#901 #1 most important action when you roll your ankle running

Runners who have rolled their ankle often have trouble figuring out when to get back to running.

Mostly they seem to be worried about a subtle fracture or delayed ligament healing.

If you think it is no big deal when you roll your ankle, you might be right, and you might be wrong.

What is the number one most important action you can take when you roll your ankle running?

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

#859 Difference between MRI vs MRA in runner with ankle injury

Let’s say you had an ankle injury a long time ago.

You sprained the ankle when you were out on a trail run, it got better , and you went right back to running.

But over time, you slowly got more and more pain in the ankle.

In that case, you doctor might order an MRI of your ankle, or a similar imaging study called an MRA (instead of MRI).

What’s the difference between MRI or MRA in a runner with an old nagging ankle injury?

That’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#856 3 Phases of ankle sprain recovery in runners

If you roll your ankle on a trail run and it turns black and blue and swollen, you may think you just have to take a few days off.

In fact, if you research how long it will take to get back to running, you might find a study that says that if you do early range of motion after an ankle sprain, it only takes 4 days to get back to pre-injury levels of activity.

However, if you do that, you can wind up with a lot of trouble later.

When I lecture at medical conferences on how doctors should treat ankle sprains in runners, I teach 3 phases of ankle sprain injury recovery.

If you are a runner with an ankle sprain, and you understand them, it’ll help you get back to training and running without another ankle sprain.

What are the three phases of ankle sprain recovery in runners?

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

#749 Best test for a runner with ankle sprain

If you’re out on a run and you roll your ankle, you need to know how you can test the ankle to figure out what is wrong.

More importantly, what tests can tell you how likely it is that you’re actually going to get back to running and not have an ankle sprain again.

There are several tests doctors use in evaluating injured ankles. Some are more important than others.

What is the single most important test for a runner with an ankle sprain?

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

#706 Ankle pain vs sinus tarsi impingement when running

If you get aching pain in your ankles when you’re running, and it seems to lag and doesn’t just go away, you might not have ankle pain at all.

There’s a thing that I see often in runners complaining of ankle pain, but when I actually look at the runner’s feet, it’s a different condition altogether.

That condition is something called “sinus tarsi impingement.”

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about ankle pain versus sinus tarsi impingement when running.

#677 How ankle stiffness can lead to another stress fractures in a runner

Let’s say you’re out on a run and you start feeling some aching pain in your foot. The next day you wake up, it really hurts when you step out of bed.

You go see a doctor and you’re told you have a stress fracture.

Being told you have a stress fracture is a real bummer because the doctor will probably tell you it will take about six weeks to heal. Then things get worse…

You are told you need to wear a fracture walking boot for about four to six weeks, and of course, you can’t run during that time.

After you wallow in tears, you decide to be a “good patient.” You go with the plan.

You sit around in the boot.

You don’t do anything.

You don’t take the boot off.

You don’t run.

You don’t exercise.

And a month or two later…you finally get clearance to run!

But when you first go for your run, everything feels super stiff! Your running form is terrible. You feel really slow. But more than anything else, you really notice how super stiff everything feels around the ankle.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how ankle stiffness can lead to another stress fracture in a recovering runner.

#483 What is a subtalar joint sprain in a runner?

Ankle sprains are incredibly common in runners. Sprained ankles account for about 10% of all musculoskeletal injuries that show up in the Emergency Room. But there is another injury that can seem sort of like an ankle sprain, but doesn’t respond to treatment the same way. This sprain is not in the ankle. It is a sprain of the joint under the ankle…the subtalar joint. It’s called a Subtalar Joint Sprain. What is a subtalar joint sprain in a runner? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#476 Can I run with arthritis in my ankle?

I got a call from a runner who has a really interesting situation.

He’s been doing lots of running, but he’s been getting pain in his ankle whenever he runs.

He gets a little bit of swelling in the ankle at the end of the day.

But when he wakes up, the swelling in the ankle is completely gone.

The ankle swelling is completely resolved and he seems fine the next morning.

So his question was, “Can I run with arthritis in my ankle?”

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

#452 Should I take Lovenox after an ankle fracture?

Today’s episode actually comes from a question that is a real-world situation.
Should I take Lovenox after an ankle fracture? I broke my ankle. The doctor gave me a prescription. Should I take this thing or not? Is this appropriate for me?
This is actually a great question and it points out a couple of things I think are worth hearing.
Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we’re talking about whether or not you should take Lovenox after an ankle fracture.

#433 What is a posterior process talus fracture?

I just had a discussion with a runner during a telemedicine second opinion.

She rolled her ankle and went to the emergency room. They gave her a brace to stabilize the ankle and an ACE wrap to compress it.

She started some rehab exercises, and frankly she improved a lot.

But when she got back to running, she had intermittent pain in the back of her ankle.

This was not the same spot where she got the sprain.

She called because this pain has now been going on for a long time, and when she got an x-ray someone told her she might have a posterior process fracture of the talus.

She asked me, “What exactly is a posterior process fracture?”

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we’re talking about posterior process fractures of the talus.