I had a 2nd MTP plantar plate tear in November 2015. My Arthropod suggested against surgery from the very start. I was 4-months out from Boston and had already registered, hotel and plane tickets paid. So I developed a realistic plan and stuck with it.
It was really painful to run for about 4-weeks (so I only walked). At (post injury) week 5 I was running about 18K for the entire week. My goal was to add 5k per week until I got up to 90K. It was very hard and I ended up injuring my plantar fascia on my other foot but I got it done.
This is what I found. My injury was caused by (1) running in high drop shoes with an extreme toe spring (Vomero 10) and (2) nordic skiing too much. I recommend the following:
Birkenstocks - because they have have zero drop (which relieves stress on the plantar plates) and they are super stiff (low and stiff are your friends). I have both the London and Boston models.Low drop running shoes. I started with Atra’s at first (I had trouble adapting to the zero drop and this is how I ended up injuring my plantar fascia on the other foot), I later moved over to 2-5mm drop Hoka’s. If - like me - you also injured your 2nd MTP, then you’ll want to use a toe pad as described here: http://www.footcare4u.com/mortons-toe-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-to-treat-it/
Good Luck!