I just got off a telemedicine call with a runner and she asked me an interesting question, she said, “I just want to know, am I on the right track?”
When a runner calls me for a telemedicine visit, after they’ve seen two or three or four other doctors, I do something differently.
What I do differently is something you can do on your own right now, you don’t even have to talk to me. Just look at your results.
If you track those results, you look at those results, you will know what’s going on and then you can change course faster.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how you can tell whether or not you’re on the right track when you’re recovering from a running injury.
Dr. Duane Scotti, host of the Healthy Runner podcast was one of the guest experts at the 2-Day Runner’s Rapid Recovery Summit.
This replay is a recording of his session on Hip Pain in Runners is one you won’t want to miss. Here is some of what we’re going to cover:
The top 3 most common causes of hip pain in runners.
What exactly is the labrum and how does it get injured in runners?
How does joint laxity or hip instability contribute to hip injuries?
What is the number one indication that somebody has a tear of the labrum and should seek medical attention before continuing to run?
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about hip pain in runners and some simple things you can do to address it, improve it and keep it from getting worse.
I was just doing a telemedicine visit with a runner who needed a second opinion for a metatarsal stress fracture.
She wanted to know if her healing timeline was accurate and if her estimate on getting back to running was realistic.
The healing timeline for any running injury always depends upon what you do. Not what you read, and not what your doctor said.
The “realistic” part is based on what you do, not arbitrary timelines.
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about whether or not your healing timeline is realistic.
If you’re a runner who’s been injured, recovering, and you feel like you’re plateaued or you’re not really getting anywhere, I have some very good news for you today. That’s awesome!
Most of the runners who call me for a telemedicine visit, they’ve hit a plateau.
Although that can be really frustrating, I can tell you from experience, this is very, very good news.
What’s going on is really simple.
The changes you need to make, they’re all around you, they’re right in front of you, and they’re available to you right now. You just have to notice them.
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how it is actually great if you’re not getting better.
Just for a moment I want you to imagine something. You made a decision to become a champion. And after years of continual effort and constant training you have won a World Championship.
Today you are packing and getting ready to travel to Switzerland to defend your European title. And then you fall and break both heel bones. In that painful moment everything changes.
You aren’t getting on a plane to go to defend your European title. Instead you’re going to the emergency room.
The question is what would you do to rebuild your life and your own self-perception as an is athlete immediately after that kind of injury.
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking with Barbara Edelston Peterson about what she
One of the worst possible injuries you could get as a runner would be a rupture of the Achilles tendon.
Because if you tear the Achilles, whether you have surgery to repair the Achilles tendon or you if don’t have surgery and allow the tendon to heal without surgery, even if it heals, I can promise you, you are never going to be the same.
Running hills puts a lot of stress on the Achilles.
If you have Achilles tendinitis, Achilles tendonosis or just mild Achilles irritation, understanding what to do to avoid rupturing the Achilles will also help you avoid aggravating the tendon when running hills.
There are really three simple things that you really need to do when you’re going to run up hills so that you don’t put yourself at risk of an Achilles tendon rupture.
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking 3 ways to run hills without rupturing Achilles tendon.
Almost all runners who call me from a telemedicine visit just need to take one step to change course. My job on that call is to help you identify and recognize the step you are missing.
Every run begins with one step. Right now, you are doing one of two things. Either you are getting stronger. Or you are getting weaker. You are never staying the same. That is the biggest problem with recovering from an injury.
Doctors typically tell you to stop running and then you get stuck in a trap of decreasing fitness, increasing stiffness and you actually become more prone to re-injury.
Most recovering runners are missing the key step that will change everything.
Today the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how you’re only one step away.
This morning I was just talking to a recovering runner, from my inner circle coaching private group. This guy was having some trouble and tenderness in his Achilles Tendon.
We talked about his plan for running tomorrow. It turns out he had a plan of actually going and running on a winding, hilly trail.
If you have Achilles tendon pain and want to make it worse, do 4 things in succession. Because Achilles ruptures happens when you take 4 very specific steps in a specific way. Those 4 Steps put your aching Achilles Tendon at risk of further injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the 4 steps to Achilles tendon rupture when running.
