I just did a web-cam call with a runner who had a thing called a "mallet toe" deformity. He had pain in the ball of the foot when running.

He said he was reading about plantar plate sprains, and thought, "Maybe I have a plantar plate sprain because I got this funky toe."

He wanted to know if a mallet toe could cause a plantar plate injury. 

Can a mallet toe cause a plantar plate injury?

Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

When we think about training for endurance events like marathons, we expect the payoff to feel good. 

We are patient with the process, yet in the progression of building fitness, we always expect that when we have a breakthrough run, it's going to feel great.

It is just not true.

When you do a run that is a lot longer, or a lot faster, you know you've made a breakthrough.

Breakthrough runs do not always feel great and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

I was just watching an injured runner walk. We were trying to pin down her diagnosis and figure out why she was getting injured.

She asked me what I actually saw when analyzing her gait.

One of the things I saw was that she had this thing called extensor substitution. 

She wanted to know how it contributed to the issues she has been having when she was running.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about extensor substitution in runners.

What happens when you look down at your feet as you run? 

Many injured runners start looking down toward the injury, even as they run.

If you are reading this because you are researching Achilles tendinosis, I'm sorry.

You also need to understand Achilles tendinosis treatments doctors often recommend, which you might want to avoid. 

One of the things that's really important is that you really have to think about what it takes to ramp up without getting injured, and that requires tracking and paying attention to everything.

I'm going to let you listen in on a recording from an actual live session in the Injured Runner's Aid Station explaining these keys to ramping up and running without getting reinjured, while using the advantages that you already have with your runner's mindset.

Today, on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about how injured runners cannot find a solution when refusing to even look at the problem.

The reality is, there are only two kinds of runners that I think really need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis.

The runners who don't mind losing all their running fitness and the other group of runners who really need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis are those that basically assume they have the wrong diagnosis.

Which kind of runners really do need a fracture walking boot for plantar fasciitis? Is it somebody with mild plantar fasciitis? Moderate plantar fasciitis? Severe plantar fasciitis?

And that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

One of the worst things when you're an injured runner is to stop taking action. 

Think about what would happen if you did this with a marathon. If you were to sign up for a race and you didn't do anything to actually gain fitness in preparation for that event, would you expecto to do well?

It blows me away when I see injured runners who have spent years in disciplined training, yet then when they get injured, they just sit in a puddle of inaction that keeps them stagnant and prevents them getting back to running.

Anxiety robs injured runners of action, and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

A great question I got from someone recently who had a plantar plate injury and the toe was a little bit crooked.

His question was,

"Do I really need to have surgery if my toe is crooked? Is that a good indicator of whether or not I need plantar plate surgery just because the toe is sitting out of position a little bit?"

I thought it might be helpful to explain when it might actually be necessary to have surgery and when it might not be necessary to have surgery.

Does a crooked toe mean you have to have surgery for a plantar plate injury?

That's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain and it's also one of the most common reasons people actually go to the podiatrist.

The fastest way to get it to calm down is to reduce the stress and strain to the plantar fascia ligament so that it'll actually heal.

So if you're going to try to run, you have to do something to reduce the stress and strain to the plantar fascia ligament, while you're running.

Today on the Doc On The Run podcast, we're talking about where to run when you have plantar fasciitis.