The thing I enjoy least as a Houston podiatrist is to tell my patients that they need to stop running for a period of time. I don't take this recommendation lightly, however it is sometimes necessary. There are many types of foot pain that can be managed while you continue running. If I don't feel running during recovery is right, I will discuss other forms of exercise that you can safely engage in.
There are some injuries where you absolutely must stop running and exercising. These are times where continuing to run will make your foot injury worse. For instance, I worked with an Ironman triathlete who had a stress fracture in her foot. I put her in a fracture boot and advised her to not to run for the 8 week treatment period. She couldn't stomach the idea of taking time off...she continued to run, causing a worse fracture that required foot surgery to repair. This ended up taking much more time to heal and a longer time away from running.
If you have foot pain when you run, don't wait to have it evaluated. Don't be afraid that I will tell you not to run! Even if I do, it will take you away from running for a shorter time than if your injury becomes worse. Contact Dr. Schneider for an immediate appointment.
