When does a metatarsal stress reaction actually show up on imaging? In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains the difference between a stress response, stress reaction, and true stress fracture—and why timing matters when choosing X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, or CT scans. Learn how early imaging can help you make smarter race decisions, avoid false reassurance from a “normal” X-ray, and protect your fitness without turning a minor stress reaction into a full fracture.

Can you still run a race if you have a stress fracture—or will it permanently set you back? In this episode of Doc On The Run, Dr. Christopher Segler answers the most urgent question injured runners ask when a big event is approaching: can I still run my race with a stress fracture? You’ll learn how to assess risk, distinguish pain from damage, and make a clear decision without sabotaging your long-term recovery.

How much walking is too much when you have a tibial stress fracture? In this episode of Doc On The Run, Dr. Christopher Segler breaks down how runners can safely stay active while healing, explains the key differences between Fredrickson Grade 1 and Grade 2 tibial stress fractures, and outlines the two critical factors that determine how fast you can recover—without making the injury worse.

Today I was on a strategy call with an injured, but recovering runner who is trying to figure out how to organize his workouts to get strong quickly, without re-injuring his stress fracture.

He was headed in the right direction, but was making a critical mistake when trying to do more with split workouts. It’s not about splitting workouts. 

It's all about the stressors that are applied to the stress out bone. But this also applies to other overtrain injuries like Achilles tendinitis, perennial, tendinitis, or plantar plate sprains.

If you understand, this basic principle, you will definitely get back to running a whole lot faster!

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, why any runner with any overtraining injury should focus on making sure there are no big stressors on the same structures.

The Walk-Run Routine is likely the most overprescribed and least understood plan for returning to running after an overtraining injury like a metatarsal stress fracture for a plantar plate sprain. 

But the commutative forces that result from that specific routine may put your foot at unnecessary risk of re-injury. Understanding how and why those unique stresses happen may help you make better decisions about your first few runs after you feel your stress fracture or plantar plate sprain has healed enough to resume running. 

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about the worst thing about walk run routine after running injury.

Kettlebell workouts can be a great way to maintaining strength, even if you have a running injury. 

If you are a runner who has an overtraining injury like a metatarsal stress fracture or a plantar plate sprain, you are probably doing everything you can to keep the rest of your running body strong, while that one injured part heals. 

Kettlebell training can help, as long as you don’t let those kettlebell workouts overload that injury to the ball of the foot.

You have to pay close attention to form and technique. Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about Kettlebell mistakes and modifications for injured runners.

This morning I was on a webcam call with a runner who had healed a fracture and started running again. He has been running every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with cross-training in between.  

Now he is ready to add a fourth running workout to his weekly training schedule. 

The question is: 

“What day of the week is best to add an additional run, because I want to make sure I don’t overload the healing tissue and re-injure it.”

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about which weekday is best to add workouts for injured runners.

The half-ass boot routine is no good. Slow improvement with unnecessarily increased risk of atrophy, weakness, stiffness, loss of neuromuscular connections, and destruction of your running form. Your running form, your strength, your flexibility, all protect you from another overtraining injury. 

When you wear a fracture walking boot for a long time inconsistently, or a long time walking on it, you're going to get more of those bad things. 

The other thing that is good, the sort of polar opposite of that, is a half-ass weight routine. 

Whaat is that? And more importantly, why would that be good?

Today on the doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about half boot versus half weight when you're recovering from a running injury.

The biggest enemy in the injured runner’s battle is your desire to run as fast or faster than you were right before you got injured.

This morning I was on a call with a recovering elite Masters athlete and she has been doing great, but she seems to be drifting into dangerous territory! 

During our call, I got worried about the way she was thinking about her upcoming workouts. But was thinking was very common, and very dangerous. And that is the reason I decided to record this episode.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how you should never let your recovering body compete with your racing body.

This morning I was on a consultation call with a runner at 4:30 a.m. and he's been suffering from a plantar plate injury.  But he's been doing pretty well. He actually just finished his first run!

Now, what I asked him about was his plan for his next run. What he said, made me uneasy. 

It seemed risky, and I started kind of squirming as he was describing his plan to me. It wasn't really a bad plan. It wasn't really a crazy plan. But based on all the experience I have working with injured runners, I knew it was riskier than it needed to be. 

And this is why I decided to record this episode. Because it happens to almost every injured runner!  So don't let it happen to you!

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast we’re talking about why runners get re-injured one to two months into healing.