Physical Therapy for Runners
Evidence-based gait analysis, PT, and strength training to help you stay healthy, run stronger, and perform your best!
“Kristin understands runners. She pointed me in the right direction and then consistently supported me in my journey out of injury and back to being able to do the things that I love.”
Tired of injuries interrupting your training?
Don't Let Pain Cause You to Cancel Your Next Race. We help runners turn setbacks into comebacks!
Running is a high-impact sport that demands load tolerance of 4-8x your body weight. Whether your injury is from overuse, suboptimal form, or injury, we’ve got you covered and can help guide you forward.
As physical therapists and runners ourselves, we know how tempting it is to push through discomfort.
Don't wait until you're forced to stop running. The earlier you address the root cause, the quicker you can get back to training at your best.
A proactive assessment can help you understand what's causing the problem, improve your movement, and keep you training toward your next goal!
Doctor Micaela has advanced training in running analysis and Runeasi assessment tool.
She expertly guides runners how to keep training for their marathon, Spartan or Hyrox race, and triathalon.
Reach out today and get to know how Micaela can help you keep training pain free and stay healthy for your upcoming race!
“I loved working with Micaela! I came in three weeks before a road race with an Achilles injury and fears I’d have to drop out of my race. Micaela put me at ease; she asked thoughtful questions, diagnosed the issue, and created a training plan for me. Three weeks later I ran as planned, injury-free! ”
“Micaela is the best! She helped me recover from meniscus surgery and got me back to working out and running”
“Kristin was able to correct my run form and help me through shin splint issues through form correction and exercises. ”
What to Expect in Physical Therapy for Runners
Comprehensive Assessment
A thorough evaluation by a physical therapist is the first step in understanding your injury. The therapist will assess and perform special tests to determine the root cause and any additional factors contributing to your injury. This PERSONALIZED assessment helps develop an effective treatment plan.
Pain Management
One of the primary focuses of physical therapy is to ALLEVIATE PAIN. Techniques dry needling, manual therapy, and electrical stimulation can help reduce inflammation and promote healing. We help guide what treatments will work best for addressing your specific pain point.
Targeted Strengthening Exercises
Runners need targeted strengthening for single leg control to train for repetitive mileage. Weak muscles, particularly in the hips, core, and lower legs can lead to breakdown over time. Your physical therapist will design a personalized program to your needs to improve muscle symmetry, support proper running mechanics, and PREVENT future INJURIES.
Education and Injury Prevention
In addition to treatment, physical therapists EDUCATE runners on how to avoid future injuries. This may include advice on proper footwear, stretching routines, and warm-up/cool-down techniques to optimize performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Biomechanical Corrections
Poor running form can lead to repetitive stress injuries. Your therapist may observe your running technique and recommend adjustments to your posture, foot strike, or stride to help prevent future issues.
Gradual Return to Running
A key part of the rehabilitation process is ensuring a safe and gradual return to running. Physical therapy includes a structured progression plan to slowly reintroduce running, allowing your body to build strength and endurance without risking reinjury.
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Runners
Reduces pain and inflammation
Enhance recovery and healing
Improves running form and performance
Prevents future injuries
Improves strength and flexibility
Promotes a safe return to running
Whether you’re dealing with shin splints, runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, or any other running-related injury, physical therapy can help you get back on track. Start your journey to recovery today and run PAIN-FREE tomorrow!
We Use RunEasi for Real-Time Assessment
The Sports PT Lab is excited to introduce RunEasi, our latest running assessment tool! This cutting-edge technology turns our clinic into a 3D gait lab, allowing us to analyze your hip control, side-to-side symmetry, and impact loading with precision. Runeasi is an innovative tool designed to provide real-time biomechanical assessments for athletes, including runners. By leveraging advanced motion analysis and wearable technology, Runeasi helps physical therapists and runners alike better understand movement patterns, identify potential injuries, and monitor progress throughout the recovery process.
How Runeasi Enhances Real-Time Assessments
Motion Capture and Analysis
Runeasi uses high-tech motion capture sensors or wearables to track a runner’s movements during their activity. This allows physical therapists to gather PRECISE data on running mechanics, including gait, stride length, cadence, foot strike, and more. By analyzing this data in REAL-TIME, therapists can immediately pinpoint any irregularities or inefficient movement patterns that may be contributing to an injury.
Customized Feedback
As runners perform specific movements or exercises, Runeasi offers immediate feedback based on the data it collects. Physical therapists can use this feedback to make real-time adjustments to running technique, posture, and form. This helps prevent bad habits that could lead to further injury and provides a more accurate picture of how the body is responding to treatment.
Injury Detection
By tracking key movement variables, Runeasi can help identify early signs of common running injuries, such as overstriding, excessive hip drop, or poor knee alignment. The system flags these abnormalities in real-time, allowing physical therapists to intervene before the runner sustains a more severe injury.
Progress Tracking
Runeasi allows both therapists and runners to track improvements over time. Whether it’s better alignment, more efficient movement, or reduced pain, the platform offers visual data to highlight the runner’s progress. This real-time tracking helps ensure that the runner is moving toward FULL RECOVERY and allows therapists to adjust treatment plans as necessary.
Personalized Rehabilitation Plans
Runeasi provides invaluable insights into the biomechanics of a runner’s movement, allowing for HIGHLY PERSONALIZED physical therapy. The data collected in real-time helps therapists create rehabilitation plans that are specifically tailored to the runner’s unique needs, addressing issues such as muscle imbalances, poor flexibility, or faulty movement patterns.
Safe Return-to-Run Protocol
When it’s time to return to running, Runeasi can guide a step-by-step, real-time assessment to ensure that runners are ready. The system helps monitor whether they’re achieving proper biomechanics as they resume activity, ensuring a safe and gradual return to running without overloading the body and risking re-injury.
Instantaneous Analysis: Get IMMEDIATE insights into running form so corrections can be made during the session.
Objective Data: Provides data-driven evidence of movement patterns, helping to eliminate guesswork.
Early Injury Prevention: Identifies irregularities early, allowing for PROACTIVE treatment before injuries occur.
Continuous Monitoring: Allows for ongoing tracking of rehabilitation progress and adjustments to the treatment plan as needed.
Personalized Plans: Facilitates TAILORED physical therapy interventions that align with the runner’s specific needs and goals.
By incorporating Runeasi into physical therapy for runners, injured athletes can experience a more precise, data-driven approach to recovery. This REAL-TIME FEEDBACK and analysis ensure that runners heal effectively and return to the sport with better, more efficient running mechanics, reducing the likelihood of future injuries.