It used to be one of the banes of my PT-existence. Elbows take the cake. I don't like elbows. Good thing we don't use those to run. But IT Band syndrome and all it's ick were sort of....nebulous, even in PT school. It's not my professors fault; it's just where the research was at the time. And unfortunately, that left YOU, the runner, with some pretty cruddy advice: "Foam roll! Stretch! Do a billion lunges. Strengthen your glutes..." Not all of that is bad advice...but can you spot the single...
8 days ago • 3 min read
I went down the IT Band rabbit hole and about threw my computer out the window. If you're new here, I'm already NOT huge into foam rolling. (no, it's not "bad"...I have complicated relationship with it.) ...I think it can be overused and seen as a quick, cure-all touted by fitness gurus. ESPECIALLY when it comes to IT Band pain. Think about it: what is foam rolling supposed to do? Pretend this is a pop quiz and you have to answer the question "how does foam rolling help and/or cure IT Band...
15 days ago • 3 min read
I actually just recently "missed" this about a month ago. I was doing an initial eval on a new patient (the first PT visit where we do all our testing)... And I had blinders on because the script from the physician said "low back pain..." and it was NOT low back pain. I kept scratching my head after that visit wondering "what did I miss?" So I went on a deep dive into continuing education... and found the answer. WHY YOU CARE AS A RUNNER: You've probably done the EXACT same thing. But instead...
22 days ago • 2 min read
A runner reached out on Instagram asking why wasn't his calf strain healing up? He was doing all the things, even went to PT, continued to do his exercises. But he could NOT get past run-walking without everything flaring up again. And it left him terrified, wondering if he'd be ever be able to fully get back to doing what he loved: running. And who can blame him? I had actually just gotten my PT-butt in gear and finally started on my continuing education credits for the year (Alabama APTA:...
29 days ago • 2 min read
I can't stop thinking about this one runner... It was a conversation I was having with a runner on Threads (yes, I hang out over there too. It's pretty fun, very BTS, sort of unhinged...) But he was asking how he should be strength training as a runner preparing for his next marathon and was he doing it right? And he proceeded to list a very good, but VERY LONG, strength workout regime. I can't even remember if he included his mobility stuff in there. He might have... But I remember reading...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I might have exited the clinic with a loud "gotdammit" once the door was shut behind me. No, not proud of my outburst. But it came from a place of supreme frustration. So I let myself feel the feelings and cried it out in my car. Allergy season is annoying. (Whoohoo, move on.) But it hit me hard in a way I couldn't ignore. What was just difficulty sleeping overnight became a tight chest, constricted airways, wheezy breathing, uncontrollable coughing that felt like I was going to expel my own...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Ready for a big reveal? This is what I've been working on behind-the-scenes for probably the last month. I know. You're girl is as slow as molasses sometimes. But that's because I want things to be PERFECT for you. Because you have excellent questions that deserve top-tier answers and actionable solutions. So I give you: The FREE Calf & Achilles Cure Toolkit: made for marathoners sidelined by stiff, painful Achilles and tight, injury-prone calves who want to protect their training cycle and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Not gonna lie... I love me a quick PT-hack. Meaning the exercises that "no really, instantly, work like magic" because your body is freaking amazing. And to be honest: these become some of the most IMPORTANT exercises when you're injured, fighting a niggle, or are just so darn sore. I'm not talking about "this one exercise will instantly make you PR!" Running gods, I wish it was that easy... I'm referring to the exercises that take advantage of the cool way your muscles interact with each...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
It's always right when you think you've crushed that hill... That it crushes you back. How rude. Achilles tendinopathy is a pain in the butt. Especially when you're in the middle of a hill workout and/or training for race that you know is going to be hilly. And at times it can feel like it takes a millennia to heal. I can't tell you how many times runners have come to me with a litany of all the endless of things they've tried... You know what, let me just make you a quick list of things that...
2 months ago • 3 min read