Running Injuries
Shin pain that nags at kilometre three, a knee that hates downhills, a calf that keeps 'going' in the same spot - running injuries have patterns, and reading them well is the difference between a brief detour and a frustrating year.
Your care, at a glance
The questions worth asking any clinic — answered up front.
Who you'll see
Running injuries are a career-long passion for Craig, who has travelled as team physiotherapist with national and international athletics teams and co-led workshops on running injury management. Jonty lists gym and running injuries among his particular interests.
How we assess it
Training history first — the load story behind the injury — then screening, objective lower-limb strength testing on KangaTech, and slow-motion video gait analysis where technique is part of the picture.
How we treat it
Modify load rather than stop where possible, rebuild the measured strength deficit, address technique factors, and return through a written, graded running build with agreed checkpoints.
When you progress
- Strength and endurance targets met against your baseline
- Symptoms stable through each step of the running build
- Volume restored before intensity, intensity before racing
- Bone stress injuries cleared medically before loading resumes
The evidence behind this approach
The relationship between training load spikes and injury — and why well-built chronic load protects you — is set out in the sports-science literature our approach draws on (Gabbett, BJSM 2016). For tendon problems we lean on the loading evidence detailed on our Achilles page, and every return is gated by re-testing — see how we measure outcomes.
Why runners get injured
Almost every running injury is a load story: training that changed faster than the body could adapt. A sudden jump in weekly kilometres, a block of hills or speed work, new shoes, less sleep, a return from holidays - the tissue that tolerated last month's running gets asked for more, and the weakest link complains.
The common culprits - shin pain, patellofemoral (kneecap) pain, ITB syndrome, Achilles tendinopathy, calf strains, plantar heel pain and, at the serious end, bone stress injuries - each have their own fingerprint, and a few need very different handling. Bone stress in particular must not be run through.
How we assess it
We start where the injury started: your training. Recent volume, intensity, surfaces, footwear and life load tell us why this happened - which is the key to stopping it happening again. Screening comes next, because a small number of presentations (night pain, focal bone tenderness) need imaging or medical input before any rehab plan.
Then we measure. Objective strength and endurance testing of the calf, quads, hamstrings and hips - including KangaTech profiling - shows where your capacity doesn't match your training ambitions, and slow-motion video gait analysis shows what each stride is asking of the sore spot.
How we treat it
Wherever possible, we keep you running. Most running injuries are managed by adjusting load - volume, intensity, surface, sometimes cadence - to what the injured tissue currently tolerates, while a targeted strength program rebuilds the capacity that was missing. Complete rest is reserved for the injuries that truly demand it, like bone stress.
Alongside the loading plan we use hands-on treatment where it helps, address technique factors identified on video, and plan your build-back in writing: volume first, then intensity, with agreed checkpoints.
Returning to full training
The re-injury trap is returning to your old training load with your old capacity. Before you resume full mileage, speed work or racing, we re-test strength against your baseline and progress you through a graded running build with objective checkpoints - so the next block starts from a stronger base than the one that broke.
Getting back to what you love
From first-time parkrunners to marathoners and track athletes, the process is the same one Craig has used with national athletics teams: understand the load story, measure the deficits, fix them, and rebuild the running progressively.
Book online through HotDoc at our Adelaide CBD or Edwardstown clinic - no referral needed, with HICAPS for on-the-spot private health claims.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to stop running?
Usually not. Most running injuries are managed by adjusting your training to what the injured tissue tolerates rather than stopping outright. The important exceptions are suspected bone stress injuries, which must be offloaded and assessed properly before any running continues.
How quickly can I increase my mileage?
There is no universal safe number - it depends on your training history, your injury and how your body responds. Rather than a rule of thumb, we give you a written progression with checkpoints, and adjust it based on how each step is tolerated.
Will new shoes or orthotics fix my injury?
Occasionally footwear is a genuine factor, and orthotics have a role in some presentations - we fit them here when they do. But most running injuries are load and capacity problems, and no shoe substitutes for the strength and training adjustments that address the cause.
Do you analyse running technique?
Yes - we use slow-motion video analysis to assess your gait, and force measurement where useful. We change technique conservatively and only where it clearly relates to your injury, because wholesale form changes carry their own injury risk.