than your overall goal of making sure that you don’t make your injury worse. Listen and I will explain…
Today we’re talking about whether or not you should run when you have pain about 10 days out from a marathon.
The purpose of a taper, is to really get prepared physically to do your best, actually perform your best, on race day. You should always taper if you have been sticking to your marathon plan, if you’re fully trained, if you’re fit, if you’ve really got all of your training in, then you can taper with confidence. But if you’ve done less than optimal training, i you didn’t stick to your plan, well what are you going to taper from?
And somewhere in between there is where most people fall in. They missed a couple of workouts here and there, they want to extend the training period into that taper period, and that’s where you start getting into trouble. And if you had any kind of injury and you extend your training into your taper period, you are really playing with fire. That part I don’t think anybody would disagree with.
So you just have to decide, given your scenario, how much training you did and how closely you stuck to your plan, whether or not you can push your taper a little bit, or if you should skip it all together. But that’s something you’ve got to talk with your coach and you have figure out what to do.
Remember, the goal is to make it to the race, make it through in one piece, and then continue resuming in whatever training is and you have to think about what your goal is after that event to really make a clear decision.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should taper or just continue training when you have soreness right before your marathon.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I’m going to recommend the number one book you need to read if you are a runner. I think this is going to be the best book for runners for 2019. And truthfully, it’s not actually just a running book. The book is actually David Goggins’, “Can’t Hurt Me.”
I actually met David Goggins about 10 years ago or so. And he probably won’t remember me because I’m just a run-of-the-mill runner. But I met him at this event. It was a race in Chattanooga, Tennessee called the Wauhatchie Trail Race. Since that time, David Goggins has gone on to do some pretty amazing things! But, the truth is, what most people don’t know is he did lots of amazing things before that…And that is what this book is all about.
If you want to achieve big things this year, read this book. Get it wherever you get books. You’ve gotta read, “Can’t Hurt Me.”
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about the number one book every runner should read in 2019.
Are black toenails really a problem if you’re a runner? Well, that depends. The truth is, NO!…black toenails are not really a problem. They’re just ugly and maybe a little bit painful. But if you are a runner black toenails are pretty common. I mean, let’s face it. Who hasn’t declared their black toenails as some kind of badge of honor when you’re doing your first marathon or you’re finished an ultra marathon?
I understand why people do allow themselves to get black toenails. Let’s face it. Runners are tough. We’re driven. We have goals. We really want to achieve them and we’re not going to let something like an ugly, sore toenail get between us and the finish line. But you have to really think about the real long term risk abuse leading to black toenails.
Today on the Doc on The Run Podcast, we’re talking about black toenails from running.
I’m recording this episode right around the start of the New Year, and this time of year everybody starts talking about their goals. Most people talk about where they want to be. What they want to accomplish, where they want to be, but I what I really think you have to think about is who are you going to be. Who are you going to be in one year, because … You know, it’s interesting.
You would never expect your son to go into third grade and come out of third grade without having changed tremendously both physically, socially, athletically, intellectually…in every way. That kid’s going to change a lot in one year. We expect our kids to change a lot all the time. They’re growing, they’re changing, they’re improving, but then we grow up and what do we do? We get a house. We get a job. We have kids. We get locked into a job, and then some of that development stops, right? Now, if you’re a runner that’s probably not true. You probably have goals that you’re trying to improve on all the time. If you’re a doctor and you have a practice you’re probably trying to improve your practice in the way that you take care of patients through the value that you’ve provided them. You’re probably trying to prove all of that at the same time.
Today on Doc on the Run podcast we’re talking about who you’re going to be one year from now.
This question comes up a lot for runners with Achilles tendon injuries. But it can happen with any kind of tendon. The difference between an injury to a tendon which has been labeled “tendonitis” versus “tendinosis” is really a difference in the amount of time that you have the condition and the amount of damage to the tendon itself.
There’s been a long running debate about this. I was lecturing at a medical conference in Iceland this the summer. Specifically, it was a lecture on tendon injuries in athletes. One of the key points was that the old research claims inflammation does not play a role in the development of tendinosis is wrong.
In this episode I will explain the difference between tendonitis and tendinosis.
Let me ask you a question. Do you set goals when you are training for a race? What about when you are injured? I mean let’s face it, if you are training for a marathon you probably have a really specific goal right?
You want to do a specific race on a specific day. You want to start at a specific time and you want to end at a specific time. So then you have a whole bunch of goals to try to get you to that particular outcome.
But how about when you get injured? I see runners all the time and they seem to just completely get off track when this happens. All of their goals go out of the window. They cancel the race, they don’t have any goals for their next race and many times they have no goals at all for their healing.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about goals for healing your running injury.
The number one question I get from runners is “How long is it going to take me to heal this injury?” It could be a metatarsal stress fracture, it could be plantar fasciitis, it could be an Achilles tendon injury. Then the follow-up question is always “How soon will I be back to running?”
The whole underlying premise of those questions is completely absurd. All of us want to believe it takes some certain given timeline for every given injury to resolve. And that’s just crazy! I get this question from doctors at medical conferences and they’ll ask me,”How long does it take for a fourth metatarsal stress fracture to heal in the average runner and how long would it take for them to get back to running.” But that doesn’t make sense. It’s not that simple…
In this podcast episode we’re talking about how long it will take to heal a running injury.