Can I run on a treadmill after a stress fracture?

Today’s episode comes from a runner named Gordon who asked a question during a live webinar entitled “Am I Ready to Run? How to tell if its safe to start running again.” 

He asked, “Is it okay to run on a treadmill? I'm returning from a stress fracture injury. I read that a treadmill gives the exact same stress with every step versus, say a trail, but with COVID-19 and smoke, running outside is a challenge and all that." 

That is a great question! Because, there is a lot of evidence that treadmills cause the same repetitive stress in the same way that might lead to stress fractures in the foot. 

Today on the Doc on the Run podcast, we're talking about whether or not you should run on a treadmill when you're recovering from a stress fracture.