Orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. David Geier has an enormous passion for helping athletes reach their maximum potential, and he believes a big part of that is simply learning from others’ mistakes.

We runners often ride that line between just right and too much in training, and injury occurs when we go too far.

This is the basis of David’s book That’s Gotta Hurt, which chronicles the injuries that have served as turning points in sports medicine, including Joan Benoit’s legendary win in the 1984 US Olympic Marathon Trials just 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery.

In this episode, David will discuss the ways in which sports medicine has evolved and share the truth behind treatments like cortisone injections, stem cell therapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to help you navigate through injuries for long term health and success.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Common causes of running injuries and how to minimize them
The importance of sleep and how to know if you’re getting enough
How to determine if shoes or orthotics will help or hurt you
The importance of strength training and cross training
What’s on the horizon for sports medicine
Inflammation and anti-inflammatories: When are they good and when are they not?

Questions Dr. Geier is asked:

4:03 What sparked your interest in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery?5:28 What has been the most common cause of injury among your clients and runners in general?

6:49 What advice do you have for runners regarding not crossing that line into you overuse?

8:13 Is it just a matter of not exceeding your stress threshold and do stress thresholds increase as you get fitter?

9:35 What are some stresses and lifestyle habits that make a runner more susceptible to injury?

11:13 How much sleep should runners be trying to get at night?

13:33 What monitor are you using to monitor your sleep?

16:21 In your opinion, how do you shoes play a role in injury?

22:13 What is your opinion on whether or not orthotics cause more injuries than they prevent and if so, why is this?

25:05 How can runners determine for themselves if orthotics are necessary?

24:58 Is it better for runners to strength train weak spots on their bodies then to use orthotics?

26:34 How did Joan Benoit’s rapid recovery from knee surgery resulting in her win at the Olympic marathon trials serve as a turning point for sports medicine?

29:42 What is your opinion on taking time off when recovering from injury?

32:24 What are a few common weaknesses for runners that contribute to injury?

37:31 What's happening in sports medicine today with treatments that can help reverse damage from prior injuries?

39:51 What is platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment?

42:24 How effective is it and how quickly do people see the effects of it?

43:32 Why aren't you a fan of Cortisone shots?

45:27 Should runners take anti-inflammatories or let the inflammation run its course?

47:12 How should people best implement Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and are any more important than the other?

49:05 What's your opinion on cryotherapy?

52:58 What kinds of things can runners do now to ensure long-term health and performance success?

Quotes by Dr. Geier:

“I’m all for pushing yourself to a new goal, but you’ve got to work up to that slowly.”

“If you start paying attention to your sleep, that naturally is going to make you want to get more sleep.”

“There was a study that just came out in the last 3 or 4 months that showed that the lowest injury rates were people who wore the shoes that were most comfortable for them.”

“It’s just really a great feeling to be able to tell somebody after they suffered an injury or they had surgery, ‘Hey, you can go back to running or you can go back to football or soccer or whatever it is’ and see the excitement on their face.”

“If something really hurts, just take a day or two off and see if that’s just enough to get it better, but you don’t have to just stop running altogether.”

“We may be at the point where we’re about to make another big, big shift in (sports medicine). I think what’s coming are these treatments based on YOUR body.”

“We want people being active forever, throughout their lives. The key is to encourage people to do it, but to do it in a way so that their bodies hold up so they can be active later, so that they can play with their kids and run in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and just be physically active with daily activities.”

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

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Mentioned in this podcast:

Dr. David Geier's website

Book - That's Gotta Hurt: Dr. David Geier

Whoop sleep monitoring system

Joan Benoit - 1984 Marathon Gold Medal Performance

Dr. Chris Segler Run To The Top interview

Dr. Irene Davis Run To The Top interview

Jonathan Beverly Run To The Top interview

Follow Dr. Geier on Twitter

Follow Dr. Geier on Facebook

Dr. Geier's Podcast page

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The Evolution of Sports Medicine and Truth Behind Injury Treatments with Dr. David Geier