As an injured runner who wanted to run the worst piece of advice of I ever received from a doctor, was, “Go run and see how you feel.”
Sometimes, we as doctors take what we think will work for most people in and we apply it to everyone, including runners.
But walking is not running. If you check yourself and do a little self evaluation you can be more confident you won’t hurt yourself and have a setback.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how running injury testing is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
Earlier today, I was doing a telemedicine call with a runner who has been injured.
She actually mentioned that she thought she might have started getting this injury back when the whole COVID shutdown happened.
Because she started running with a mask.
She started trying to stay away from people and she was socially isolating.
Today on the Doc on the run Podcast, we’re talking about how you need to be careful when you’re dodging other runners out on a run during this period of social isolation.
“Time heals all wounds.” Or at least that is the saying.
But medically speaking I can tell you that is completely false when it comes to running injuries.
It does take time to heal running injuries, but a tincture of time is not enough. I just spoke to an injured runner so I helped over a telemedicine visit.
Her question was, “I sprained my ankle two months ago and I still have pain. Is this normal?” The answer is no. It’s not normal to have pain anytime, much less two months after you sprain your ankle running on a trail.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how time does not heal running injuries.
I just got off a coaching call with a guy who I’ve talked to a number of times over the years with a number of different running injuries. This guy is not a new runner.
He is a running coach and he understands how to train and what to do to make sure that he decreases his risk of getting an over-training injury by recovering appropriately after all of his workouts. So this guy is not a novice.
But running injuries are a fact of life, if you are going to be a lifelong runner. You are always pushing to see if you can get stronger and faster and in the course of that process, it is easy to get an over-training injury. That happens.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how someone can heal an Achilles tendon injury and then get a stress fracture.
Yesterday, I was seeing someone who is a long-time athlete and she had pain in the big toe joint and she was given a diagnosis of capsulitis.
I was seeing her for a second opinion.
When we started talking, she was a little dismayed because she said that she was given this diagnosis of capsulitis and she felt a little bit like it wasn’t a real thing, it wasn’t a real problem.
She didn’t see how “capsulitis” was a diagnosis with an actionable treatment.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about capsulitis in the big toe joint.
I just got off a telemedicine call with a runner who had a question about neuroma treatment for somebody who likes to use minimalist shoes. And he had a really good question.
He said he went and saw another doctor who made a couple of recommendations, but he was a little concerned about the neuroma treatment options that were given to him.
Runners have to realize that runners are different. And I don’t think most runners should want to jump to a drastic neuroma treatment, especially not when the neuroma is first beginning.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about 3 Neuroma treatment considerations for minimalist runners.
When pro runners get running injures, they get different treatment.
Elite athletes and professional athletes all have, if not better medical care, they certainly have more consistent follow up, earlier interventions and better access to medical specialists than the average person.
So we know that something is different when someone is a professional athlete.
But its not just better, faster care, it is also the approach pro runners take to the recovery process that helps them accelerate their recovery from a running injury.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about the secret to healing like a pro runner.
If you’re a runner with an injury, you may want an MRI.
But you often have to wait for some period of time before you can get and MRI scheduled.
Sometimes, you have to wait for your insurance to improve the MRI and give you prior authorization for the MRI, and then frankly, when you get the MRI, it can give you some information that might actually lead you off course and keep you off of running longer than necessary.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should run on a treadmill when you’re recovering from a stress fracture.
Today’s episode comes from a runner named Gordon who asked a question during a live webinar entitled “Am I Ready to Run? How to tell if its safe to start running again.”
He asked, “Is it okay to run on a treadmill? I’m returning from a stress fracture injury. I read that a treadmill gives the exact same stress with every step versus, say a trail, but with COVID-19 and smoke, running outside is a challenge and all that.”
That is a great question! Because, there is a lot of evidence that treadmills cause the same repetitive stress in the same way that might lead to stress fractures in the foot.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should run on a treadmill when you’re recovering from a stress fracture.
The most difficult thing about being injured is not having a plan to follow.
As Mark Spitz once said, “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.”
