The Test That Might Be Preventing Your Stress Fracture From Healing

Are you testing your stress fracture every day just to see if it's getting better? That simple habit may actually be slowing your recovery. In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast, Dr. Christopher Segler explains why repeatedly testing a stress fracture—especially by intentionally reproducing pain—can keep you above your healing threshold and delay your return to running. In this episode you'll learn: • Why runners naturally want to "check" their injury• How repeated testing can increase stress on a healing metatarsal• Why pain-testing is different from progress tracking• How to identify useful recovery milestones without slowing healing• The concept of your healing threshold—and why it matters• A smarter way to monitor recovery while preserving your fitness