Running
Background and how injuries happen
Running is one of the most common sources of foot and lower limb injury we treat, driven by sheer repetition. Each stride loads the foot with roughly two to three times your body weight and a runner takes many thousands of strides per session. Small inefficiencies in gait, foot structure, training load or footwear are amplified over that volume until tissues are overloaded. Most running injuries are therefore overuse injuries, the result of doing too much, too soon or with mechanics that concentrate stress in one area.
Common injuries we see in running
Shin splints, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, stress fractures, runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain), and iliotibial band syndrome.
How we can help
Your first visit is an initial consultation where we take the time to understand your pain: when it started, what aggravates it, and how it’s affecting your running and daily life. From there we carry out a thorough biomechanical assessment, looking at how your feet, ankles, knees and hips move and load together. We perform a gait analysis to see exactly where pressure builds through your foot as you walk and move, which helps pinpoint the source of the problem rather than just the symptom. We also complete a footwear assessment, reviewing whether your current shoes and running shoes are helping or hindering you. We then discuss your level of involvement in the sport: how often you play, your training load, your goals and whether you’re competitive or recreational. With that full picture, we build a personalised treatment plan, which may include hands-on therapy, strengthening and mobility work, footwear guidance, taping and custom orthotics where they’ll genuinely help.
Prevention and self care
Follow a sensible training progression, where you’re increasing distance and intensity gradually rather than in sudden jumps (which is the single biggest driver of running injury). Replace running shoes before the cushioning wears out (typically every 600–800 km), and choose shoes suited to your foot type and gait. Warm up, incorporate strength and mobility work for the calves, hips and feet, and vary your surfaces where you can. Never run through sharp or localised pain, as early rest and assessment prevents a minor niggle becoming a stress fracture.
Book your appointment in Balwyn North