Running Injuries

We love treating

Runners

Running is more like a disease than a hobby.  Once you start, it’s almost impossible to stop.  Telling a runner to reduce their training load is difficult to say the least. Telling them to stop is a complete nightmare!  With many of our staff either runners or very experienced running Therapists, we understand that telling you to stop is not a popular option.  Hence we have many tricks up our sleeves to keep you out there pounding the pavement. We also have close relationships with running coaches and sports doctors/physcians so we can refer when it’s indicated.

“There is no question that Clinic 88 are amongst Australia’s top practitioners for identifying, treating and managing runners and running related injuries. Their incredible staff understand what it is ‘to be a runner’ and will give you their utmost attention and expertise to keep you on track, or get you back on track, as quickly as possible.”

Dan Green – Australian Marathon Champion 2004.  Event manager Stromolo Running Festival.  Founder Run For Your Life magazine

What do we treat?

Recovery Sessions

When racing, you push your body to its limits, sometimes beyond!  Hence you will inevitably develop soreness, stiffness, DOMS, swelling and potentially areas of pain that will reduce your ability to get back on the road.  This is where recovery sessions are important.

• Re establishing your range of motion as quickly as possible allows you to stride in your familiar running gait.  This reduces the chance of injury due to gait disturbance and increases performance as a bonus.
• Reduce areas of swelling that can disturb joint mechanics, range of motion and activation patterns.  This can be a combination of hands on, tape or even a little secret night wrap that has worked wonders for decades
• Reducing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) not only helps you get back into your normal stride pattern but alleviates that annoying pain on most movement!  DOMS is thought to be ‘micro tears’ in your muscle and fascia due to exerting yourself beyond your muscle/fascia conditioning.  It can last for 2-3 days or in severe cases up to 3 weeks with lots of swelling!
• Alleviating stiffness allows you to stride without feeling like the brakes are on!  Stiffness is generally a sensation that feels like you have to work hard to get to your normal ranges of motion.  You often can still get to your normal ranges, it justs harder to get there, like you have skins on.

“As a runner I highly recommend Clinic 88.  Thanks to Jimmy (James Barker) and Hisko (Brad Hiskins) I have been running pain free for over 6 months, first time in many, many years.  I now book in monthly, injured or not, so I can continue to run 130 km per week.  Thanks Clinic 88!”

Brad Croker – 2.17 Marathon – Co Founder ‘Inside Running Podcast’

Pre Event Sessions

Leading up to races you want to ensure you are in the best shape you can be.  Hence if you can reduce some stiffness, ensure you have adequate running range of motion, check up on some old injuries and just chill out for a bit while someone else looks after you, then you’re ready to go!  These sesssions will often differ depending on the runner.

• Some have old known injuries or range issues that are monitored.
• Some prefer a ‘flush’ that is a very general sports massage, allowing the Therapist to use their hands on assessment to notice and then alleviate any areas of ‘tightness’ or ‘stiffness’.
• Some prefer a passive stretch to reduce stiffness, regain some range and get rid of the ‘feeling of heaviness’.
• Some prefer more joint mobilisation as this is what gives them the best results.  We are all different!

“Clinic 88 gets you to the start line. Whether it’s the track or the trail, they cater for competitors of all levels and  understand the unique requirements when treating running related injuries.  The team at Clinic 88 provides unparalleled services for runners.  Whether for ongoing maintenance or making sure you make the start line, to get that PB, clinic 88 will deliver results so that you can maximise your training.  I wouldn’t go anywhere else. “

Joshua Johnson

Maintenance Sessions

These are similar to pre event sessions but the focus tends to more on known areas of range of motion issues, known injury issues, new aches or pains and monitoring necessary running flexibility

• These sessions may use techniques beyond ‘hands on’ and vary into Dry Needling (for trigger points and associated taught bands), Cupping (for assessed areas of fascial resistance), taping (that can vary markedly depending on what you are trying to achieve)

Injury Assessment and Treatment

Runners get injured.  It’s annoying but it just happens.  We have always said that running is the quickest way to get fit, quickest way to lose weight, quickest way to get injured!  If our maintenance sessions don’t do the job (you would hope that regular sessions would!) then we will address all running injuries.  What are typical injuries:

