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Category: Healthy Running

Managing Hip Impingement: Making Progress with Strength Training

Managing Hip Impingement: Making Progress with Strength Training

Brianna Traxinger Posted by Brianna Traxinger on November 20, 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part two of a series on hip impingement. Read Part 1: Managing Hip Impingement: My Injury and What Didn’t Help.

After almost two years of mystery nerve pain, finally receiving the correct diagnosis completely redirected the trajectory of my recovery.


Switching directions

To recap where I left you: after the hydrodissection, I had constant, burning pain in a line stretching through my low back, hip, thigh, and calf, tracing the path of the sciatic nerve. I was having difficulty sleeping, sitting, and working, and even mild activity such as bike commuting would flare the pain for days. I fell into a bit of a depression because I was forced to remain sedentary, increasing my anxiety and triggering an identity crisis. When Dr. Yen realized, upon re-evaluation (four months after the fateful procedure), that I presented signs of hip impingement—which manifests in poor hip alignment and collateral nerve compression—I was at first excited to have a diagnosis. No one prior had been able to definitively explain where my pain came from. However, a Google search quickly alarmed me. The internet, which always floats the most extreme examples to the top of your feed, told me that I’d need invasive surgery, would have to cease activities that caused pain (i.e., everything), and that my life would need to be severely modified.

Dr. Yen suggested that I continue physical therapy to attempt to manage my hip impingement without surgery and recommended Sarah Haran’s practice. Feeling like I was out of options and exhausted by the thought of initiating treatment with yet another provider, I reluctantly looked up her practice. Five days later, I arrived at Dr. Haran’s clinic for my appointment without much hope. I had been disappointed so many times by doctors and therapists who had assured me that I’d be running in no time, only to experience no change, or worse, more pain.

I’ll jump ahead to present day to say that I’m not yet completely healed. I still am not able to run or put in long days in the mountains, and my symptoms have not yet subsided to pre-hydrodissection status. However, within a month of being diagnosed with hip impingement, I improved enormously. My pain level is down and I have begun to reintroduce some of my normal activities.

Confirming the diagnosis

Dr. Haran started with an evaluation to see how my hips were moving and very easily confirmed the hip impingement diagnosis: my glutes were not only weak, but my brain had ceased to even recruit them during certain movements. This left my hip flexor group overworked, pulling my femur too far forward in the socket and causing inappropriate contact and pain between the femur head and my hip socket.

This hip imbalance had only directly caused me minor pain — pinching in the front of my hip during extreme hip flexion or steep uphill hikes — but it indirectly caused my nerve pain, as the misalignment of my hips allowed my sciatic nerve to be smashed by the piriformis muscle. This explained why the many previous isolated procedures and physical therapy directed at my glute and nerve had not worked. The epicenter of the pain was higher up in my hips, causing aftershocks of pain in other areas where local treatments were futile.

Dr. Haran explained that our plan would be to work on 1) relaxing my hip flexors, as they were overworked, weak, and strained and 2) strengthening my glutes and training my brain to actually recruit what should be a strong, stable muscle that bears the brunt of leg activity. These together would reset the position of my hips. Although my MRI had revealed* that I also have at least mild structural impingement, Dr. Haran believes that only extreme cases require surgery: almost nobody has perfectly symmetrical and structured bones, yet most people do not have hip pain. This suggests that hip impingement is usually manageable with proper muscular mechanics alone. However, since my primary symptom presented as nerve pain (not hip pain), Dr. Haran explained that we’d have to be careful to strengthen my glutes while avoiding aggravation of my nerve, which complicated my treatment plan. To begin this process, she prescribed various at-home exercises designed to relax my hip flexors and strengthen my psoas and glutes while avoiding large ranges of motions or positions that would flare my nerve pain.

 *Just a note that general MRIs are not appropriate to diagnose hip impingement or labral tears. These diagnoses require specific MRIs that are targeted to image your hip joints, and in the case of labral tears, hip injection with dye is needed. I happened to have a pelvic neurogram to image my nerves, and my doctor was able to notice both CAM and pincer impingement as a secondary observation. My hip impingement was formally diagnosed with functional tests, not imaging.

Importantly, Dr. Haran taught me that many of the exercises and stretches I’d been repeatedly prescribed actually exacerbate hip impingement symptoms. In fact, she said hip impingement is typically not managed well by physical therapists who do not specialize in hips (even if they are experts in other areas), and almost all of her patients come to her after months or years of being assigned unsuccessful and even harmful exercises.

