#1008 Why runners get re-injured 1 to 2 months into healing

This morning I was on a consultation call with a runner at 4:30 a.m. and he’s been suffering from a plantar plate injury. But he’s been doing pretty well. He actually just finished his first run!

Now, what I asked him about was his plan for his next run. What he said, made me uneasy.

It seemed risky, and I started kind of squirming as he was describing his plan to me. It wasn’t really a bad plan. It wasn’t really a crazy plan. But based on all the experience I have working with injured runners, I knew it was riskier than it needed to be.

And this is why I decided to record this episode. Because it happens to almost every injured runner! So don’t let it happen to you!

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about why runners get re-injured one to two months into healing.

#913 How big is the plantar plate ligament?

How big is the plantar plate ligament? Well, great question and that is what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.     I was just on a consultation call, it was actually a webcam call with a runner who has had a plantar plate injury. One of the things we […]

#895 Is stress on the plantar plate ligament bad for runners?

I was just on a call with an injured runner who has been healing from a plantar plate sprain. If you have had one of these, you know they’re problematic.

The thing was that he asked me a question that really made me stop and think.

What he asked was, “Is stress good or bad for the plantar plate ligament?”

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

#886 Should I expect to have plantar plate pain when I resume running

One of the most difficult running injuries is a plantar plate injury.

I know, because I have had a plantar plate sprain myself.

Plantar plate sprains are really frustrating because the plantar plate is a very small ligament. It takes very little to aggravate or stress the plantar plate, to irritate it, to stretch it, strain it, or injure it further when you are running.

I had a patient who asked a really interesting question. He said:

“Should I expect to have pain as soon as I start running?”

I basically said, “Well, if you do, you are doing it wrong, because if you are having pain, you are stretching and straining the ligament in the way that is predictably going to re-injure it.”

Should I expect to have some pain when I return to running after healing a plantar plate sprain?

Great question and that is what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.

#881 Can I run in zero drop shoes after plantar plate sprain heals?

I was just on a call with a runner who had a plantar plate injury that has been bothering him for about a year and a half.

We did a series of calls to talk about some changes in his treatment that could get him moving in the right direction.

He asked me a great question when I was on a call with him this morning.

He said:

“Can I run in zero drop shoes once it is really healed? Not today, but like when it is really, really healed and it is stronger and all that kind of stuff.”

I said, “You can do whatever you want, you just have to be willing to pay the consequences.”

Can I run in zero drop shoes after a plantar plate sprain heals?

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

#865 3 mistakes runners make that lead to plantar plate surgery

I know. You don’t want plantar plate surgery.

But if your plantar plate ligament doesn’t repair itself, or your doctor doesn’t help it repair itself, you might get talked into surgery.

If you have plantar plate repair surgery, you may spend a lot less time running over the weeks following surgery…because you have to let it heal.

There are really three mistakes that I see runners make when they’ve had a plantar plate injury. This episode will help you avoid them.

What are 3 big mistakes runners make that lead to plantar plate surgery?

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

#868 Is plantar fascia really a ligament?

This episode comes from a question posted by one of the Doc On The Run YouTube viewers as a comment on the video “Where to run with plantar fasciitis.”

In the video, I was trying to explain which surfaces can help you the most when you’re trying to run with plantar fasciitis. The only way to do that is to make sure you are decreasing the stress and strain on the plantar fascia ligament.

But the question was…

Is the plantar fascia really a ligament?

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

#867 3 ways a doctor convinces you you need plantar plate surgery

There are three ways that a doctor might convince you that it’s really time to have surgery and fix that plantar plate ligament that’s been making you miserable when you’ve been trying to run.

To you, it may not seem that bad. It kind of aches. It kind of swells. It kind of bugs you. But then the doctor suddenly says, “Look, it’s not getting better, let’s have surgery.”

Well, how does the doctor convince you that it’s time for surgery? What are the things a doctor does, that might actually lead you to believe that it really is time to have surgery?

What are the three ways that a doctor might convince you that you need surgery if you’re a runner with a plantar plate injury?

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

#863 Plantar plate surgery is a failure to act quickly

Most of the runners I see who have pain in the ball of the foot from a plantar plate sprain rarely start out with a completely torn plantar plate tear.

More often, runners ignore the pain from the plantar plate sprain and it evolves into a full thickness plantar plate tear.

Surgery is only needed when the plantar plate is torn in such a way that the plantar plate ligament cannot be expected to heal without surgery.

But there are some mistakes that could lead a runner to the operating room.

Plantar plate surgery is a failure to act quickly.

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

#857 2 reasons toe drifts sideways with plantar plate injury

If you got pain on the ball of the foot, at the base on the 2nd, and you have been running in a minimalist shoe, running uphill, doing lots of calf raises, or running on steps, you could have an injury to a little bitty ligament called the plantar plate ligament.

If you get an injury to the plantar plate, sometimes your second toe will drift toward your big toe or away from your big toe. The toe drifting sideways can happen for two different reasons.

They are very different causes and so they are treated differently.

Why does the toe drift sideways when you have a plantar plate injury?

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