Doc On The Run Podcast

There is nothing worse than being told to stop running, especially when you have no idea how long you're not going to be able to run.  You like your doctor. She is nice. She is smart and helpful. She seems to really care about your running, and even listens to you talk about your last run.  But when she tells you, that you cannot run, there are three questions that you need to ask. Today on the Do...

When you get a stress fracture, the main thing you are trying to do is figure out how bad it is. How much does it hurt? How can you get it to heal as quickly as possible? Although inflammation is an important part of the healing process, it can be very disruptive to two parts of your process of getting back to running.    What are the two worst things about inflammation when you have a stress frac...

When you get a stress fracture, the main thing you are trying to do is figure out how bad it is. How much does it hurt? How can you get it to heal as quickly as possible? Although inflammation is an important part of the healing process, it can be very disruptive to two parts of your process of getting back to running.    What are the two worst things about inflammation when you have a stress frac...

One of the most useless obsessions I witness in runners is to focus on the grade a doctor uses to label the stress fracture.  You should care if you can run, you should care if you can work out, you should care if you have to sit around in a fracture walking boot and do nothing. Most of the time runners call me and they are trying to get an answer from me on what they can do, I know their stress f...

Ibuprofen is a very popular medication among runners. I have seen ibuprofen tablets scattered on the course at every marathon and triathlon I have ever done.  Runners take it when they have aches and pains, or to get through races, but I can tell you that there is only one valid reason to take ibuprofen. To me, the only time a runner with a stress fracture should take ibuprofen is when you have wh...

If you are a runner, it is critical that you do not lose your running fitness while waiting for a stress fracture to heal. Because that puts you at risk of getting another stress fracture once you have recovered and start running again.  I am always trying to think about a way that I can simplify the explanations of what I do with runners when they call me because they are not getting better after...

After you recover from a stress fracture and you are getting back to running, there really are some details you have to pay attention to if you want to avoid a re-injury.  The name of the game is increasing your activity to the point that your metatarsal stress fracture can withstand the stresses you are applying to it.  What are the two most dangerous parts of a run when you have a stress fractur...

When you get a metatarsal stress fracture from running, if you get a crack in the bone, it will eventually start to heal. If you keep exercising, walking, running, doing elliptical training, and you are aggravating the fracture at all, the bone callus will get larger.  Over time, the bone callus will remodel, and that lump will get thinner. The lump of bone will get smaller. But if you are having...

Metatarsal stress fractures are something I talk about a lot because they are one of the most common reasons a runner has to stop running.  One of the reasons you would stop running is that you do not want something called "plastic deformation" of the healing metatarsal.  What is plastic deformation of a metatarsal stress fracture in a runner? Well, that is what we're talking about today on the Do...

If you get an aching pain in your foot when you are running, and it turns out it is a metatarsal stress fracture, you are not alone. Stress fractures are extremely common.  But the last thing that you need is to stop running, take all this time off, get it to heal, and then get re-injured when you start running again.  There really are only three reasons that I see in runners when they get re-inju...

One of the most common causes of foot pain in runners is a metatarsal stress fracture.  Most of the runners who get a metatarsal stress fracture, complain of an aching pain in the middle, on top of the foot.  This episode is going to explain some of the reasons a runner may have pain after a metatarsal stress fracture has “healed” and you are starting to run again.  What are five causes of foot pa...

Imagine you are months into training for an ultra-marathon. You are entering your peak build phase. You feel strong. You're excited about your upcoming race and the possibility of a new PR.   Then you get an aching pain in your foot and you're told you have a stress fracture.    If you found yourself in that exact situation, and you had to choose one, which would you pick:   1. a doctor who unders...

Today's episode comes from a comment posted on one of the videos on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel. This was on the video that this person watched. It was called, “Can I still run after I heal a fibular stress fracture?” and in that video, I was trying to talk about how you can decide basically whether or not you can run after you have had a fibular stress fracture.  He said: “Hello, I got a f...

Today's episode actually comes from a comment posted on a video on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel. That specific video was entitled "Best Exercise for Plantar Plate Sprain in Runners." “Hi Doc, awesome help in all these plantar plate videos. I have been told by my podiatrist that I have a grade one possible border lane, grade two sprain/tear, and I am struggling to get it to heal while I keep...

Today's episode comes from a comment posted on a video on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel. He posted a comment, and he said: “This happened to me, I got a stress fracture on my right foot in the third metatarsal. I stopped all sports for two months and somehow ended up with two more stress fractures.” Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about somebody who stopped sports for two m...

Tibial stress fractures can be serious, and seriously frustrating if you don't treat them appropriately and aggressively. Today's episode from a question on one of the Doc On The Run YouTube videos.  As you can guess from his question, I am sure Simon must be frustrated.  He asked: Can a tibial stress fracture still hurt after 11 months? Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talkin...

There really are three steps that I figured out that you need to do if you have a stress fracture but need to start running.   Runners call me or ask questions about whether they can run with a "grade 2" or a "grade 3" stress fracture, but many times they do not even understand what that means.    Truth is, the runner has not actually figured out how bad the stress fracture is, right now.   What a...

If you have a second metatarsal stress fracture, and you want to stop stressing the second metatarsal, so it can heal faster, you must take stress off that bone.  If you apply more pressure to all metatarsals (except the second), it will heal faster.  One of the runners who signed up for the metatarsal stress fracture course for runners was doing better and had starting to run.  He asked me a ques...

One of the most common runners’ injuries I see for second opinion is a plantar plate sprain.  A plantar plate sprain happens usually on the bottom of the second toe. It is a little bitty ligament that gets sprained or partially torn.  Most of those runners with a plantar plate injury want to know how long is it going to take to get back to running. Recently a few runners told me they asked chat GP...

The navicular bone isn't a big bone, but is a critically important one. A fracture of the navicular is one of the most frightening things that I see in runners.  If you get a navicular stress fracture, there are a few mistakes that I often notice. If you can recognize them, you may spend a lot less time in a fracture boot, or off running.  What are the top five navicular stress fracture mistakes I...

I get lots of questions from injured runners about stress fractures.  As a consequence, one of the most common questions I get is, "How long before I can run if I get a second metatarsal stress fracture."  So, in this case I decided to ask Dr. CHAT-GPT that question and see what happens! How long before I can run with a second metatarsal stress fracture?  Well, that is a great question and that is...

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking with Dr. Ralph Gonzalez about running UTMB Mont Blanc after recovering from a plantar plate sprain and Achilles tendinosis. Specifically, he's here to talk about his path from injury to crossing the finish line at UTMB and what inspired him to run the challenging race. From plantar plate sprain and Achilles tendinitis to running UTMB Mont-Blanc.

I was talking with an injured runner who had a stress fracture in the second metatarsal bone. He was working hard to get it to heal faster. He had gone through the stress fracture course for runners, and he was doing great. He asked me a question: When can I walk at home barefoot with a second metatarsal stress fracture?  Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on...

I have recently had a rash of runners with navicular fractures.  The navicular is a bone that is right on the top of your foot, in front of your ankle and it's also at the apex of your arch. Navicular fractures are scary because doctors often recommend surgery.  There are four times when you might really need to have surgery for a navicular fracture and in this episode, we are going to talk about...