So if you’re an injured runner and you’re trying to figure out how to get back on track and get back to running the most important thing you can do right now is to plan your injury recovery.
Prepare for your journey ahead, by looking back at past successes.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how you can use your running success to plan your injury recovery.
I just got off a telemedicine call with a guy who has an Achilles tendon injury and called me specifically because he wanted me to do a PRP injection on his Achilles tendon.
This guy is a physician. He understands injuries. He understands athletics. He actually had a PRP injection before. He’s even had surgery in the past for his Achilles tendons.
So this is an athlete and a doctor who actually really understands and knows all of the stuff that goes into the decision process when you’re thinking about getting a PRP injection for an injured Achilles tendon.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about some of the ways you can tell if you really need a PRP injection for an injured Achilles tendon.
I was just on a telemedicine call with a patient. We were doing a webcam call and she had been running on a trail, rolled her ankle, and had a really bad ankle sprain.
Her ankle was black and blue, swollen, and really painful. She was having trouble walking. This is a really active runner who wants to get back to running as quickly as she can.
Running on trails is obviously a little more difficult and puts you at a little more risk of having another ankle sprain just because it’s an irregular, undulating, unpredictable surface.
So in my discussion with her, I realized that there are three major mistakes that runners often make when they roll an ankle running on a trail and want to get back to running after they heal.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the three biggest mistakes runners make with ankle sprains.
I just got off a webcam call with an injured runner who has pain and swelling in her foot. We were on a recovering runner coaching call talking about all of the little things that can help you recover and heal faster.
During our discussion she asked a great question. She kind of laughed and said she was confused about something as simple as going up the flight of stairs to her bedroom.
How do I go up steps when my foot is painful? Do I start with my good foot or my bad foot?
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how to go up stairs when you are recovering from a running injury.
Today’s episode comes from a runner named Gordon who asked a question during a live webinar entitled “Am I Ready to Run? How to tell if its safe to start running again.”
He asked, “Is it okay to run on a treadmill? I’m returning from a stress fracture injury. I read that a treadmill gives the exact same stress with every step versus, say a trail, but with COVID-19 and smoke, running outside is a challenge and all that.”
That is a great question! Because, there is a lot of evidence that treadmills cause the same repetitive stress in the same way that might lead to stress fractures in the foot.
Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should run on a treadmill when you’re recovering from a stress fracture.
Every day, all day, I help injured runners get back to running. I have noticed runners consistently make crucial mistakes in each of the three phases of injury recovery. These are simple avoidable errors in recovery that can slow the process of returning to running, or increase the chances of getting re-injured once you get back to full training. Avoid these mistakes to make sure that you heal your running injury as quickly as possible and then don’t get re-injured when you’re returning to running. Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the 3 biggest mistakes injured runners make when recovering from an overtraining injury.
One of the biggest problems when you get a metatarsal stress fracture is deciding when it’s safe for you to go to the next level of activity.
I just got a great question from a high school cross country runner who is healing from a stress fracture and wanted to get back to running as quickly as possible.
The question was whether or not it was okay to begin a walk/run program at four weeks of stress fracture healing?
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about whether or not it is okay to begin a walk/run program when you are well on your way to healing a metatarsal stress fracture.
What does it mean when your doctor says you might be able to run in 3 weeks, depending on what your x-rays shows?
If your doctor guesses that in three weeks, you’re going to have something appear on an X- Ray, that assumes the bone is going to be stronger at that time you get the x-ray. Right?
So what that also really means is that until three weeks from today, every single day, healing happens. Tissues are getting stronger. More collagen is forming. The osteoblasts and osteoclasts are working in conjunction to remodel the bone. More bone is getting laid down. Tissues are getting stronger.
But every single day, if you get stronger, then in theory, every single day, you could do a little bit more activity.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about why you should question every timeline of how long it’s going to take to get back to running after an injury.
A runner broke her ankle and foot in five places and had surgery. She wrote in and wanted to know if she might run again:
“I’m 34 years old. I had a bike accident 4 days ago. I broke my tibia bone at the medial malleolus, distal fibula bone, and metatarsal bones 2, 3, and 4. The surgery went well. I was a runner. I used to run 4 times a week. Is there any chance I can run again?”
