#737 Are “stress reaction” and “metatarsalgia” the same?

Today’s question comes from one of the YouTube viewers. Tasnim, wrote in and wanted to know whether or not “stress reaction” is the same terminology that is used in the UK for the term “metatarsalgia”.

This question points out how confusing these two terms can be when you have forefoot pain that might be a stress fracture, might be a plantar plate sprain, or could even be a neuroma.

Are stress “reaction” and “metatarsalgia” the same terms?

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

#609 How can a 2nd metatarsal stress fracture cause a 5th metatarsal stress reaction?

I was just on a call with a cross-country runner who had had a second metatarsal stress reaction.

A stress reaction is basically like a mild stress fracture, but without any crack in the bone.

She was doing well and her foot had been getting better.

But then when she went for her first run, she had pain in her foot.

The pain during that first run was in a completely different bone. The new problem was not in the second metatarsal, it was in the fifth metatarsal on the outside of the foot.

Let’s talk about how that happens.

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast we’re talking about how a second metatarsal stress fracture might cause a fifth metatarsal stress reaction.

#606 Can I run in cleats with a stress fracture?

Imagine your doctor tells you that you have a metatarsal stress fracture and you should not run.

Why would you come home from the doctor and call me asking, “Can I run in cleats with a stress fracture?”

Believe it or not, that actually happened.

In this case we are talking about an athlete who is actually getting better and who wanted to train on the track.

He wanted to run in cleats.

Aside from the uncertainty, he was doing okay. He was a little hesitant and wasn’t sure if cleats would aggravate the injury right or not.

Can I run in cleats with a stress fracture?

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

#533 What is a grade 5 metatarsal stress fracture?

If you’re a runner and you think you have a grade five stress fracture because your radiology report said that or some doctor told you that, well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, is that you don’t even have a stress fracture if you have a grade five stress fracture. It’s not a stress fracture at all. The bad news is, is a grade five stress fracture, is what we call a non-union, where you had a stress fracture, but that stress fracture actually failed to heal. You have basically an unhealed, and probably not going to heal, stress fracture, unless you do something. What is a grade five metatarsal stress fracture? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

#518 How long to wait before running with a stress fracture?

I got a question from a runner who’s had a metatarsal stress fracture who’s very frustrated, who’s trying to figure out how to get back to running. He went and saw a doctor and he was told that he had a stress fracture and the doctor told him to take some time off of running. Then he started watching some YouTube videos, started listening to some podcasts, and then asked me a very serious question: How long do I have to wait to run with a metatarsal stress fracture? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On the Run podcast.

#511 Can a stress fracture spread from one metatarsal to the bone next to it?

One thing that’s really demoralizing if you get a stress fracture is to spend a bunch of time in a fracture walking boot and then go get something like an MRI and be shocked and horrified when the doctor says, “Well, not only do you have a stress fracture in that bone, it looks like you’ve got a stress fracture in another bone as well.” If you think this stress fracture might have spread well, it could. But not the way an infection would spread. There is a way that stress related inflammation in a neighboring bone can spread after getting the original stress fracture. Can a stress fractures spread from one bone to another? That’s a great question and that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#505 Can I ski with a metatarsal stress fracture?

This may seem like a crazy question when you first think about it, because skiing seems like a high stress activity. But I have had lots of runners who have asked me this question, and usually when they do, they have thought about it, and they point out that a ski boot is a very stiff and very protective piece of equipment. The question though is not really, if it’s safe for you to wear the boot, the problem is, is it safe for you to ski with the boot and that leads to several questions that you’ve really got to ask yourself if you want to think about whether or not it’s actually safe for you to do it. Can I ski with a metatarsal stress fracture? Well, that’s a great question and that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#503 First aid for metatarsal stress fracture in a runner

Let’s say you’re out on a run and you start noticing this weird aching pain in your foot and so you suspect you have a metatarsal stress fracture. I often get consultation calls and webcam visits, and I even do house calls for athletes who have metatarsal stress fractures. The good news is that a lot of the times, if you actually do something, when you first notice that aching pain in your foot, when you’re running, it may not actually be a true stress fracture. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about the five most important things you can do for first aid for a metatarsal stress fracture if you’re a runner.

#480 Can a 5th metatarsal stress fracture posterior tibial tendinitis?

This is a great question from a runner I’ve been helping in the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday coaching group. She had a fifth metatarsal fracture and wanted to know if this could actually cause posterior tibial tendonitis. Since they’re on the opposite sides of the foot, a lot of people think that it won’t cause the same kind of problem, because you wouldn’t expect to have problems on both the left and right sides of the same foot. Can a fifth metatarsal fracture cause posterior tibial tendonitis? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#470 Doctor has a runner with a stress fracture for 2 months

I was just given a talk at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation’s 40th Annual Hawaii Seminar.
And at the end of the session, we got a couple of questions from the audience during the live Q&A for the doctors.
A doctor in the audience she had a runner who is one of her patients.
This runner had been basically running on a mild stress fracture, which I would really consider a stress reaction, for a period of about two months but wanted to do a race.
Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we’re talking about what a doctor should do when she is helping a runner with a stress fracture who has been running on it for 2 months and still wants to run a race.