Physical Therapy For Runners
Are nagging aches and pains from training holding you back from running at your best? Don’t sacrifice the running life you love over problems that can be fixed. We help runners eliminate pain, fix their mechanics, and come back stronger than ever.
Is Running Pain Holding You Back?
Your knees, shins, or hips ache during or after every run, and the pain isn't going away no matter what you try.
You've been told to "just stop running" because your joints are "bad", but giving up running is not an option for you.
You've had to cut your mileage, skip races, or stop training altogether because the pain keeps returning.
Stretching, foam rolling, and new shoes haven't made a real difference, the same problems keep showing up mile after mile.
You're worried that running is actually damaging your body, and you don't know if it's safe to keep pushing through.
You want to safely increase mileage, train for a race, or hit a new PR, but pain is standing in the way of all of it.
If You Said Yes, You're In The Right Place.
- Running injuries are one of the most common things we treat at Strike PT. Every week we see runners who are frustrated, confused, and ready to give up on the sport they love, because nothing they've tried has actually fixed the problem.
- Maybe you've backed off training, iced everything, bought expensive insoles, and it still hurts. Maybe you've been told your body "just isn't built for running" or that pain is "normal" as you get older.
- None of that is true. Running pain is not inevitable. It's a signal that something in your mechanics, strength, or training load is off, and when you fix that, the pain goes away. For real.
- That's exactly what we do at Strike Physiotherapy & Performance. We don't tell runners to stop running. We figure out why it hurts and we fix it.
Here's What Working With Us Looks Like
From your first evaluation to your best race, this is how we help runners recover faster, run smarter, and perform at their peak.
Root Cause Diagnosis
We go beyond the symptoms to find the real reason you're in pain, whether it's hip weakness, ankle stiffness, poor cadence, or training load errors.
Mechanics Optimization
We refine your running form, boost your efficiency, and correct the biomechanical issues that are slowing you down and increasing your injury risk.
Performance Gains
You won't just run pain-free, we'll help you run faster, farther, and stronger. Many of our runners hit personal records after completing treatment.
Dr. Levan Akopov
A Message From A Licensed Physical Therapist
If you’re a runner dealing with pain, I know how frustrating this is. Running isn’t just exercise for you, it’s how you clear your head, challenge yourself, and feel like yourself. And when an injury takes that away, it affects everything.
The most common thing I hear from runners who walk through our door is: “I’ve tried everything and nothing works.” They’ve rested. They’ve stretched. They’ve iced. They’ve bought new shoes. They’ve even seen other therapists who gave them a generic sheet of exercises and sent them on their way.
"The Problem Was Never Your Willpower. It Was That Nobody Looked At How You Actually Run."
Here’s what most providers miss: running injuries are almost never about one thing. They’re the result of a chain reaction, weak hips cause your knee to collapse inward, which overloads your IT band, which changes how your foot strikes the ground, which eventually causes pain somewhere in the chain.
That’s why treating “where it hurts” doesn’t work. You have to analyze the entire movement, find the weak links, and rebuild the system. That’s exactly what we do at Strike PT.
When you come in, we’ll take you through a comprehensive evaluation that includes video analysis of your running mechanics. We’ll find the real cause, build a plan around it, and get you back on the road, not just pain-free, but running better than before.
What Runners Get Told Vs. The Truth
✕ Bad Advice
"Just REST And It'll Go Away"
You took time off. The pain faded. Then you started running again, and it came right back. Rest doesn’t fix the underlying weakness or mechanical issue. It just pauses the symptoms until you load them again.
✓ The Reality
Targeted Rehab Fixes The Cause
When you strengthen the weak links and correct the movement faults that caused the injury, you eliminate the pain at its source, and it doesn’t come back when you ramp your mileage up again.
✕ Bad Advice
"Your Body Isn't Built For Running"
Being told to stop running because of “bad knees” or “worn out joints” is one of the most common, and most damaging, pieces of advice runners receive. It’s almost never accurate.
✓ The Reality
Your Body Can Be Optimized For Running
Research shows running is actually protective for joints when paired with proper strength and mechanics. The issue is almost always fixable, weak muscles, mobility restrictions, or training load errors.
✕ Bad Advice
"Just Get New Shoes Or Insoles"
You’ve spent hundreds on shoes, orthotics, and compression gear, but nothing fundamentally changed because footwear can’t fix a hip strength deficit or a cadence problem.
