I recently did a consultation with a runner who had gotten a plantar plate injury. He had been getting better by using some of the tricks I teach in the Plantar Plate Course For Runners.
He got better, he was protecting it, he reduced the stress and strain on the ligament, and he got back to running. He was doing great.
But then he had a setback when he went to the synagogue. He was dressed up and wearing some fancy dress shoes, and he started to get plantar plate pain again.
Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about how dress shoes with a long toe box can actually work as a lever against your plantar plate.
View Details »If you get a plantar plate sprain, it can take a long time to heal, particularly if you’re not paying close attention.
And because of that, many runners get frustrated.
I see 2 responses to that frustration:
1) go to the doctor and hope for some kind of quick fix.
2) just ignore it and run on it because it doesn’t really hurt that bad.
Both of those are bad ideas with plantar plate injuries in runners.
What are two ways capsulitis can actually lead to a plantar plate rupture?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »If you’re a runner with a plantar plate sprain, I can understand why you’re frustrated.
You have some minor vague aching pain in the ball of the foot, and you’re trying to get back to running, but you’re getting lots of conflicting advice.
In my experience, it’s very rare that a runner gets a plantar plate injury from what I call “overtraining.”
Plantar plate ligaments don’t get sprained because you ran way too much, or ran too many miles. It doesn’t really happen that way. But they do get injured by workouts designed to support your running fitness.
What are three running drills that might lead to a plantar plate sprain?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »I often get nutrition questions from runners who have overtraining injuries involving tissues made of collagen like the plantar plate ligament.
At the heart of these questions is what is the most important ingredient to add in their diet to speed recovery.
In this episode we are briefly discussing the key ingredients your body needs to repair collagen. If you are missing these, you might have a slower repair process if you have a partial tear of the plantar plate ligament itself.
What is the most important ingredient to a runner after a plantar plate sprain?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »If you are a runner struggling with a plantar plate sprain, it is probably going to be extremely frustrating trying to get it to heal so you can get back to running.
The plantar plate a very small ligament. It does not have a great blood supply. Every time you take a step, you put pressure on the plantar plate. Every time your heel comes up off the ground when you walk, you stretch the plantar plate.
Because it is so difficult to heal, runners typically have frustrating setbacks.
That state of discouragement makes it pretty easy for a doctor to talk you into plantar plate surgery.
When should a runner just give up and have plantar plate surgery for a plantar plate sprain?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »Today’s episode comes from a second opinion discussion with a runner suffering with a nagging plantar plate ligament injury.
She was considering surgery for a plantar plate sprain.
Truth is, her plantar plate sprain was not really that bad.
It’s pretty common when runners have trouble healing a plantar plate sprain, the doctor may recommend a number of different surgeries.
One of those surgeries is where we actually shorten a bone in an attempt to decrease the tension and pressure on the plantar plate ligament.
Should a runner have surgery to shorten a long second metatarsal bone?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »Perhaps the most nagging injury, and most difficult to deal with if you’re a runner, is something called a “plantar plate sprain.”
The plantar plate ligament is on the bottom of the foot, usually at the base of the second toe.
I got a question from a runner who actually had a plantar plate injury. She also happened to have bunions. So, she asked:
“Do bunions cause plantar plate sprains in runners?”
That’s a great question and that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »If you have been told you have a plantar plate sprain, you’re probably already really frustrated.
Even minor plantar plate tears can be nagging injuries that are very difficult to get better while you’re running on them.
The bottom line is, you’ve got to make sure that the plantar plate ligament improves because (in general) plantar plate sprains are either getting worse or they’re getting better.
One of the questions I get all the time from runners is what is really the best study for a plantar plate injury.
What’s the best imaging study for a runner who is suspected of having a plantar plate injury?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »There are times when you might have a suspected stress fracture in your foot. If so, your doctor may order an X-ray.
There are other times when it’s extremely unlikely that you have a broken bone at all, but it is almost certainly just a soft tissue injury.
One of the questions I get a lot from runners with plantar plate sprains is how to make sure the pain is not from a stress fracture.
I have only seen one case where somebody had fracture pain in the exact same spot you would have pain when you had a plantar plate injury.
Can a fracture in the metatarsal seem like a plantar plate sprain?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
View Details »I was recently doing a second opinion consultation with a runner over a webcam to review the MRI of his foot.
What we found was that he had what looked to be attenuation and a partial tear in the plantar plate ligament on his MRI.
There was a lot of inflammation in the foot around the ligament, not just within the ligament itself.
He asked me was really good question:
“Could my plantar plate ligament been have injured long before I ever got an MRI?”
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast.
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