Welcome to therunnersdoc.com
I am excited to announce the launch of the Runner’s Doc website and social media accounts. I have been planning this project for some time but needed a little push from my family and friends to finally make it happen. The seed for this project was planted back in 2004 when a seemingly minor injury temporarily derailed my college running career. Little did I know that that injury would change my entire career path and guide me to where I am today, practicing as a physical therapist and still running recreationally. I know without a doubt that my purpose is to help other people recover from injuries, stay health, and keep running. I feel a great sense of satisfaction when I see injured runners return to the sport they love and perform at their best. I won’t get too much into that now though because this post is not about me, it’s about you. If you want to know more about me, hop on over to the about section of the website. Now, with John Maxwell’s words running through my head saying “You’re never good the first time but consistency allows you to be good some time,” let’s get kick off this inaugural post.
If you’re a runner, chances are you’ve been injured at some point in your career (I would be very surprised if you haven’t). Running is a sport with a very high injury rate due to its repetitive nature and the amount of force the body has to deal with during running. In fact, every time your foot hits the ground during running you land with 2.5 - 3 times your body weight. Just think about that for a second, then do some mental math or get your calculator out and figure out how much force you’re loading through your leg. The number you come up with will astound you. These are two important thoughts to keep in perspective when you’re trying to figure out why you’re injured. To further complicate things, muscles must have the correct amount of flexibility and they must contract and relax and correct time to properly transmit and dissipate the forces acting on your body. For some of you, your body has to do this every step for upwards of 10 miles each day. It goes without saying there’s a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong. Fortunately, there are a few things that commonly go wrong and addressing these problems can help you prevent injuries, rehabilitate injuries, and perform at a higher level.
Now, we could write a whole book on these topics alone (I know I’m working on it), but in the meantime let’s discuss just a couple things that can go wrong. I am just going to give you a taste to wet your appetite. I’ll discuss each of these topics more in depth in the upcoming posts.
