I offer a free introductory session (Running Injury Assessment) that evaluates your readiness to run, gauges your potential for future injuries, and provides a summary of the relevant factors involved in why past injuries/problems occurred.
The introductory session involves a running assessment, assisted stretching and soft-tissue manipulation, and a personalized three week at home rehabilitative exercise program.
The purpose of the initial consultation is to determine if what I offer is a realistic solution to your pain or problem. You will experience a number of initial changes in how you feel, move, and perform. You will also gain an understanding of what I offer, what limitations you can improve upon, and how long it will take to fully resolve your problem.
If you are not injured or experiencing any pain you will learn how what I offer affects performance and have an understanding of how your current fitness level relates to potential injury risk factors.
At the end of the session you will be taken through a couple of rehabilitative exercises that you can perform at home over the course of three weeks. You will be given PDF handouts and video links for the exercises.
This page outlines the intention behind the initial session, discusses the assessment methodology, and explains the initial treatment process.
#1: Compelling Story That Explains Why Your Problem Occurred
Becoming a better runner and athlete is an ongoing process. It takes time and commitment on your part to implement the exercises and lifestyle changes.
However, the question that needs to be answered is, “How much time and commitment is needed on my part to achieve my goals?”
The assessment process allows me to understand how dysfunctional movement patterns are contributing to your pain or problem. By understanding compensations in your movement, alignment, and stabilization I will be able to construct a compelling story as to what obstacles are in the way of you realizing your full physical potential.
You will experience profound changes in minutes after performing the initial exercises I select and after receiving assisted stretching and any other manual therapy that is required.
The treatment plan I will provide after the first session will give you a realistic timeframe in which it will take to achieve your goals.
Many runners will experience a great reduction in pain and a drastic alleviation of their problem from merely the initial session and subsequent three-week exercise plan. Most runners looking to change their movement patterns and eliminate chronic tightness can do so in three sessions.
I offer session packages that are based on different goals of the casual runner, competitive runner, and long-distance year-round runner.
I offer a RESULTS FIRST, pay LATER policy for runners that have already seen multiple healthcare professionals and still are plagued with a recurring injury.
This is to ensure you that I can deliver what I promise in the agreed upon timeframe. Competitive runners with complex compensation patterns will want to consider around six sessions, whereas the full treatment process that I recommend for professional runners is generally twelve sessions spread out through a couple months or the entire year.
Subsequent treatments after the initial session consist of more time devoted to manual therapy and increasing the difficulty of the exercises prescribed.
Ultimately it is up to you how much you are willing to do on your own versus invest in sessions that can help expedite the treatment process.
By scheduling the complimentary initial session and getting started on the free exercise plan you will have great momentum in getting back to training without pain. From there you can book a session at a time if that is all your schedule allows – to keep the momentum going.
This is a very different approach compared to the standard 12 visit physical therapy process that does not establish initial goals and commit to realistic timeframes to achieve those goals.
#2: Detailed Breakdown of How Your Running Can Be Improved
Being told that you have type II spinal degeneration and need chiropractic adjustments or being told that you need to purchase an orthotic does not offer any information as to how you can improve your alignment on your own.
While appropriate footwear needs to be considered – many orthotics are prescribed to address leg length discrepancies that can actually be corrected through rehabilitative exercise – in a few minutes.
The running assessment involves manual muscle testing to detect muscle imbalances, orthopedic testing to determine proper joint position, and a comprehensive evaluation of skeletal alignment. A breathing screen will determine if your diaphragm has the correct length-tension relationship to properly stabilize your spine.
Components of a Running Assessment
- Range of Motion Evaluation
- Foot/Ankle Mobility
- Single-Leg Balance/Coordination
- Core Stability and Joint Centration
- Diaphragm Function
- Fundamental Movement Competency
- Muscle Testing for Imbalances
- Gait Analysis (Running Form)
- Neurological Testing to Determine Optimal Footwear
The testing involved in the running assessment provides a framework for selecting the initial interventions and enables a progression for full bodyweight mastery that translates into optimal running form.
#3: Comprehensive Assessment of Key Movement Patterns
Here are some of the specific assessment components that I take every runner through:
Left Hip Shift Mobility
Most athletic movements require a weight transfer from the right to the left in order to loading to occur on that leg for throwing, kicking, punching, running – all of which require ground up support for good trunk rotation and arm swing to occur.
