Runners glorify the suffering needed to keep moving in spite of pain, and the payoff is almost always increased fitness, and improvements and mental fortitude needed for running endurance. No pain, no gain is a terrible approach when you are an injured runner. If you really want to get back to training, racing in full return to running fitness as fast as possible after a running injury you have to stop causing pain in that one injured part. Do not confuse that with stopping running-related exercise. That's the lazy doctor's way.  In this episode, we discuss a different, better approach for runners. 

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking about Mental Rehab for Recovering Runners with Mental Skills Coach Carrie Jackson. It may sound dramatic, but in reference to doctors casually telling runners they just cannot run a race (when maybe the runner could run), or worse…they may never run again, Carrie says, “These doctors have no idea the trauma they are causing to the runner by saying that.” Carrie co-authored “Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries.” So, she is not just empathetic toward runners, she is 100% qualified to help runners get your mojo back after a serious injury sets you back physically, and the pain of recovery sets you back mentally. Not only is she a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, but Carrie is also the host of the Injured Athlete’s Club Podcast. If you have an injury, and you feel down. There is a solution. Listen in to Carrie, and you will find it.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Dr. Samantha Braun about training fro Ultra’s, running Hell’s Hills and how her training as a Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Physician helps her avoid overtraining injuries. How do you think you're training in rehabilitation help you understand your own mechanics, physical training limits and overtraining injury prevention while training for Ultra’s?  During the 50 mile trail race, what did you do to restore a more positive mindset and keep running to your potential? Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently to prevent that injury from happening? Right now there is some runner listening who is suffering from an over training injury, and very likely of how demoralized they have become as a consequence of not running. If she was sitting there in front of you right now and you knew this about her, what advice would you give her to encourage her to keep healing, working and getting stronger so that she could get back to running?

Over the past couple of months I have done a whole bunch of stress fracture strategy calls with runners who seem to be stuck. I take notes every time I do those calls and there're number of steps that all of them seem to be missing. Let's face it, if they weren't missing some critical steps, we would've never gotten on a call to try to figure out a strategy to get them back on the path to healing and running again. In this episode I'm going to explain the five critical stress fracture steps every runner should take if they really want to get back to training and back to running as quickly as possible. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we're talking about the five critical stress fracture steps for runners.

I just got off of a Stress Fracture Strategy call with a real runner who has been suffering from a stress fracture for 47 days.  Over the past five weeks she has been getting worse, not better. And she hasn’t even been running for more than a month! If you have a stress fracture, or a stress reaction and you are: 1. worried about canceling race because of a stress fracture2. your stress fracture is not getting better fast enough3. worried you're going to lose your running fitness waiting for the stress fracture to heal  This episode will help you understand the strategies I use whenever I worked directly with runners with stress fractures, and apply those strategies to help you figure out how to speed up your stress fracture recovery.

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Alexandre Dufresne about his journey and getting back to running after having suffered 2 metatarsal stress fractures at same time! If you think back about your training leading up to the 2 stress fractures, if you could go back in time, do you think there's any one thing you could have changed in your training routine that might have prevented it from developing into such a serious problem? Listen up to find out!

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Patrick Durante about Automatic Negative Thoughts and how they affect runners.   Many years ago I was having a discussion about daily stressors with a friend of mine name Maury. He said something I have never forgotten.   “It's not the lions and tigers that will get you. It's the ants and mosquitoes because problems.”   Every single over training injury that afflicts runners as a consequence of developing too much stress. The constant buzzing of mosquitoes and ants may drive you crazy. And Today we are talking about the creepy, crawly kind of ant, but A.N.T. or Automatic Negative Thoughts that buzz through our heads and inhibit our ability to finish races on time, complete training runs in a gratifying way, and may even may inhibit our recovery from hard workouts or over training injuries.

If you're a runner with a stress fracture you're probably trying to figure out everything you can do right now this going to speed up healing of the injured bone, so you can get back to running as soon as possible.   If you have been thinking about bone broth or nutritional supplements like vitamin D and calcium you already know how important it is to get the nutritional building blocks into your system so your osteoblast cells can't start repairing and rebuilding the crack in the bone.   Did you know there's actually a cookbook written specifically to address the nutritional requirements four building healthy bones? Well, there is…it is called The Healthy Bones Plant-Based Nutrition Plan and Cookbook and in today’s episode I am getting to got to sit down with Dr. Laura Kelly who wrote that cookbook.