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about what whether or not there is any chance you can run again after breaking five bones in your foot and ankle, and recovering from ankle fracture surgery.
Everything about the process of training is inherently inspiring and aspirational. It is all positive, and with each step of the process we get the opportunity to make a conscious decision to move forward.
Overcoming a running injury is inherently negative. It just feels like damage control mode. Running injuries feel more about digging yourself out of a hole, and less about accomplishing something significant.
Every over training injury is unique and can have a unique healing timeline. But it all depends upon what you do.
How can you make the mental shift between a coaches plan a doctor’s plan?
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about two perspectives for recovering runners.
I was recently watching the Wizard of Oz with my kids.
There’s this one scene, where Glenda tells Dorothy that she already had has all the ability to get home. That all she has to do is click her heels together and say, “There’s no place like home” and she’ll be transported there.
Dorothy had that power all along.
When I see runners who have had running injuries, they’ve been injured. They’ve been on this long journey of seeming like running through the haunted forest and trying to dodge the wicked witch and trying to get over this running injury.
All injured runners really do already have the power to get better.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how you already know the path to recovery.
There’s nothing worse than being in a race, and you feel like your stomach is upset. You’re sick to your stomach and you’re keeping on pace, but then suddenly, because you literally have an upset stomach, and you start losing pace.
You know that your competition is getting further ahead, and you’re getting further behind. That is what’s really painful.
Most doctors think runners like you call me because I can help you heal your running injury. I know that those doctors are wrong. It’s not really that foot pain that stops you from running. It’s not that pain that gets you to call me. That’s not really the real reason that most runners call me for a telemedicine visit or consultation call.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the most painful part of a running injury.
Earlier today I was talking with a runner who felt some pain in her foot during a run yesterday. So she got worried she might have a metatarsal stress fracture in her foot. So she booked a consultation call and we had a discussion on the phone about the possibilities.
Here is what she asked:
“I had an aching pain for a few steps during my run yesterday is that a stress fracture? The aching pain was on the top of my foot for a few steps today…I want to know if it could be a stress fracture?”
So I thought it might be useful to talk about some of the questions I asked her to help figure out whether or not her foot pain might actually be a metatarsal stress fracture, or something else.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about questions that make a stress fracture more, or less likely in a runner.
A partial rupture of the plantar fascia can be a truly debilitating injury for a runner.
It’s much worse than plantar fasciitis. You take time off. It starts feel better. Then you run and it starts to feel worse again.
Because it can be so frustrating it becomes very easy to convince yourself that you need surgery.
In fact I was just having a conversation with an athlete who started to talk himself into surgery, even though he has absolutely no desire to have surgery one the plantar fascia.
His story highlights how easy it is to become frustrated, and how to overthink a mild setback in your recovery.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how a runner with a plantar fascia rupture talks himself into surgery,
Whether you are conscious of it or not, when you are recovering from a running injury you are probably a little bit gun shy.
Every runner who has ever had to cancel a race or abandon a training plan because of an over- training injury understands how demoralizing and frustrating it is to lose all of your fitness and start training just so you can rest and heal.
If you suffered through that routine it shouldn’t really be surprising that you probably have some trepidation in the back of your mind. Although it’s probably been pushed into the deepest corners of your brain you have fear holding you back.
Injured runners become afraid of pain.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how pain is not a setback in your running injury recovery.
Yesterday I was speaking to an ultra-marathoner who had a metatarsal fracture.
Fortunately, the broken bone has been healing well and she’s back to running.
But during our discussion yesterday she revealed something interesting. She was running every day. Just 3 miles…every day.
During that discussion I was trying to help her understand how it is that running every day, even short distances, in fact, extremely short by her standards as an ultramarathoner, those every day runs could actually put her at risk of re-injuring the metatarsal fracture.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how you should skip a day to skip ahead in your injury recovery.
In the pursuit of any running goal you really are only in competition with yourself.
When you become injured, you immediately give yourself an underdog status.
You start to think about all of the problems that your injury presents to prevent you from completing the workouts that you previously believed would make it possible for you to achieve your goal.
