Doc On The Run Podcast

Plantar fasciitis is by far the most common cause of arch pain in runners.  Not surprisingly, most runners who get heel pain or arch pain think they have plantar fasciitis. But sometimes runners have a more serious injury where there is actually a rip, a tear or what doctors referred to as a partial rupture of the plantar fascia ligament. The problem with this more serious injury is that it doesn'...

Today was on a consultation call with a runner who is had a long history of Achilles tendon problems.  She's recently tried some new things that made an improvement.  But the problem is she's not really certain the improvement is from the new treatments she's been doing. Because she simultaneously decreased her activity a bit.  So now she's in this place where she is trying to figure out what to d...

Some runners become concerned that if they run in custom orthotics they may become weaker and unable to run without the custom orthotics working as a sort of crutch. Theoretically, if you have been running for a long time with custom orthotics support your feet may be accustomed to, or in some sense even dependent upon that external stability and support. The question is…do orthotics provide relie...

Running injuries only happen in two scenarios: 1. We do something stupid. We do something we know that was foolhardy and we shouldn't have done it. 2. We sustain an injury while pushing for progress. We are getting stronger. We are pushing ourselves to the limit. And we just push a little too far. But anyone can get injured. In fact, for those athletes who do experience rapid success, it can even...

All overtraining injuries are the result of too much tissue damage, without enough recovery to fully heal, before the next workout “causes” a running injury.  My personal belief is that most running injuries are the result of failing to trust your training plan and your coach.  You need a coach to help you stay on track. I think a coach is someone who can quiet your fears when its time to push the...

No one trains for long distance events, nor successfully completes a long distance event without a great deal of discipline. Most experienced runners can run a long way, regardless of footwear. And it is mostly highly experienced runners to start investigating the idea of barefoot running or running in minimalist running shoes. There are many reasons minimalist running shoes appeal to endurance ru...

When a runner’s joint wears out, one option is to remove the damaged cartilage and replace the joint through artificial joint surgery. The problem is, artificial joints typically wear out a lot faster than normal joints. The base assumption is the running will wear out an artificial total joint replacement. More than 25 years ago an orthopedic surgeon told me that I should stop running.  He said i...

Most runners wear running shoes when they run. And the type of shoes you choose can help protect you from the forces of running. If you have high arches, in general at your feet are more stable and more rigid. A rigid foot type generally translates to higher peak forces when you run, and particularly when you land as a heel striker. Cushioning type running shoes can help protect your feet from the...

If the running shoes are perfect for you, they will help provide support and cushioning to protect you from the pounding forces of running. In theory, running shoes should protect you from overloading structures in a way that could lead to an over training injury. If you are a runner and your have flat feet, you need “motion control” running shoes. Motion control running shoes, pronation control r...

Very few things are worse to a runner than a running injury. When you run, pain is mandatory, but running injuries are optional. If you have ever been injured it is devastating. To add salt to the wound, while you sit on the couch recovering, but getting weaker, you realize it is preventable. Today we talking with the RunRx founder Valerie Hunt about the importance of developing better running for...

Every cloud has a silver lining. If you're injured right now, you need to look for the value in the discomfort right in front of you.  If you have pain when you are exercising there is a risk you will do damage to the healing tissue. That's why doctors tell you to stop running. Doctors don't necessarily want you to lose all of your fitness, but they don't want you to make the injury worse. If you...

“All in moderation.” I'm not sure who said that, but it definitely was not an endurance athlete.  Unfortunately the idea of training in moderation, treatment of running injuries in moderation and everything in between has infected the recovering runner's world. We do our speed work too slow and our base training too fast.  As a consequence of that moderation of our workouts we do not reap the full...

"If you’re not training, you’re not getting more fit." - Mark Allen The very best way to lose all of your running fitness is to get injured and be forced to stop training. Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with 6-Time Ironman World Champion Mark Allen about the importance of preventing preventable running injuries.  In this episode Mark is going to share with you three and truly u...

A runner who was listening to the Doc On The Run Podcast asked about the association between low aerobic fitness and running injuries. Any runner who gets an injury does so simply because the tissue has not performed the way it should. The harder your tissues work when you exercise, the more oxygen they require. When you are working hard and simultaneously depriving your tissues of oxygen, you're...

Runners want to run. Ballet dancers want to dance.  But runners just run. Ballet dancers, don’t just dance.  Ballet dancers practice the basic moments that make them better dancers.  I just recorded a new Doc On the Run Podcast interview with Valerie, the founder or RunRx.  That interview is coming out soon (so watch for it), but she made such a great point, I thought you should hear about her bal...

I just got off a call with a runner who broke his little toe and he is trying to get back to running. Pain when running is one signal that you are disrupting the healing process. His main question was if he could run without pain, is it okay to run on the broken toe before it is fully healed? He is concerned that if he runs and the broken toe doesn't heal, that would obviously lead to problems and...

When you get injured, you can lose ground very, very fast. You don't have to lose all of your fitness just because you're in the recovery process.  Don't throw in the towel.  Don't give up.  Do something.  Stay fit through the injury recover process.  Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about the two rules from Warren Buffet that can help injured runners.

“Weakness causes running injuries.”  If you're a runner who has been injured, you probably feel that's a little bit like rubbing salt in the wound.  But make no mistake about this, if you get injured, it's because you are weak.  By definition, all over-training injuries are a result of weakness. Specifically, tissue weakness. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about how weakness cau...

Why do you wear running shoes? Running shoes are supposed to cushion when you land.  Running shoes are supposed to prevent some of the damaging forces when you run. Running shoes are supposed to supposed to support your feet when you run.  Running shoes are supposed to supposed to protect you when you run.  Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about how worn out running shoes cause ru...

Races really don't injure runners. Any runner who gets injured in a race really did the damage long before the actual running event. During the build phase, you actually feel really strong. Your muscles are getting stronger. Your aerobic fitness is in good shape.  But your tendons, ligaments and bones don’t build strength as fast as the muscles.  They are all actually more prone to injury during t...

I believe in research. I am absolutely convinced that if the study or clinical trial shows a high likelihood you will have an adverse event like a heart attack or stroke when you take a medication, you probably should not take that medication. Clinical research can show you very clearly what you should not do.  Clinical research however does not always show you so clearly what you should do. And t...

Toenail fungus is gross!  And believe it or not, toenail fungus, the stuff that causes athlete's foot, it's all the same, and it lives in your home. If you get toenail fungus or if you get athlete's foot and you're treating either of those fungal infections on your feet and you're a runner, you have to make sure that you get rid of all of the fungus in the areas in your home where it accumulates i...

When plantar fasciitis first starts, doctors call that an “acute case” of plantar fasciitis. Acute plantar fasciitis (which just started) should be treated differently than chronic plantar fasciitis (that has been around for months).  There are 2 common mistakes runners make with plantar fasciitis. There are also 3 things runners should so do right when plantar fasciitis begins if you really want...

If you run and ignore that aching pain in your foot it could be a metatarsal stress fracture. If you're strong as an ox and half as smart and you keep running, and ignore the pain, you could actually break the metatarsal bone. If the broken metatarsal bone moves out of position your doctor may recommend surgery to put the bone back in its proper position and stabilize it with pins, plates and scre...

Most of the time when runners go to the doctor with a running injury, the doctor tells you to quit running. The doctor is simply trying to pick the simplest fastest way to reduce the stress and strain on the injured tissue. But of course, runners want to run. Whenever runners call me for a consultation and it is always because they really want to know the answer to one specific question: “Can I ru...