What is thinning of the plantar plate ligament on MRI?

Just a couple of days ago I was doing a telemedicine call with a runner who wanted to know what it meant to have “thinning of the plantar plate ligament on his MRI.

He asked, "What does ‘thinning’ really mean? Do I really have a plantar plate tear? Is it a problem? Will I be able to continue to run?" 

“What is the issue with this idea of thinning of the plantar plate ligament, and why does it happen?”

Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we're talking about thinning of the plantar plate ligament on an MRI in a runner.