✓ The Reality
Fix The Runner, Not Just The Shoe
Shoes matter, but they’re a small piece of the puzzle. Real results come from fixing your body, strengthening weak muscles, improving mobility, and optimizing how you actually move when you run.
✕ Bad Advice
"Pain Is Normal At Your Age"
Age is not a diagnosis. Plenty of runners in their 40s, 50s, and 60s run pain-free and hit personal bests. Accepting pain as “just getting older” means accepting a fixable problem as permanent.
✓ The Reality
Age Is Not The Limiting Factor
Weakness, poor mobility, and under-recovery are the limiting factors, and those can all be addressed with the right program, regardless of your age. We’ve helped runners of all ages return to peak performance.
Don't Give Up On Running. Let's Fix This.
Book a free discovery call with a PT. Tell us what’s going on, we’ll let you know exactly how we can help, with zero obligation and zero pressure.
Common Running Injuries We Specialize In
Whether you’re a casual jogger or training for a marathon, these are the running injuries we solve every week at our clinic.
Runner's Knee
Pain around or behind the kneecap, especially going downhill, squatting, or after long runs. Usually caused by hip weakness, quad imbalance, or poor tracking mechanics.
Shin Splints
Throbbing pain along the inside of your shinbone during or after running. Often related to sudden mileage increases, calf weakness, or overpronation that can be corrected.
It Band Syndrome
Sharp pain on the outside of your knee that intensifies with every mile. Typically linked to hip and glute weakness rather than tightness, which is why foam rolling alone doesn’t fix it.
Plantar Fasciitis
Stabbing heel pain with your first steps in the morning or after long runs. We address the foot, ankle, and calf mechanics that create the overload, not just the symptoms.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Pain and stiffness in the back of your ankle that worsens with activity. We use progressive loading protocols proven to rebuild tendon strength and get you back to full mileage.
Hip & Low Back Pain
Pain in your hips, glutes, or lower back that shows up during or after runs. Often caused by core instability, hip mobility restrictions, or stride mechanics that overload the spine.
Why Runners Choose Strike PT
At Strike Physiotherapy & Performance, we don’t just ask “where does it hurt?” We look at your whole body.
Your first visit includes a comprehensive evaluation, full-body assessment, movement screening, and hands-on strength and mobility testing – designed to identify the weak links that are affecting your running. Because most running injuries don’t start at the site of pain. They start somewhere else.
From there, we build a treatment plan tailored to your goals that doesn’t just eliminate your current pain – it corrects the underlying mechanical and strength deficits that caused it. That means you won’t just get back to running. You’ll run better than before.
Every session is one-on-one with a doctor of physical therapy. No aides, no shared appointments, no cookie-cutter exercise sheets. As a former competitive combat athlete, Levan understands what it means to push your body to its limits – and how devastating it is when an injury takes that away from you.
We work with runners of all levels – from people getting back into jogging to competitive marathon runners – and our approach is always the same: find the root cause, fix it, and build you back stronger.
With Us, You'll Be Able To:
- Run pain-free, whether it's 3 miles or 13, without constantly worrying about flare-ups or setbacks.
- Safely increase your weekly mileage and training intensity without breaking down.
- Run with better form, improved efficiency, and faster times, backed by video gait analysis.
- Train for races and hit PRs with a body that's strong, resilient, and injury-proof.
- Have a clear strength and mobility routine to keep your running body healthy for years to come.
Real People. Real Results.
Strike's 3-step Process to Get You Back to Your Best
Step 1
Find The Real Cause
Step 2
Fix Your Problem Areas
We’ll build a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and goals, getting you stronger, pain-free, and on track to reach your goals faster.
Step 3
Unlock Peak Performance
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to stop running while I'm being treated?
In most cases, no. We’ll modify your mileage, pace, or surface as needed, but completely stopping is rarely necessary. Continued (modified) training preserves your fitness and often speeds recovery.
Can you help me prepare for a race or training cycle?
Definitely. Whether you’re training for your first 5K, a marathon, or an ultra, we can help you build the strength, mobility, and durability to train consistently and race healthy. Many runners come to us not for injuries but to prevent them.
What kinds of running injuries do you treat?
All of them — including IT band syndrome, runner’s knee, shin splints, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, stress reactions, hip pain, and lower back pain. If running is involved, we can help.
Do you work with beginner runners or only experienced ones?
Both. New runners actually benefit enormously from working with us early — we can identify weaknesses and build a strong foundation before injuries develop. We treat runners at every level, from couch-to-5K beginners to competitive marathoners.