In my case, almost every provider I had worked with had prescribed intense hip flexor stretches and yoga, where I’d continuously try to coax my hips into positions that I now know are inhibited by my bone structure, not inflexible muscles. She told me to completely stop stretching my hip flexors. Her philosophy is that hip flexors become tight and painful because they are overused and weak, and that not every painful muscle needs to be stretched. I quickly abandoned my routine front leg stretches and decided to quit yoga, which I had been practicing as a replacement for my other lost activities. To be clear, I’m not advocating that everyone with hip impingement abandon yoga if they love it — but you will have to modify or eliminate positions that trigger pain.

At the time of this first appointment, I was still experiencing near-constant pain, and for some reason my historically unproblematic left leg also began to flare in a sciatic nerve pattern. With the initial (unexplained) irritation caused by the hydrodissection followed by four months of constant (and incorrect) physical therapy, I think my nerves and surrounding tissue were caught in a positive feedback loop of inflammation and pain, never having the chance to relax, rest, and decrease swelling. My nerves themselves (and their feedback pathways to my brain) were extremely overstimulated: I had been starting to feel not only the burning and periodically electric pain, but the nerves in my legs had begun to vibrate, hum, and twitch involuntarily, which added to my anxiety as I felt that I possibly had a more serious neurologic problem. Mentally, I was extremely anxious and hyper-aware of any nerve sensations, causing me to both notice and expect constant pain. Every time I experienced a pain flare, I would fall into a negative spiral, knowing that my progress was once again set back.

Week one

I began the exercises, not expecting any positive changes, and returned for a follow-up appointment a week later where she fine-tuned my exercises. I still felt rather depressed and skeptical that I’d get better, but I did feel somewhat hopeful about Dr. Haran. After years of frustration at the vague hypotheses about the origin of my pain, it was clear that I definitely had hip impingement. Her blog posts exactly described my experiences, and I felt hopeful that this new treatment plan wouldn’t simply be another iteration of unsuccessful regimens. Dr. Haran actually mentioned this mental phenomenon. She explained that since her practice has successfully treated a high volume of hip patients, she and her other therapist, Dr. Beth Ansley, operate very confidently, which begets trust from patients. I hadn’t conceptualized my newfound optimism in this way, but it made sense. I believed her.

Week two

About two weeks after the initial appointment, I realized that my leg hadn’t been hurting constantly. I was actually shocked. I hadn’t expected any improvement, so I hadn’t immediately noticed the subtle improvement. Additionally, the constant nerve vibrations, twinges, and muscle twitching had stopped, as had the newly onset left leg nerve pain. This first small win boosted my morale and relaxed me, slightly, about the whole predicament.

I also started acupuncture and structural body work massage with two additional providers. Although I’m quite the skeptical scientist and am wary of any more spiritual, less evidence-backed alternative medicine (there is scientific basis for acupuncture), I understood that my pain was not an isolated issue and that it required holistic bodywork. I was so anguished about my inability to exercise or do what I loved that my pain monopolized my mental and emotional focus, and I knew I needed to physically and mentally relax. My incremental physical improvement coupled with the support and positivity of three incredible providers began to give me hope that I might be able to recover.

Week four

My weekly appointments were extended to every two weeks and eventually monthly. After one month of hip impingement-focused treatment, I had progressed more than I had in almost two years. By this point (three appointments deep), my pain was less constant and some days were even pain-free. Dr. Haran noted that my hip flexors reacted more appropriately, as my glutes had begun to carry out their share of the work. I resumed bike commuting a couple times a week (10 miles round-trip), and although I still felt some pain, it was manageable. I had continued acupuncture and massage at the same frequency as physical therapy appointments, and much of this work focused on relaxing other parts of my body, as the opposing half had tightened as compensation for my weak, dysfunctional right side. My massage therapist worked to break down the fascia around my glute, hamstring, and IT band, working to free the nerve and muscle from the connective tissue.

Cupping leaves a mark, but it’s been helpful in loosening stuck muscles and fascia

She also treated me with a lot of cupping on both my glute and hamstring area as well as my back, as whole body imbalances had either caused my pain in the first place or had developed as a result of it — probably both. Although paying for three out-of-pocket providers on a regular basis was extremely financially taxing, I felt that the money was worthwhile if I could, for a short time, aggressively attack my injury from all directions with an interdisciplinary approach. The improvements encouraged me that the money was well spent. My health and mobility are invaluable to me, and I’m grateful that with some financial prioritization, I was able to manage these expenses on a graduate student stipend.