Of course, none of that is true. All of those problems we call “reasons” are really just excuses.
There is always a way.
One thing I know for sure. Every runner I have ever worked with you got injured and then set a new P.R. working from an underdog advantage.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the injured runner underdog advantage.
Can you get faster by not running?
Can get stronger by not working out?
If you’re a runner and you’re listening to this my guess is that you’re clear answer to both of those two questions is “NO!”
And if your answer both of those questions is no…
Why do doctors call rest a treatment plan?
The brutal truth is that rest is not a treatment plan.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about how rest is an atrophy plan.
Healing after a hard workout and recovering from a running injury are basically the same process.
But when a runner gets an over training injury everything goes sideways.
We become confused about what has happened and we start to confuse ourselves about what what should happen next. We get off course. We forget the basics.
Out self induced confusion delays our recovery, hampers our healing and keeps us from getting back to running as quickly as possible.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the 3 keys to recovering at a faster pace.
I was just invited to give a lecture at the International Foot & Ankle Foundation’s 42nd Seattle Seminar. I was asked to give a lecture entitled “Potential Complications of Returning Athletes Back to Activity After Injury.”
The very last question of the entire weekend seminar was directed to me.
“Dr. Segler…How can you work with injured runners all day?”
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about the 3 reasons I love working with injured runners.
Your identity as a runner is crucial to your running goals. You cannot run a four hour marathon if you cannot imagine it, cannot visualize it and cannot believe it is possible.
You must believe to achieve any goal.
It’s interesting to me that so many runners understand how visualization of achieving the goal is absolutely critical to finishing a marathon within a specific goal time.
Yet these exact same individuals will almost develop the exact opposite negative visualization and intention setting by identifying ourselves as injured runners who are unable to achieve goals. That negative focus can keep you stuck in a cycle of running injuries.
Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast we’re talking with Toni Kengor about letting go of your identity as an injured runner.
Sesamoid injuries can be serious and can keep injured runners from running.
Sesamoids are small fragile bones and if they become inflamed and turn into a stress fracture they can crack, break and become permanently damaged. If you have surgery to remove a permanently damaged sesamoid bone, your foot will never be the same.
Our guest today went through a long battle with a sesamoid injury and then got back to marathon training.
As runners we are always looking for newer, better running shoes and other forms of gear to help us enjoy training and running, just a little more.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Jonathan Ellsworth, founder and Editor in Chief at Blister.
He is also the host of the Off The Couch Podcast.
Today were are getting to hear his thoughts about how we can assess running gear reviews, decide when we should try something new, and how new gear isn’t always better, just because it is different.
Ultra-marathon by definition means running lots of miles on trails. That’s a lot of opportunity to get injured!
One of the best parts of running is social interaction. But it’s not always easy to find the right group of runners for you. If you find a local running group you’ll get advice, encouragement and guidance that may help you train harder, run longer and avoid injuries.
If you want to build a huge base of fitness for endurance events like ultra-marathons you need to be able to put in the miles, recover faster make sure you don’t get injured.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Melody Dowlearn, the host of “She Runs Trails” podcast about trail running, recovery, and injury prevention when training for ultras.
Sooner or later, all of us will have to deal with some uncertainty and adversity in making it to the finish line. Right now, obviously there’s a lot of uncertainty for athletes in training…having difficulty just making it to the starting line.
Many runners have to cancel events a goal race because we get sick or injured. Overtraining certainly has a much higher probability to disrupting your goal race then another pandemic.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with the hosts of the podcast Coaches on Couches about changing plans, modifying training and how to shift mentally when races are cancelled and training as we know it evaporates.
Arthritis of any type can cause a lot of pain when you run. The word “arthritis” really and truly just means inflammation within a joint. There are lots of different kinds of arthritis.
But in general when a runner hears a doctor deliver a diagnosis of “arthritis” it’s pretty easy to start thinking your running days are numbered.
But sometimes you just need a shift in perspective.
If you’re runner and you’ve been worried that you might have arthritis in your hips or your knees or anywhere else I can assure you…you’re going to love hear from Martha today.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Martha Hughes about how hip arthritis has impacted her running and how she has been able to gain a different perspective on her running goals.
