We are Miami's Running Injury Experts
Frustrated with a running injury?
Having pain while running is due to dysfunctional movement patterns and excess mechanical stress being placed on specific tissues - often caused by poor training habits or an underlying musculoskeletal issue. Our therapists are certified in Running Injury Management and Treatment, and Austin has taught professional continuing education on the topic.
Most running injuries - even stress fractures - need less rest than you think. If you've been told to take an extended amount of time off (a month or more) chances are you have gotten bad advice. Initial stages of treatment focus on active recovery and dealing with pain and swelling. Next, we focus on regaining full mobility in the lower extremities using specialized stretch/mobilization cycles specifically designed to target muscles most used in running. These first two stages can take anywhere between 1 day and 2 weeks, depending on severity, which means you will progress into fitness walking (power walking) within that timeframe - and soon after - running!
Many PTs will discharge you at this point. Hey, if you can run, you are done. That would likely be setting you up to fail, as the most common time to get injured is coming back from a prior injury. Full guidance into the rehabilitated phase will lead to optimal results. The next phases of rehab challenge your balance while running and keep you on point with form, then progressively overload the tissue to make you stronger as well, as you add distance and time to your runs. Being fully recovered means you have worked on speed, plyometrics, hills, and running drills until you finish stronger and with better mechanics than you had when you started treatment.