Week eight

By this point, time between appointments increased, creating a more manageable appointment schedule. At each one, Dr. Haran or Dr. Ansley would evaluate me, perform some manual massage or cupping, and create new exercises for me. I would then spend a month strength training with my new homework. I had now attempted a few mountain biking excursions—nothing too extreme, but I could manage a few hours of moderate biking without much pain. Even though I would experience some familiar nerve soreness the day following activity, I noticed that the pain retreated much more quickly than it would have two months prior. Instead of a four-day flare, I would feel much better after 24 hours.

Because I started to trust that the nerve pain would subside quickly, I stopped obsessing over pain twinges, which greatly improved my mood and allowed my injury to take up less of my mental energy. While true hiking with elevation gain was still too much, I could at least take my dog on longer trail walks, up to five miles. Admittedly, I’m used to much more strenuous mountain treks and “better” scenery and still felt disappointed about the alpine adventures I was missing, but I realized how even a simple trail walk boosted my morale significantly. I actively began to appreciate any amount of outdoor exercise I could tolerate, in any form, which is a lesson I am continuously attempting to practice.

Finally “hiking” with my dog again

Week twelve

I am now three months out from my first appointment with Dr. Haran, and although I’m not yet fully recovered, the progress is undeniable. I have completely resumed my daily bike commutes around hilly Seattle, and while I sometimes experience mild nerve pain on the bike, it never persists. I also managed a mountain bike trip where we spent three days biking fairly strenuous routes. Honestly, I panicked as my leg began to flare a bit by the end of the second day, but spending the third day resting in the hot springs completely revived me. I was able to put in a full day of biking the following day, demonstrating that I am now able to recover quickly. I am hoping to soon get back to multi-day backcountry trips on the bike, but am attempting to reintroduce activity gradually, where I “quit while I’m ahead,” before I actually experience pain.

It’s now almost ski season here in Washington, and last weekend I attempted my first ski tour since before the hydrodissection. Ski touring is essentially hiking uphill with a relatively heavy ski attached to your foot, so I was nervous that not only would the uphill trigger my nerve compression, but that the upward motion required by my hip flexors would reignite the old front hip pain. To be honest, I was afraid to try to ski. I’d been feeling relatively positive about my progress and was wary of the mental crash that would occur if, ten minutes in, my nerve began to throb. I managed a three mile ascent (and descent!) on skis, and although I had to bail before reaching the top, I was satisfied that I not only was able to do some amount of uphill, but that I’ve fine-tuned exactly which level of activity I can handle without resetting my symptoms or triggering extreme soreness the next day. I’m going to continue to reintroduce activity using what Dr. Haran calls a red-yellow-green light pain scale: green is great, yellow is permissible, and red is too much.

Overjoyed to be skiing uphill again

Small setbacks are frustrating. The biking excursion was manageable, yet 20 minutes on the elliptical caused soreness for days. I emailed Dr. Haran, distraught, and she reminded me that even though my recovery trajectory is upward, I will still experience smaller, intermittent backwards motion. I’m trying to remember this as I reintroduce activities. I think I’ve still got a lot of strengthening to do and running will probably be the last sport to add back into the rotation, as it was, initially, the most aggravating motion for my nerve. Although after two years I sometimes struggle to believe I’ll ever run again, I don’t see why, after continuing to strengthen and stabilize my hips, legs, and core, I won’t be able to return to my favorite sport.

I will check back in with the Salty community in a month or two and update my progress.

If anyone has experience with hip impingement, advice, or questions, let me know!


Note: I have no incentive to promote Dr. Sarah Haran except that she and her practice have helped me when no one else could, and I just want to highlight the type of treatment/provider that has worked for my hip problems. She is located in Seattle, but if you live elsewhere and have hip problems, check out the Arrow PT website. Their blog is incredibly informative and she also does remote consultations and treatment. If video conference appointments isn’t your style, I would at least contact her as she could likely recommend a specialist in your area.

Categories: Injury & Prevention
Tags: hip impingement, injury, spruce hip impingement
Managing Hip Impingement: My Injury and What Didn’t Help

Managing Hip Impingement: My Injury and What Didn’t Help

Brianna Traxinger Posted by Brianna Traxinger on November 5, 2019 5 Comments

I’m a runner who currently cannot run. I’m on a rehabilitation journey to correct the hip impingement and subsequent sciatic nerve pain that has kept me from the activities that I love, and I want to share what I’m learning along the way.