Find your why. Write it down. Just live towards that.
Jonathan Flores is the host of the Run With Purpose Podcast. He is also a runner who set out to run 50 marathons in 50 states, which obviously requires a lot of effort and a knowledge of running recovery to avoid injury.
Jonathan understands how to recovery, how to stay on track when plans go sideways, particularly through intention setting and making plans that turn dreams into experiences.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Jonathan Flores, host of the Run With Purpose Podcast about intention setting for runners when race plans change and training schedules plans go sideways.
Carrie Tollefson is by any standard and elite runner. Olympian. 13-time State Champion. National record holder for the most consecutive cross-country titles. First person in NCAA history to win both the 3,000 and 5,000 meter titles. 5-time NCAA. NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the year. And if all that isn’t enough, Carrie has been on the cover of Runner’s World magazine 5 times!
She has ben running and setting records for decades, and yet still, just last year ran a marathon under 3 hours. Today she is going to help you understand a little better how you can GET AFTER IT, without getting injured.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about how to GET AFTER IT and recovery faster with Carrie Tollefson.
I am sure most of you listening know Jonathan Levitt as the host of the podcast For The Long Run.
Fortunately for all of us, he is taking time out of his schedule and away from his microphone to join us here and provide his insights on rapid recovery for ultra runners.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Jonathan Levitt about the strategies he uses to recover quickly after hard training blocks, or an Ultra before resuming training.
Part of what I find so inspiring about Kim is the way in which she has pulled it out and come back in the final meters and final seconds of races to secure the win.
We’re really fortunate to have Kim on the show today to share some of her strategies and tactics that have helped her stay fit, train hard and recover after all those hard workouts throughout her career.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Kim Conley, about the strategies she uses to recover quickly after hard training blocks, or when resuming training after a world-class event.
If you want to complete an ultramarathon, you will have to put in lots of training. One of the big keys to successfully training for an ultra-marathon is to log lots of miles without getting sick or injured.
Ken Michal has stood on the starting line of almost every significant ultra, including Western States 100 and multiple rounds of the HURT 100.
And when I asked him about what it takes to successfully train for these kind of ultras, he says, “You’re going to hate me for saying this, but its risk and reward.”
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Coach Ken Michal, host of the Running Stupid Podcast about recovery, rehab and injury prevention when training for ultras.
Lucy Bartholomew went from running with her dad at age 15 to finishing on the top of the podium at some biggest ultras around the globe, all while setting course records in the process.
Not surprisingly, her travel, training and race schedule keeps her pretty busy so it has taken almost a year of trying to get Lucy on the show, but with some luck we are able to have her here today to talk about her strategies and tactics on staying healthy, and recovering effectively while training for ultra-marathons.
No one can clock the times and distances Lucy does without riding the fine line between training and overtraining. Obviously she knows how to get the full benefit of her training sessions by effectively recovering.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Lucy Bartholomew about the strategies she uses to recover quickly after an Ultra before she resumes training for the next event.
When I was running yesterday, we were noticing a couple of things that may put people at risk. And so, I was thinking about three simple ways you can really decrease your risk of exposure and keep true social distance, which I believe should be more than six feet.
There’s a couple of simple ways to think about this. The first thing is to stay away from people. And then, the second thing is that when you do encounter people to make sure you’re far enough away from them. And so, I came up with three simple tips that may help you avoid what I call the “coronacloud,” which is being within that pocket of air that could be contaminated.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 ways runners can avoid the “Coronacloud.”
The biggest difference in speed of recovery is motivation. Your motivation leads to the actions required to heal and recover as quickly as possible.
Healing is not a passive process.
If you’re just sitting around waiting for some specific timeline to make your injury go away, you’re making a big mistake.
The only guarantee in the waiting-to-heal-plan is that you’re guaranteed to lose all of your running fitness. But there is a better way. Just think of your recovery the same way you think of training.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you are motivated enough to recover.
I listen to lots of podcasts and I recently have heard lots of other speakers in all genres talking about how important it is to stay healthy and avoid illness, and reduce your risks or contracting Covid-19.