• multiple foot injuries from plantar plate to sesamoiditis to plantar fasica, neuromas, bursas and ganglion cysts, heal pain, achilles tendonopathies, cuboid syndrome to peroneal tendonopathy.  There is a lot that can go wrong with the foot!
• Lower leg injuries from compartment syndrome to medial tibial stress disorders (shin splints as the colloquial term), calf strains, nerve conditions (sural, tibial and common peroneal nerve issues) and stress reactions
• Knee issues such as ITB issues, patella tendonopathy, pes anserenus bursitis, plical issues, fat pad irritation and the common patella tracking or patella femoral joint sydrome.
• Thigh isssues such as hamstring tendonopathy, femoral or sciatic nerve irritation, adductor hiatus irritation, hamstring strains
• Hip complaints like glute medius or minimus tendonopathy, bursal inflammation, psoas bursitis, stability issues, under or over activity of posterior or anterior chain, cluneal nerve irriation, TFL enthesopathy and a whole host more!
• Lower to mid back issues are more common than you think.  Many runners think their bodies finish at their hips!  You 100% need good rotation in your upper lumbar and lower thoracic region.  If you don’t you will have consequential isues all over the place.  Adequate range of motion into extension and rotation is a necessity.

What else do we offer?

Running Screenings!

Running screenings are a full body running assessment.  We identify areas of concern with regard to necessary ranges of motion for running (like foot mobility, hip mobility, thoracic rotation), marked differences form one side to the other that can cause unbalanced loading issues, nerve tightness, activition issues (ex when one hammy is activating great and the other not at all!) and a host of other stuff.  These sessions give you an idea of where you should focus your stretching, your strength and where you might want to alter your gait slightly.

Self Massage and stretching Talks

These sessions are complimentary and can occur at your premises or at the clinic.  We give you all the skills to self massage, tell you what is important, what are the myths (like trying to stretch your ITB!), what types of stretching you should know about.  These are great informative sessions that are always super popular.

Conditioning Program

Pilates is a fantastic way to keep your body stable and balanced.  These sessions are focused on hip mobility and stability, eccentric and concentric loading of running muscles (from calf to glutes!).  Pilates is an excellent way to quickly identify where your deficits are and then work on them.

Exercise Physiology Programs

These are designed as land based exercise programs that every runner will benefit from.  Posterior chain activation, calf conditioning, use of self massage tools for mobility and recovery and a whole lot more.

Our Running Therapists

James (Jimmy) Barker is an elite runner, coach and Soft Tissue Therapist who has treated Canberra’s elite running community for longer than he wishes to remember.  He loves it so much he has ‘achilles’ in his personal email address!  Jimmy specialises in running injuries of the lower leg, especially achilles and spends most of his spare time each week reading the latest research and treatment protocols.  He helps runners with their loading and training schedules and is very well respected in the running community.   He is difficult to get in to so book ahead to secure a spot.  Or try to book online here https://clinic88.cliniko.com/bookings#schedule

Listen to Jimmy talk on the ‘inside running podcast’ – he starts at 1 hour and 12 minutes – link

Brad Hiskins wishes he was an elite runner and triathlete but had to settle with travelling with the Australian Triathlon team for 15 years instead.  11 years working at the Australian Institute of Sport (Physical Therapies Department), 5 Olympic Games (2 as head of service), 2 Commonwealth Games (both as head of service) and 12 Triathlon world championships (among many other sporting teams!). Hence his experience is unrivalled when treating the triathlon and running community. From feet, to shin pain, knee to hamstring issues, hip to pelvic pain, Brad has incredible experience.

Nicole Punch is our Pilates expert as well as a Senior Soft Tissue Therapist.  Nicole has the unique combination of both mobilising the runners body and then strengthening it with her Pilates skill set.  Nicole has treated many runners for extended periods and now keeps them stable in our Pilates studio (woops, secrets out…) reducing the vulnerability to injuury and increasing performance with stability conditioning.

Our maintenance legends!

We have a host of Therapists that love treating runners for their maintenance sessions.  Now this area often comes down to what each individual runner prefers.  So having a number of Therapists to choose from (every Therapist has their maintenance session skill set that differentiates them from the next) is very important to us.  Talk to your running mates, talk to the front desk at Clinic 88 and you will be referred to the most appropriate Therapist.

Happy Running to the aweseome Canberra Running Community!!!