Doc On The Run Podcast

This morning I was on a telemedicine call 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 s...

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...

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 n...

"Time heals all wounds.”  Or at least that is the saying.    The 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...

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 and this guy is not a new runner. He actually 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...

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about what is capsulitis in the big toe joint. 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 and when we started talking, she was a little dismayed because she said that she was given this diagnosis of capsulitis an...

I just got 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...

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...

This past weekend, I was giving a lecture at a medical conference. It was the International Foot and Ankle Foundation Conference that was supposed to be in Las Vegas, but it ended up being an online conference as many of these conferences are these days. But in any event, it's a large medical conference where doctors, foot and ankle surgeons, podiatrist, where they all go to get continuing medical...

Today on the Doc on the Run Podcast, we're talking about how a grade one stress fracture is not a stress fracture at all. This weekend I was lecturing at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation meeting, which was supposed to be in Las Vegas, but it ended up being online, as many things are these days. But still, this is one of the largest medical conferences that is put on by the International...

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 pa...

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's 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...

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 difficul...

I just got off a telemedicine 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...

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...

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 y...

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 stres...

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....

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 Do...

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 somethin...

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 be...

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...

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...

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...

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 rou...