All of these people are right. Now, more than ever it is important to maximize your immune system.
In thinking about that, I realized that all of these same strategies people are talking about to help you avoid a viral illness can also help you heal from training, prevent over training and maximize recovery after hard workouts.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how stress reduction is critical during coronavirus lockdown downtime for runners.
Right now all of us are inundated with rapidly changing circumstances and a wide variety of news stories about the coronavirus. With all of the uncertainty, none of us really knows what we are supposed to do.
As a doctor who focuses completely on helping injured runners get back to running, most of what I do Is recognize mistakes in training and the recovery process causing failure.
But what I do know is that right now, all over social media, I am seeing examples of completely avoidable mistakes which could have serious consequences.
Make no mistake, I think runners should keep running, even when they began to encounter an overtraining injury. But it’s all about taking a sensible approach. It’s about managing risk. In some activities are riskier than usual right now.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the top 3 coronavirus mistakes for runners.
Runners deserve better than the standard of care! I had the honor of sitting down for a guest interview featured on The Highly Functional Podcast.
On this episode, Dr. Brianne Showman and Dr. Christopher Segler had a great conversation about injuries, specifically, running injuries.
We discussed what the standard of care is when it comes to these injuries and why we need to be more aggressive in treatment of these injuries in athletes.
Check out this episode on the Highly Functional Podcast!
Yesterday I was looking at the latest news story about the coronavirus lockdown in Italy. Strict lockdown.
Don’t go out of your house.
Government orders.
And the representative image in the news story showed a street scene of beautiful Italian architecture in Florence Italy.
There was only one person on the street. And that person was a runner, who was running.
So while we are afraid to go to the grocery store, or that someone might cough on us while we’re getting gas, we all want to go out for run. Even under the threat of personal harm or imprisonment…we want to run.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the coronavirus and how it has you on lockdown, unless you’re a runner.
I was on stage at the International Foot & Ankle Meeting in Lake Tahoe this weekend and was giving a presentation designed to help doctors understand why running isn’t the problem with running injuries….why they as doctors shouldn’t always tell runners to “stop running” as a way to decrease stress.
Running is only one form of stress. Running is biomechanical stress.
But one of the most helpful strategies in recovering runners is managing oxidative stress. So, I gave a brief Biochemistry 101 explanation of what “oxidative stress” means, why it is so important and why recovering runners need ti think about it.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how oxidative stress slows running injury recovery.
Any diagnosis ending in “-itis” means inflammation.
If you have inflammation in the tendons, a short course of oral corticosteroids will help to shut off the inflammatory response and reduce the inflammation.
It took me nine years to get my spot at the Ironman World Championships. And unfortunately I got pneumonia right before the race. I had to take oral corticosteroids preceding and during Ironman Hawaii.
Now to be clear, I did the race, but I did not run at all for two months after Ironman Hawaii. I wasn’t resting. I wasn’t recovering. I was concerned that I would develop an Achilles tendon problems as a consequence of running immediately after having finished the course of oral corticosteroids.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about whether or not a runner should take steroids for chronic tendinitis.
An over training injury is one of the worst possible things that can happen to a runner.
You’ve been working toward a goal, hard, making sacrifices and then disaster strikes and you get injured.
Of course the best thing to do is to start healing and get back to training as fast as possible.
There are lots of reasons I see runners procrastinate and unnecessarily put up their own roadblocks between them, healing, and getting back to running.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the Top 10 reasons injured runners procrastinate.
The Ironman triathlon is widely considered to be one of the worlds most grueling single day athletic events. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a full 26.2 marathon, all in the same day.
My Ironman journey taught me a couple of really important lessons. Because I know what it feels like, when you think you can’t run, even worse, when a doctor says, you can’t run…but deep down inside, you know you can.
The most important thing Ironman taught me about running injuries is that you, injured runners have a goal. And that goal is important!
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about what Ironman taught me about running injuries.
If you are a runner and you have a weird aching pain, and you’re not really even sure if it’s in your foot or your ankle you may have a condition called sinus tarsi syndrome.
“What is Sinus Tarsi Syndrome?”
