Foot pain and knee pain are all too common ailments for runners, but it can be hard to pin down the source or figure out how to treat it. Nathan and Matt team up to take a look at some common sources of forefoot, heel, plantar, and anterior knee pains. They explore different possible causes, strategies for rehab/strengthening, and things to look for in shoes.

Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/

Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!

Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.

Chapters

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:22 - In For Testing
• 11:38 - Diagnosing Nate's foot pain
• 24:32 - Plantar forefoot foot pain
• 27:46 - The impact of shoes on plantar pain
• 32:48 - Heel & plantar fascia pain
• 36:04 - Maintaining a healthy foot
• 42:10 - Anterior knee pain
• 44:43 - Shoes & knee pain
• 49:06 - Preventing & rehabbing knee pain
• 53:27 - What about running form?
• 1:00:16 - Wrap-up

Join Nathan, David, and Matt as they continue answering you the mailbag questions they started on our 250th episode! They explore how different foam compositions can affect injury pathologies, the science behind shoe rotations, adapting to super shoes, and much more. We love hearing your questions, so email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com!

Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/

Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!

Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.

Chapters

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:18 - In For Testing
• 17:54 - Foam composition's effect on injury & pain
• 23:56 - Shoe shelf life
• 29:26 - Finding the right shoe for ultramarathons
• 35:48 - Helping run retail customers understand how to find the right shoe
• 45:02 - Adapting to super shoes without running in them much
• 54:23 - The science behind shoe rotations
• 1:06:56 - Wrap-up

We've got a special mailbag episode for our 250th episode! We've put together tons of questions from long times friends of the podcast (Drew from Weartesters, Tina & Evan from Brooks, and more!) and from our listeners. Matt & David discuss pre-race rituals, post-run snacks, their worst shoe color, GOAT shoe rotations, and much more (shoes as ice cream?!). Want to hear your question on our next mailbag? Email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com.

Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!

Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/

This episode is sponsored by our friends at Running Warehouse. We're all about variety here, which is why we love the large selection of options they offer online. You can find all of today's best shoes at ⁦runningwarehouse.com⁩ today. Also, did you know we have our very own DOR page there? Find all of our team's favorite Running Warehouse picks at the official ⁠Doctors of Running shop⁠.

Chapters

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:22 - In for Testing
• 14:52 - Treating plantar fasciitis in youth athletes
• 21:46 - Worst shoe color ever
• 26:46 - Things we wish shoes did better to help runners
• 33:00 - Pre long-run/race rituals
• 38:02 - How much does drop matter with soft midsoles
• 42:52 - Favorite post-run snacks
• 45:12 - What would you wear for a run across the US?
• 48:38 - Potential impact of over-40mm midsoles
• 56:38 - If midsoles were ice creams, what would they be?
• 1:03:28 - Building a 3-shoe rotation from any shoes ever
• 1:12:50 - Wrap-up