Doc On The Run Podcast

How do you know if your stress reaction just turned into a stress fracture?

That’s one of the most important questions a runner can ask—because once there’s a crack in the bone, everything changes.

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains the 5 key signs that indicate your stress reaction may have progressed into a true stress fracture.

Understanding these signs can help you avoid making the injury worse and make smarter decisions about training and recovery.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between a stress reaction and a stress fracture

If you want a clearer way to assess your injury, get the free Stress Fracture or Injury Self-Assessment Worksheet at:

If you have plantar fasciitis and you’re trying to keep running, you’ve probably been told to stretch, rest, or stop running altogether.

But what if the solution is much simpler?

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains the one simple trick he personally used to fix his plantar fasciitis while training for Ironman races—without stopping running.

This episode breaks down how small biomechanical changes can dramatically reduce stress on the plantar fascia and allow healing while maintaining fitness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the plantar fascia actually does

If you have a calcaneal stress fracture and a 100-mile race on your calendar, the question is simple…

Can you still run it?

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler lets you listen in on a real strategy call with an ultrarunner trying to decide whether he can complete a 100-mile race in just over two months after being diagnosed with a calcaneal stress fracture.

This episode breaks down the real risks, the real decisions, and the exact strategy needed to balance healing with maintaining fitness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why calcaneal stress fractures are especially risky for runners

If you want a clearer way to assess your injury, get the free Stress Fracture or Injury Self-Assessment Worksheet at:

What do you do if you’ve been training for months and suddenly get a stress fracture right before your race?

In this episode, I explain the four real options runners have when they don’t want to cancel—and how to think about risk, recovery, and still crossing the finish line.

If you want a clearer way to assess your injury, get the free Stress Fracture or Injury Self-Assessment Worksheet at:

If you have been out of running for weeks with a fibular stress fracture and the pain is gone, but you still feel a little pressure at the injury site, should you wait until you are 100% symptom-free before trying to jog again?

That is the question in this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Segler explains why the answer is not based on time alone. Just because you have stopped running for four to six weeks does not automatically mean the bone is ready for impact. What matters more is whether your symptoms are improving, whether you can tolerate increasing load without worsening symptoms, and whether you have rebuilt enough strength and stability to run safely.

In this episode, you will learn:

If you want a clearer way to assess your injury, get the free Stress Fracture or Injury Self-Assessment Worksheet at:

If your doctor told you that you have a plantar plate injury, did they mean stress, strain, or sprain?

Those terms sound similar, but they mean very different things when you are trying to heal and still run.

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains the biomechanical difference between plantar plate stress, plantar plate strain, and plantar plate sprain, and why understanding those terms can help you avoid delayed healing, unnecessary time off, and long-term toe instability.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

If you want a clearer way to assess the severity of your injury, get the free Stress Fracture or Injury Self-Assessment Worksheet at StressFractureSecrets.com. This description reflects the transcript’s focus on distinguishing load versus actual ligament damage, the signs of instability, and the practical return-to-running decisions runners need to make.

If you have peroneal tendon pain and one doctor says your MRI shows a tear while another says it is just post-surgical change, what are you supposed to do?

That kind of conflicting advice can leave runners completely stuck. You do not want unnecessary surgery, but you also do not want to keep training on a tendon that may actually be torn.

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains a practical framework runners can use when MRI findings and medical opinions do not match.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why peroneal tendon injuries are often difficult to diagnose accurately

If you are trying to decide whether your peroneal tendon is healing, needs more imaging, or might need surgery, this episode will help you think more clearly about your next step.

When is it actually safe to start loading a stress fracture again?

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Segler explains how runners can think about progressive bone loading without making the injury worse. He covers why “just rest” is incomplete advice, why pain relief does not equal full healing, the 3 phases of stress fracture recovery, and the biggest mistake runners make when they try to return too soon.

If you have a stress fracture and your doctor starts talking about X-ray grading systems, you may think that grading is the key to deciding whether you can run, cross-train, or still make it to your race.

But for runners, X-ray grading is often not the most useful thing at all.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Segler explains the two things that matter more than X-ray grading of a stress fracture:

Your goal, and the true severity of the injury.

He explains why most imaging reports do not actually answer the practical questions runners care about most, like whether they can maintain fitness, how aggressive they need to be, and whether they can still complete a goal race. He also explains why tracking measurable symptoms is far more useful than vague descriptions or medical jargon.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why X-ray grading often does not help runners make real training decisions

How your race goal changes your treatment strategy

Why injury severity determines what you can still do safely

Which symptom details are actually useful to track

Why measurable numbers help you return to running faster

If you want a more practical way to think about stress fractures as a runner, this episode will help.

If you feel an unusual ache in your foot during marathon or triathlon training, you might worry that you have a stress fracture. But many runners actually develop a stress reaction before a true stress fracture occurs.

The problem is that runners often ignore the early warning signs. They experiment with shorter runs, slower workouts, or simply hope the discomfort goes away.

In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains three critical first aid steps runners should take immediately when they suspect a stress reaction in the foot.

You’ll learn:

• Why stress reactions and stress fractures are closely related

If you act quickly and manage the injury correctly, you may be able to calm the stress reaction down while maintaining your running fitness.