Read more >>

Categories: Cross Training, Injury & Prevention
Tags: cross-training, hip impingement, injury, physical therapy, piriformis syndrome, running, sciatic nerve, spruce, spruce hip impingement, spruce hip rehab, trail running
Safety First! A Guide to Seeing and Being Seen in the Dark

Safety First! A Guide to Seeing and Being Seen in the Dark

Chicory Posted by Chicory on October 29, 2019 2 Comments

This Halloween, I’m handing out flashing lights like candy before I hit a runner while I myself am on my way to run. My morning runs are already noticeably darker, but with Daylight Saving Time kicking in November 3, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. (I mean, literally, we’re losing daylight until the winter solstice.)

According to our highly scientific Twitter poll, most respondents wear at least one piece of visibility-oriented gear. And yet … don’t we all know that one person who shows up to run in all black with not a single piece of safety gear? DON’T BE THAT PERSON. We’re here to help.

Read more >>

Categories: Safety, Shoes and Gear
Tags: daylight saving time, safety, visibility, winter, winter running, winter running gear
Running: A Relationship Transforms

Running: A Relationship Transforms

Bergamot Posted by Bergamot on October 22, 2019 2 Comments

Last week I went for a run after class. It was supposed to be an easy run. All my runs are easy runs currently. You could say they have a presumption of easiness. Easy until proven ready. Last week I was ready.

In the first five minutes, I decided I would run a fartlek. I finished my 10 minute warm up, and quickly googled a fartlek sequence since I’m a bit out of practice. I chose one, standing at the top of the hill by the train tracks. I reset my watch, and for the next 20 minutes, I enjoyed the challenge of speed play by the river. When I was finished, I ran my cooldown back toward the city skyline and felt satisfied – with my efforts and with my decision. At the end of my spontaneous fartlek, I felt, and I still feel, optimistic.

It’s taken a long time for me to reach this place with running. Read more >>

Categories: Running + Life, Running and Mental Health
Tags: anxiety, Bergamot bio, depression
Am I Still A Runner If I Can’t Run?

Am I Still A Runner If I Can’t Run?

Brianna Traxinger Posted by Brianna Traxinger on October 15, 2019 3 Comments

Years ago, a man at a bus stop eyed me and said, “You look like a runner.” It was a catcall; just an entry to comment on my body, I knew. Yet, I was secretly proud that my identity as an athlete was obvious to a stranger, however lecherous. 

For nearly two years, however, I haven’t been able to run, and I’ve been forced to wonder if I still deserve the credentials, which triggers a larger identity crisis: if I’m not a runner anymore, who am I? Read more >>

Categories: Injury & Prevention, Running and Mental Health
Tags: hip impingement, hip injury, identity, mental health, physical therapy, sciatica, spruce bio, spruce hip rehab, trail running
Introducing Spruce!

Introducing Spruce!

Brianna Traxinger Posted by Brianna Traxinger on October 8, 2019 3 Comments

Hello runners,

I’m Brianna, known around here as Spruce.  I was introduced to Salty Running when I serendipitously met Laura Parson on an outdoor conservation trip in Utah this spring. The alluring combination of running and writing immediately drew me to the community, and I wanted in. Read more >>

Categories: Cross Training, Injury & Prevention, Writer Bios
Tags: alaska, cross-training, injuries, introduction, pacific northwest, physical therapy, seattle, spruce, spruce bio, spruce hip rehab, trail running
Readers Roundtable: Clumsiest Non-Running Way You’ve Sidelined Yourself?

Readers Roundtable: Clumsiest Non-Running Way You’ve Sidelined Yourself?

Laura Parson Posted by Laura Parson on September 16, 2019 6 Comments

My reputation as clumsy is legendary in my family. There are fridge door handles that my parents stopped replacing because I’d tripped and tore the handle off the door so many times (grasping the handle in a futile attempt to keep myself from falling). My sister loves to recall the work day where she heard me fall down an entire flight of cement stairs, coffee in hand, when my stiletto heel got caught in the cuff of my pants.  I don’t just fall down stairs, I fall up stairs, and not gracefully. Ballet, ice skating lessons… nothing my parents put me in as a child helped. Read more >>

Categories: Injury & Prevention, Readers Roundtable
Cross Training With a Running Injury

Cross Training With a Running Injury

Avatar Posted by Lavender on August 3, 2019 Leave a comment

a bicycle wheelInjury got you down? Maybe it’s tendonitis, a sprain, a stress fracture or one of the Million Different Ways Your Knee Can Turn Into a Knob of Hot Fire-y Pain … whatever is ailing you, every injury sucks. The PT has prescribed time off. You’re completely justified in using that time to just not run, if you’re into that, but, like … who’s into that?

