I just got a call from a runner who I have seen before. He had swelling in his Achilles tendon, and he was worried about it. He was worried that he could have a ruptured or completely torn Achilles tendon. If you are a runner and you get a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon, this is one of the worst things that could possibly happen to you. A torn Achilles is way worse than a broken bone. The worst thing you could do is ignore a torn Achilles. You do not want to ignore it! Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about an easy at home test you can do if you think you have a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon.
Every time I am in the Recovering Runner's Aid Station where I answer questions for injured runners, I get questions about how to get an advantage. Everybody wants an advantage. I don't think most people cheat. There are some people who cheat, but certainly not everyone. But I think it is okay to look for an unfair advantage when you're injured and you're trying to get back to running. The truth is, getting an unfair advantage when you are injured is actually really easy to do. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about three unfair advantages in healing running injuries.
Let's say you are out running on a trail and you catch a root and you roll your ankle. You limp back home and you realize that your ankle is all swollen. It is bruised, it hurts and you're really bummed out. You are trying to figure out what you can do to get this thing to calm down faster and get back to running. Well, there are lots of different options. How can a diagnostic injection help an ankle sprain? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc on the Run podcast.
I was just lecturing at the International Foot and Ankle Foundation meeting in Seattle. I was giving talks on running injuries. A doctor in the audience asked me if "not running" was the safest way for runners to heal running injuries. Keep in mind, this was a doctor asking the question. Have you ever thought this makes sense? After all, if a runner gets a running injury, and they stop running, that's the safest way to get it to heal. Or is it? Do you agree that not running is the safest way to heal a running injury? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.
Let's consider you are a runner with a painful neuroma. The more you run, the more painful the foot becomes. But it only started with some weird little sensations. Eventually it starts to get more numb. You notice more tingling, then more burning pain. Now your doctor wants to talk you into surgery. You just want the problem fixed. So you go to the operating room and then you're shocked to find out that you still have pain later. By the way...that's not malpractice. It just means you had a bad outcome. But if you're the runner, you've got to figure out what to do. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about two different types of injections your doctor might offer you after a failed neuroma surgery.
I was listening to a podcast about the way that disagreements happen. He said, anytime there's a disagreement, no matter what, there are two possibilities. If there are two people arguing about something, one person could be right, and the other could be wrong. That means roughly speaking, there's a 50% chance that one person is wrong all the time. This is true of physicians as well. Let's say, I come to your home to see you and help you with a metatarsal stress fracture. You've been told you have a neuroma. But it seems like you have a stress fracture, based on your x-rays or your story. What if there's a 50% chance your doctor might be wrong? Well, that's what we're talking about today on The Doc on the Run Podcast.
One of the questions I got in the Runners Aid Station was: “Do I really need a fracture walking boot?” This is a runner who went to the doctor, and was told, "You have extensor tenosynovitis. The best way to get it to calm down is to remove the inflammation and stop aggravating the tendons." If you get aching pain on the top of your foot, it might be caused by an irritated extensor tendon sheath (which is the little tube around the extensor tendons as it goes out to the toes on the top of the foot). If so, you might be thinking you need something drastic to stop the tendons from moving so it can calm down. Do I need a fracture walking boot for extensor tenosynovitis? Well, that's what we're talking about today, on the Doc On The Run podcast.
Maybe you have been taking some time off because you have been injured. Maybe you took some time off because you spent way too much time in a fracture walking boot. Maybe all of your training just took a backseat to all the chaos and confusion of the pandemic. But none of that would be as bad as having a doctor tell you that your hip was injured because you are just way too fat to run! Irrespective of why, if you are a runner, and you feel like you are running just a little bit too slow, I can promise this discussion is going to help you today! We are going to talk about why it's not really so bad to be in the slow zone. You're getting to hear from Martinus Evans, host of the The 300 Pounds and Running Podcast Network, who runs the "Slow AF Run Club” and who is also the author of the "Zero to Running" guide. Today on the Doc On the Run Podcast, we’re talking about 300 Pounds and Running!
If you're reading this, it's probably not because you love toenail fungus. It it also probably not because you think black toenails are pretty. In fact, you probably think both are pretty gross and you would be right. But this bruised black toenails and toenail fungus joining the party is mostly preventable. All runners should understand the circumstances that can put you at risk of getting a fungus infection in the nail which runners call "toenail fungus," or which doctors call "onychomycosis." It is often the fungus that actually causes the skin infection called athlete's foot. It's very, very common. Fungus is all over the place! Don't freak out, but it's probably in your shoes right now! Whether or not the fungal spores and fungal filaments will cause an infection on your feet, just depends upon the circumstances that you set up as a runner that actually allow it to get in and cause real trouble. How can a bruised toenail from running cause toenail fungus? Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.
If you get a plantar plate sprain, the first thing you may notice is pain and irritation at the ball of the foot, right where the second toe attaches to the foot. If the foot feels swollen, puffy or sore in that spot, it could be a plantar plate sprain. A one common injection performed for plantar plate ligament sprains is a corticosteroid injection. I just spoke with a runner who thought the doctor did the injection in the wrong part of the foot. She saw a podiatrist, and the doctor did a corticosteroid injection for the plantar plate sprain. She was confused afterward and asked me if the doctor did the injection with the right or wrong technique. I'll explain why she was confused. I think my doctor did the wrong injection for the plantar plate ligament. Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.