Does a mild plantar plate sprain always hurt?

I was just speaking with a woman who has a suspected mild plantar plate sprain. What was interesting is the fact that she doesn't really have a whole lot of pain.

I was explaining how important it is that she actually figures out her baseline "pain" numbers. I was explaining that even if you don't call it "pain" you have to rate the level of discomfort so you can track it.  

How bad is it when walking with or without running shoes, or simple things like walking up and downstairs.

Now, the problem is that she said, "well, it's not really painful so I can't put a pain number on it."

I understand it may not really be painful. Particularly if you're an athlete with a high pain tolerance. 

When you have a mild plantar plate sprain you must figure out what it is that you call discomfort or pain. You have to track it.

Does a mild plantar plate sprain always hurt?

Well, that's a great question and that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.