No matter what injury you have, it could be a stress fracture or it could be tendinitis or it could be a sprained ligament, but whatever you do you have to sure you don’t get re-injured, because that could be brutally demoralizing! Because most runners think jogging is a lot easier than “real running” you might presume it’s a lot safer for you to just start jogging to test out your state of recovery. Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about why jogging is a terrible way to test the state of healing of a running injury.

Hussein asked me an interesting question. He said,  “I fractured my tibia and fibula. Is it normal after 50 days the fracture is still visible under x-ray, but I am walking with crutches and putting partial weight bearing without any pain or discomfort? My treatment was with a fiberglass cast without any surgery since the bones were not displaced.” Is it normal for a fracture to be visible on my x-ray after 50 days?  Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

If you have a high arched foot that is prone to getting stress fractures, a podiatrist may have told you that you need cushy running shoes. I got a question from someone who was given that advice. She said, “I am so confused, I thought stress fractures were from pounding. I got a stress fracture, and my doc said it was my cushy shoes. I do not understand how this is true.” How do cushy running shoes cause stress fractures in the foot?  Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Today's question comes from Priscilla, after she watched the video “Proof you do not have to stop running with a metatarsal stress response.”  She says: “I am a distance runner, I got a fourth metatarsal stress fracture, I was in the boot 3 months. X-ray is showing some healing but not 100%. I have been walking but I fear it will open up again. Is pain and fear of putting full pressure without the boot normal? I want to run, it is frustrating.” Is pain and fear normal after a fourth metatarsal stress fracture?  Well, that is a good question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

I have heard lots of different things that runners tell me their doctors said..., "You are not built like a runner." "You cannot run with your foot type." "Running just does not work for you.  Decades ago, an orthopedic surgeon who did my reconstructive knee surgery said to me,  "If you ever run, you will have to have a total knee replacement within 10 years." My knee is still good. And I have been running for decades. I did my first 50-mile trail race when I turned 50. I have done 15 Ironman triathlons. So clearly, my doctor's advice to stop running was wrong. Did your doctor ever tell you to stop running after a stress fracture?  Well, I hope not, but if so, this episode might be for you because that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Today's episode comes from a question on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel regarding the video entitled “Proof you do not have to stop running with a metatarsal stress response.”  Brian was clearly frustrated. He commented: “I wish… I have a big swollen reason under the second metatarsal. It tingles a bit while running. Slight burning. I have to alter my landing to not irritate it. I'm finished. Rest in peace to my running VO2 max. I got to focus on cycling.” Does a stress response equal "rest in peace" to my VO2 max?  Well, that is a good question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Just this morning I was on a coaching call with a runner who is recovering from a stress fracture. Almost every runner I talk to can immediately start exercising and start doing stuff to maintain their running fitness if they understand how severe the injury is, and they don't have to just take time off.  It is heartbreaking to me truthfully when I talk to somebody who has been completely off of their foot and on crutches in a fracture walking boot and worse, not exercising at all for two weeks, four weeks, or six weeks before I ever talk to them.  Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about why you should convert your off-season training program to your recovery program when you have a stress fracture. 

I got a question from an injured runner, and she wants to know about the amount of time it takes to heal a stress reaction in the sesamoid bone in your foot. She said: “I have had a stress reaction in my tibial sesamoid that led to a lot of pain and swelling. I am reading mixed reviews on healing time. I have been off it for three weeks now, either on crutches and taping the toe to immobilize it or in a walking boot with tape on the toe and sesamoid dancing pads to avoid pressure on the bone. I am a 38-year-old healthy female.” Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about sesamoid stress reactions and the expected healing time. 

Today's question comes from someone who watched the YouTube video on the Doc On The Run YouTube channel called “How long before I can run with a stress fracture.” The comment was: “Thank you so much for this video. I want to ask if resting for three weeks, complete bed rest and I can afford to do this because I am a student, and it is summer holiday then I can walk to my college to do daily normal tasks. I do not do any physical training or running and my college is about a kilometer away.” Will three weeks of bed rest heal a stress fracture?  Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on the 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 Doc On The Run Podcast, we're talking about the top three questions to ask your doctor when she tells you, you have to stop running because you have a metatarsal stress fracture.