Due to normal human asymmetry most people have a pelvis and lumbar spine that is oriented to the right. This is well documented in research studies and has been validated in my own clinical experience. This right orientation is supported by the asymmetry of the organs and driven by the right diaphragm which has greater leverage to act upon the spine than the left.
This is important to note because most people have a hard time actually shifting into their left hip. This perpetuates muscle imbalances in running form especially in regard to loading the left leg and pushing off of the right leg.
Chronic conditions like right sided SI joint pain, plantar fasciitis, low back pain, and shin splints are all commonly related to this inability to transfer weight effectively between sides.
Determining your ability to shift into your left hip is a key part of the evaluation process and a quick and effective intervention for running imbalances.
Weight Transfer Stabilization
The gold standard assessment for runners is the following weight transfer test. Loading of one leg involves integrated muscle activation of the abdominal wall, adductor, and glute medius on that side. Testing these muscles at the same time in unison is a very good indicator of your ability to load one side of your body.
Once a runner has the flexibility to shift into their left hip, they need to be able to activate the left inner thigh to adductor or pull their center of gravity over to the left (as the left knee moves inward and internally rotates to load). Once they perform that activation pattern without over-recruiting the low back or hip flexors they need to be able to lift their bodyweight off of the table as shown below.
This is demonstration of good frontal plane control achieved by the integration of muscles to load one the left leg for weight transfer to occur. First this is achieved through at home exercises to pass the table test (shown) before this pattern is integrated into more challenging upright patterns.
Bunkie Tests
The following tests evaluate muscular chains on the front, back, inside, and outside sections of the body. Your stabilization in multiple planes is determined by the activation, strength, and endurance of these muscular chains to provide ground up support. Pain during these tests is indicated of ‘locked long’ muscles that need to be strengthened and compensatory compression in other parts of the body.
Rolling Pattern Testing
The four rolling patterns utilized in the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) determine your ability to coordinate the motion of your extremities while you run. Flexion and extension of the arms and legs is a critical part of running.
Runners that have unwanted tension and dysfunctional movement patterns often are unable to disassociate movements – perform isolated movements with a stabilized core – without over-recruiting other muscles.
In other words – Can you activate certain muscles in isolation while keeping other parts of your body relaxed? Being able to isolate, then integrate micro movements of the arms and legs into complex patterns requires good body awareness and muscular timing that is essential for movement patterns like running.
Breathing Screen
The biggest influence on core stability, whole body flexibility, and strength/power output is the alignment and function of your diaphragm. How well you breathe will affect muscular endurance which is needed to maintain good running form – especially during long distance runs.
These are just some examples of the tests that I put runners through regardless of their pain or problem. Specific areas of pain and dysfunction will all have their own assessments and measures to determine the type of initial treatment that is appropriate.
#4: Introductory Soft-Tissue Treatment Including Assisted Stretching
Part of the assessment process is hands on palpation of hyperactive and shortened muscles. Fascial Stretch Therapy™ is an effective therapy that integrates assessment and treatment. By laying on your back on a table you can full relax your muscles while I take your body through various ranges of motion to see what motions are limited. When barriers to movement are noticed I will then gently take your body deeper into those ranges to optimize your range of motion.
The other therapy I utilize is called Structural Integration which explains how areas distant from the problematic region are related to the strain pattern. Soft-tissue manipulation to the connective tissue frees up adhered layers of muscle so that they can regain their pliability.
You will briefly be exposed to these effective therapies in the introductory session which produce profound changes in minutes. The initial hands on treatment will support the range of motions that you will need to get started on your complimentary three-week exercise program.
#5: At-Home Rehabilitative Exercise Program
After the initial running assessment, you will be provided with a three-week exercise template that includes exercises to perform in bed, at work, and before your run. This will empower you to get started on your own regardless of how many additional sessions you are able and willing to undergo.
This personalized treatment plan will address the biggest compensations in your movement and allow you to get started on the exercise progression that leads to bodyweight mastery. You will be provided with PDF handouts and video links on my YouTube Channel for instruction on all of the exercises.
What to Expect from Your Introductory Session
- Being able to touch your toes for the first time in years
- Years of chronic tightness gone in minutes
- Ability to achieve a full functional squat
- Low Back Pain gone with a few simple exercises
- Enhanced energy and endurance by changing breathing patterns
- A feeling of length, lightness, and enhanced body awareness
- A plan of action to eliminate your pain or problem in a short amount of time
Please use the contact form to schedule your introductory session.
I will be offering this free consultation for a limited amount of time.
The session is valued at $200.