A serious study of anecdotal evidence (sponsored by the SaltyValu corp) shows that almost no runner wants to take time off, which we have unscientifically extrapolated to mean that you’ll probably be cross training if you’re injured, and that you might be cross training even if you’re not injured. Believe it or not there are many ways to exercise without running and some of them are actually fun!

Exhibit A:

A woman in a sport bra smiles while handling tiny dumbells
Tiny pink dumbells in your underwear is like the MOST FUN, amirite gal pals?? Let’s go have a powderpuff pillowfight next!

Okay but really, I don’t mean it’s fun to cross train in that stock photo, depressingly persistent and overwhelmingly male-driven ideas about women and athleticism kind of way, I mean it can actually be fun.

Please note that depending on your specific injury you may or may not be able to safely do all of these activities, so I recommend checking with your doctor or physical therapist and paying attention to how your body feels!

Read more >>

Categories: Cross Training, Healthy Running
Tags: coping with injury, cross-training, injury prevention, recovery
5 Pilates Moves for Runners – With Bonus Video!

5 Pilates Moves for Runners – With Bonus Video!

Chicory Posted by Chicory on July 18, 2019 3 Comments

Want to skip to the video? Click right here, baby.

I first took Pilates in college—for credit, because I was at a bougie Northeastern school—and I loved it. It spoke to my dancer spirit, and I loved the specificity of the practice, connecting breath with movement and being precise and intentional about every action.

I came back to practicing about the same time that I started running, when I joined a gym that offered mat classes. But after some life upheaval I stopped going and just ran more. Ultimately this resulted in stress fractures in both shins and a strained hamstring. Lesson learned! Once my injuries healed I joined a new gym, in part, because it also offered Pilates mat classes. I loved the classes and the gym so much that I decided to get certified to teach about three years ago.

Pilates can do wonders for runners. Its focus is on the entire powerhouse, not just your abdominals, but all the supporting core musculature including your hips and lower back. It can shore up your body to ward off a ton of common running injuries.

I recognize Pilates can be cost-prohibitive and intimidating, but I promise it’s not all graceful women hanging upside-down on what looks like a torture apparatus, and a lot of the exercises are simple things you can do at home. Starting right now!

Here are five of my favorite Pilates exercises for runners.

Read more >>

Categories: Cross Training, Injury & Prevention
Tags: cross-training, pilates, strength training
Parsley and Her Stages of Injury Grief

Parsley and Her Stages of Injury Grief

Parsley Posted by Parsley on July 10, 2019 2 Comments

Squint to see me, but that’s my favorite form of alternate summer training- ocean paddle boarding!

Because not running is losing something dear to me.

Relief. When I was finally diagnosed with hamstring tendinopathy, it was almost a relief. I knew something has been wrong for awhile. It seems I’ve spent the past year or so trying to justify my disappointing race results, wanting to figure out why I wasn’t running faster. I wasn’t looking to make excuses, rather analyzing my performances to see what I could improve to do better in the future. And many times things just didn’t add up. It was reassuring to know that something was actually physically holding me back; it wasn’t just me underperforming, getting old, getting weak mentally; my body wasn’t functioning properly to run fast. Now with a proper diagnosis I can fix the issue and get back on the fast track.

Read more >>

Categories: Injury & Prevention
Tags: injury training log, Parsley training logs
Diary of an Injured Chili, Chapter 2: Aqua jogging and Violent Fantasies.

Diary of an Injured Chili, Chapter 2: Aqua jogging and Violent Fantasies.

Avatar Posted by Chili on May 29, 2019 Leave a comment

I recently listened to a podcast that discussed statistics of people who have violent fantasies. According to several studies, a whopping number of women and men interviewed admit to having at least one violent fantasy in their lives, if not many more.

But not to worry, we aren’t all a bunch of psychopaths. There is often a “well-intended” catalyst for such fantasies; for example, self-preservation, a reaction to injustice or protection of others. The podcast went on to explain how one can “direct” these impulses into more acceptable forms of behavior, a defense mechanism that Freud labeled sublimation.

In layperson speak, sublimation is the transformation of an unwelcome impulse into an unharmful or even a beneficial outcome. Freud called it “a mature type of defense mechanism”—he actually believed that sublimation was a sign of maturity!