When a doctor tells you that you developed a case of sinus tarsi syndrome, it just means you have irritated and inflamed the lining of the subtalar joint.
So of course as a runner suffering from this condition and trying to figure out what to do, so you don’t get it again.
It may be helpful if you can understand the three common causes of sinus tarsi syndrome in runners.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about three causes of sinus tarsi syndrome in runners.
The best decision is the decision to take the right action.
The second best decision is to take the wrong action.
And the worst decision of all if you are an injured runner is make a decision to take no action at all.
More often than not, when an injured runner limps into a doctor’s office, the doctor tells the runner she has to stop running. We as runners are told to rest. These well-meaning doctors are trying to heal the one specific injury but they are doing so at the risk of ruining your ability to run permanently.
When we sit still we get weaker, stiffer and our fitness vanishes. Believe it or not, we as injured runners often do the same thing to ourselves. I get messages all the time from injured runners who are trying to find the best decision before they will take any action.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the best decision and worst actions for injured runners.
Just today I got an interesting question from Victoria, who has been suffering with a bad case of sesamoiditis which has been keeping her from running.
She saw an orthopedic surgeon who who thinks there is scar tissue around the sesamoid bone restricting the range of motion and causing the pain under the big toe joint.
The doctor explained to her that one other conservative option, which might help her avoid sesamoid surgery would be a corticosteroid injection which is sometimes also called a Cortizone injection.
So her question was:
“How exactly do steroid injections help? Do they break up scar tissue? The orthopedic surgeon told me to be cautious about doing steroid injections, but I never got a clear explanation as to why.”
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about the good and bad of cortizone injections for sesamoiditis in runners.
Just today I was talking to a runner who has an injury and although this injury has gone on for a long time, I thought that she would know exactly whether it’s improving or not.
She said she thought it was improving, but we don’t really know if it’s improving, because there is no data.
It is easy for us as runners to tell when our fitness is getting better, we feel stronger, we feel better.
But unfortunately we don’t really want to think about pain.
We don’t want to think about injury. We don’t want to think about setbacks. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how wishful thinking can kill recovery from a running injury.
The single most important thing you can do when you think you have a running injury is to make a decision, quickly.
You only have two choices.
1. Realize and admit you are injured and get about the business of recovery.
2. Confirm you aren’t really injured and then adjust your course to continue your training.
But what most runners do is something in between. We want to believe we are not injured. We want to think we can continue training.
And instead of just kidding about the business of recovering and then training, we just make things worse.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about how indecision prevents running injury recovery.
I got an interesting question sent in from a runner, who said…
I fractured my left ankle. I have been in an air cast ever since. So, should I continue with the air cast for another three weeks or try out an ankle brace?
Obviously when you want to get back to running, you think the key is always to advance as quickly as possible from one stage to the next, and that is true.
You definitely want to try to advance as rapidly as possible.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about when a runner can use an ankle brace instead of an aircast when healing from an ankle fracture.
The idea that one given treatment will work for one condition, when the people are different is absurd.
Runners are different than normal people.
Risks of certain treatments are much higher for runners then they are for other people.
Some treatments that are not risky at all for a runner, might be very risky for the average non-runner.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about if a treatment is best for most people, is it best for a runner?
No treatment is best for every runner.
Not even metatarsal fracture surgery.
Your task as an injured runner who wants to run is to figure why a treatment is right for you…or not right for you…even if it gets recommended by a doctor or surgeon.
When a comes to surgery to fix metatarsal fracture in your foot there a few considerations runners need to think about.
Risk of NOT healing with or without surgery. Risks of surgery themselves and risks related specifically to your running goals.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about when surgery is better for a metatarsal fracture in a runner.
Doctors sometimes prescribe treatments than can be bad for runners.
If you wear a fracture walking boot, your muscles get weaker, your tendons and ligaments get stiffer, your bones start to lose calcium.
If you take ibuprofen during a race you can get gastrointestinal upset that complete wrecks your nutrition plan. In the the worst cases you could even get kidney failure.
If you break a bone and a doctor puts a cast on your leg you could get “cast disease.”
Even an adhesive bandage can cause trouble.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about how everything in medicine is bad for runners.