Running is more than just exercise for many of us. It’s a way to clear our heads, challenge ourselves, and work toward goals that matter. When an injury gets in the way, being told to simply stop running isn’t always the answer runners want to hear.
At Altius Physical Therapy, we love working with runners. As marathoners and triathletes ourselves, we understand the commitment that goes into training and how frustrating it can be when pain interrupts your routine. We bring that perspective into rehabilitation, looking beyond the injured area to understand your running mechanics, training habits, and the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
Running injuries often develop gradually, especially when changes in training demands exceed what the body is prepared to handle. Others occur following a specific injury or develop alongside strength, mobility, or movement limitations.
Common conditions we treat include:
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee)
Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome
Achilles tendinopathy
Plantar fasciitis and plantar heel pain
Shin splints and medial tibial stress syndrome
Hip pain and gluteal tendinopathy
Hamstring and calf strains
Ankle sprains and instability
Stress-related bone injuries, following appropriate medical evaluation
Recurring running-related pain and overuse injuries
Understanding the injury is important, but so is understanding why it developed and what needs to change to help you return to running.
Treating runners requires more than addressing the painful area. We consider how your body moves, how you’re training, and what your running goals look like.
Depending on your injury, your evaluation may include:
Joint mobility and flexibility
Foot and ankle mechanics
Balance and single-leg control
Running gait and movement patterns
Footwear and running surfaces
Training mileage, intensity, and recent changes in workload
Previous injuries and recovery habits
From there, we develop a treatment plan that may combine hands-on manual therapy, progressive strengthening, mobility exercises, and movement retraining.
We also look closely at your training routine. Sometimes the most useful changes involve adjusting mileage, intensity, or recovery time while building the physical capacity needed to tolerate running.
We know that taking time away from running can be difficult, particularly when you’re training for a race or simply rely on running as part of your daily routine.
Whenever it’s clinically appropriate, we try to keep you active throughout rehabilitation rather than automatically recommending complete rest.
That might mean temporarily adjusting your mileage, reducing speed work, changing running frequency, or incorporating other forms of exercise while symptoms settle and strength improves.
There are situations, including suspected bone stress injuries and certain acute injuries, when stopping running temporarily is necessary. We’ll help you understand those decisions and develop an appropriate plan for returning.
Our goal is to find the right balance between protecting your recovery and maintaining the fitness you’ve worked hard to build.
Running gait is one part of the larger picture. Factors such as step rate, stride characteristics, joint control, and movement patterns may influence how your body responds to repeated loading.
When appropriate, we incorporate running gait analysis into your evaluation to better understand how you’re moving and identify potential areas for improvement.
For runners interested in a more comprehensive assessment, we also offer our Runner’s Lab, a dedicated evaluation of running biomechanics, strength, mobility, and movement mechanics.
Whether you’re preparing for your first 5K, training for a marathon, or just enjoy a few miles around the neighborhood, we understand that your goals are personal.
We work with runners of all experience levels, taking the time to understand what keeps you motivated and what you need to get back to doing.
Dealing with a running injury or pain that won’t go away?
Contact Altius Physical Therapy to schedule an evaluation and let’s work toward getting you back on the road.