And now for my point: competition is a marvelous means of sublimating for a runner with lots of explosive energy and a drive for crushing her opposition. In fact, competitive sports are a prime example of healthy sublimation. But when a runner is on a forced break from running, the competitive outlet, is eliminated.

So, then, what is one to do? Read more >>

Categories: Cross Training, Injury & Prevention
Tags: competition, cross-training, pool running
Diary of an Injured Chili, Chapter One: AFOG

Diary of an Injured Chili, Chapter One: AFOG

Avatar Posted by Chili on May 16, 2019 Leave a comment

Chili after the Shotgun Trail Race, feeling studly

Running has been my life for the past 7 years. I rediscovered it on a beach in Jamaica, and when that happened, I rediscovered myself.

Then my husband roped me into Salsa lessons. At the first sign of foot distress, I blamed the dancing. For a couple of months I suspected it was the salsa shoes and opted for “dance sneakers” to help ease the force placed on the ball of my foot. But before I could even try these beauties out, the damage had already been done. Sure, I enjoyed the Salsa, but it wasn’t worth the cost of my passion.

We all have an injury story. I’ve had my fair share, but never to the extent of what I have now: a diagnosed partial tear of the Flexor Hallucis Longus, a new part of my anatomical vocabulary, and literally one of those muscles you never even knew you had.

Guess what? I’m special. Tearing the FHL is such a rare condition that nobody really knows how to treat it. Doctors are forced to look up case studies and, at best, provide a prescription for the most conservative treatment out there: Boot and Scooter, or what I now coin as “BS” for short.

My good pal Joe labels this sort of thing A.F.O.G.: Another Fucking Opportunity for Growth.

Read more >>

Categories: Injury & Prevention
Tags: coping with injury, Flexor Hallucis Longus, foot injuries
Step by Step: The Runner’s Guide to Postpartum Recovery

Step by Step: The Runner’s Guide to Postpartum Recovery

Mango Posted by Mango on October 25, 2018 Leave a comment

We runners are an impatient bunch. After a year or so of downshifting our running due to pregnancy and childbirth, we’re raring to find that running identity again. But physical changes mean physical challenges. Runners who’ve ever been pregnant often joke about peeing our pants – just a little! – on the run. Is it sweat on those gray shorts, or is it pee? Tee hee. And we laugh at the outdated medical advice that women shouldn’t run because their uterus might fall out, but pelvic organ prolapse is a real phenomenon (read Poppy’s guide to pelvic floor 101!)

Read more >>

Categories: Injury & Prevention, Post-partum Running
Tags: pelvic floor, postpartum running, pregnancy - recovery
Coping with Injury…Again

Coping with Injury…Again

Angelica Posted by Angelica on October 16, 2018 Leave a comment

Welp, the dreaded plantar fasciitis has come back to bite me in the heel. It’s the other heel this time, for some reason. I’ve fought this monster before and emerged victorious, but it took a long time. This time around, I’ve started fighting it more quickly and more seriously, rather than trying to run through the pain before giving up and starting treatment weeks or months later. Hopefully this will let me get back to running as quickly as possible. In the meantime, since this is not my first rodeo (to switch fighting-animals-metaphors midstream there), I’ve got some coping techniques at my disposal. Not gonna lie, I am seriously unhappy and dealing with injured-runner-rage over the return of this injury. But the advantage of having to fight again is that I know what to do. Read more >>

Categories: Healthy Running, Injury & Prevention, Running + Life, Running and Mental Health
Tags: coping with injury, foot injuries, plantar fasciitis
An Ounce of Prevention: Essential Exercises for Strength and Flexibility

An Ounce of Prevention: Essential Exercises for Strength and Flexibility

Barberry Posted by Barberry on October 4, 2018 2 Comments

This one weird exercise could cure all your running ills! 

As a physical therapist, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There are a few exercises that every runner could do that could very well keep you from ever having to see me. Not that I don’t want to see you, I’m sure you are awesome. But, needless to say, there are some areas we all neglect in our strength training routine. These weaknesses may not manifest themselves on shorter runs, but more often than not, longer mileage and more time on our feet will exacerbate all of our little flaws! I’ve compiled a list of exercises (strengthening and stretching) that I feel can benefit most runners in some way!

Read more >>

Categories: Features, Healthy Running, Injury & Prevention, Training Basics
Tags: exercises, flexibility, strength

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