Should I stretch the toe with plantar plate sprain?

Yesterday I saw a runner with a plantar plate sprain. She wanted to know if stretching the toe would help the plantar plate ligament heal faster.  Plantar plate sprains happen because the plantar plate ligament gets overstretched, and strained.  When you get a plantar plate injury, the fastest way to allow healing is to reduce the stress and strain on that injured ligament. If you're thinking about whether or not to stretch the toe or do something to try to help the condition improve faster, you really need to think about the mechanics that are actually involved when you have a plantar plate injury. Should you stretch the toe that has a plantar plate sprain?  Well, that's what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run podcast.