3 Steps To Overcome Age Related Aches and Pains
Runners! Do You Have Nagging Injuries? Do you wake up every morning with an achy pain on the bottom of your foot when you get up to go brush your teeth? Or are you a runner who has been feeling knee cap pain during your runs, going up and down stairs, and when you squat? In this blog post, I will share my 3 simple step strategy to overcoming these “age related” aches and pains.
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Listen in to this video now to find out how SPARK Physical Therapy can:
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🥇 Find the root cause of your problem and properly diagnose (don’t need to go to an orthopedic surgeon)
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🥈 Fix and get rid of your pain!
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🥉 Guide you to becoming stronger, healthier, and having a more resilient body so there is less likely a chance of this occurring again in the future so you can stay at your peak performance 🏃🏻🏃🏻♀️
The first thing that you need to do is find the root cause of your pain!
Not only do you need to receive a diagnosis but you need to find out what the root cause of that problem is to begin with. In order to start working on making your pain better, you have to be aware of what the root cause is. I get this question a lot regarding pain – should I go see an orthopedic specialist? The answer is No. You do not need to go see an orthopedic specialist if you’re just having some pain that isn’t due to a traumatic incident where you think you may have fractured a bone. A Physical Therapist is able to evaluate and diagnosis your musculoskeletal pain as well as start treating you and getting you better on day 1! You don’t need a referral or go see a doctor first before seeing a physical therapist.
Here is a video outlining what to expect on your first physical therapy visit with SPARK Physical Therapy
The second thing you want to do is fix and get rid of your pain!
In order to do this we’re going to do manual therapy hands on work to get you moving and on your way to feeling better. Whether it’s a manipulation technique, a soft tissue technique, or a mobilization technique – there are so many different options for us to do to get you moving better which is going to make you feel better!
IASTM Soft Tissue Work To the Calf Muscle
The third step is guiding you in becoming stronger and healthier!
Having a more resilient body so that there is less of a likelihood of this pain returning in the future as you start getting into the gym, as you start running again, as you start training again. This is KEY is returning you to your craft. In two patients I worked with this week, they were diagnosed with tendonitis and told to stay out of the gym to allow it to calm down and were told they would feel better. Did the pain go away? Yes. Did it come back when they returned to their active training? Yes! This is because they never got down to the root of the problem and worked towards making sure it wouldn’t come back!
Strengthening Exercise To Make Your Body More Resilient
Those are the three steps that are KEY to over coming these age related aches and pains. I hear it all too often, so many people in the 40 and 50 age group saying, “Oh I’m too old, I can’t run” or “Oh I’m too old, I shouldn’t be going to the gym.” That is not true! You CAN be active and healthy! You just have to have a plan which we’ve outlined here!
Are you a runner looking for a community that is dedicated to helping you stay happy and healthy doing what you love?
You could be an active adult starting out with a couch to 5k program or you may be an experienced marathoner!
The FREE Healthy Runner CT facebook group is your answer!
Our specialty here is prehab, rehab, recovery, and performance for all types of runners!
CLICK HERE to join our community!
Remember friends, you have to get down to the root of the problem and then work towards fixing the problem! Fixing your pain, fixing your limitations and then putting you on a plan towards being the strongest and healthiest you can be is the best thing that you can do to combat the age related aches and pains.
If you feel like this is something that SPARK Physical Therapy can help you with – Click This LINK and see if you’ll be a good fit with us to get down to the root of your problem!
Until next time!
Thank you for taking the time to read,
– Duane Scotti, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS
A special thanks goes out to Allie Eldridge, SPT for her contributions to this article
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You can teach an old dog new tricks!!! I have never considered myself a runner and I knew I needed to be smart about it because I am no spring chicken. Spark preached getting strong and healthy to be injury free and they practice what they preach. I am soooo glad I made the investment in me! I finished my half marathon last weekend and couldn’t be any happier! The program fed me all the steps I needed to essentially learn how to run long distance, build strength, nutrition help, a forum of other runners and probably most important was the 1:1 coaching. I had no idea how to tackle training for a 1/2 marathon and this program broke all of it down, had it individualized for me and we tweaked as we went to make sure I was staying healthy and strong. I had so many questions the week prior to my race and Coach Cat was always there for me and answering all the questions and issues I had-and believe me there were a lot! The biggest benefit I think I got was the strength. I am strong and fit. But most important was what I gained emotionally. I built confidence and strength I didn’t know I had, even at my age. Honestly could not have done this without Spark Healthy Runners!
My Healthy Runner journey started after I had battled bilateral achilles pain for a few months and was frustrated how it affected my running. As soon as I talked to Duane I knew I had made the right decision. His positivity, enthusiasm and genuine care are infectious. The training plan that was tailored to me included specific exercises to rehab my injury and I was so excited that I didn’t have to stop running. It took patience to only run slow for a few weeks but I trusted the process and it got me me to where I am now: running pain free. We made adjustments to the plan throughout whenever needed having someone in your corner that is always there with guidance and support throughout the process was invaluable.
I just ran my second half marathon, both with Duane’s coaching, and PR’d by over 9 minutes! I got all choked up in the last mile when I realized that I felt strong and could still kick it up a notch.
I’m so thankful for the Healthy Runner program, community and the entire coaching team for all the support!
Wanting to run more consistently, and to increase my long run distance and total weekly mileage, I was concerned about hip pain due to hip alignment issues. This is an issue I had when I trained for my first half marathon several years ago. Having listened to the Healthy Runner podcast for the past couple years, I knew Duane Scotti could help. I signed up for the four-month strength and running training program and am extremely happy with the results.
The program Duane and Coach Whitney developed for me was exactly what I needed. It was tailored to my needs and to my target race. Coach Whitney was very helpful, and with the biweekly coaching calls, we were able to fine tune the program based off my performance and feedback.
At the end of the program, I completed a 10K trail race feeling strong and pain free.
I highly recommend Duane Scotti and the Healthy Runner training programs.