Get running injury physical therapy in Saint Charles, MO

Running Injury Physical Therapy Near Me

Running is an effective exercise for increasing your aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health in Saint Charles, Missouri. However, it can also cause many injuries if it’s done with poor form. Not stretching effectively and weak muscles can also increase the chances of a running injury. If you’ve been injured while running, there are three running injury physical therapy techniques you’ll find here in Saint Charles. 

1.   Gait analysis

Your gait is the way you walk or run, and a proper gait requires precise coordination in your legs, feet and many other body parts. If a person’s gait is abnormal, they could be more likely to have a running-related injury. To help correct your gait, a Saint Charles-based physical therapist can perform a gait analysis. This will involve watching you walk and run, and in many cases, this session will be recorded. Using the recording, the therapist will point out gait issues. Then, they’ll test for flexibility and strength issues that could be causing your gait problems. 

2.   Manual therapy

Manual therapy is commonly used in running injury physical therapy plans. This is because it can help improve soft tissue flexibility. Injuries or repetitive movements like running can cause scar tissue to form in and around muscles, tendons and other soft tissue. Also called adhesions, these areas of scar tissue make it harder for these structures to move normally. Using a variety of hands-on movements, physical therapists can break up adhesions and help free restricted soft tissue. In turn, this can help promote healing in running injuries. It can also help improve running form and gait. 

3.   Strengthening exercises 

Running injury physical therapy plans also typically include strengthening exercises. This is because many running injuries are caused by weakness in specific muscles. For example, weak calf muscles can lead to Achilles tendinitis. Weakness in the quads, glutes and hamstrings can also lead to various running-related injuries. To combat muscle weakness, physical therapists have a number of strengthening exercises at their disposal. Including these exercises in your therapy plan can help you recover from a running injury, but they can also help decrease the likelihood of such injuries. 

Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers running injury physical therapy in Saint Charles, MO

Don’t know where to turn to running injury physical therapy in Saint Charles? Excel Sports & Physical Therapy has a clinic in your area that can help you. We offer initial screenings to help you figure out what type of running injury you have. Also, we can build you a personalized treatment plan that includes therapy techniques like: 

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.