Prepare to run, hike and stay injury-free this season
Trey Nichols, founder and physical therapist at Northwest Mobile Physical Therapy, has first-hand experience of the pains that can occur when you do an activity you’re not fully trained for. After having knee pain from running, and trying the typical treatments of rest, new shoes, ibuprofen, stretching and taping, he realized the pain wasn’t going away until he trained his body for the specific load that running requires.
“I thought I was strong from running and biking a lot,” says Nichols, “but it wasn’t until I got serious about getting my legs stronger with weights and resistance training that my knee pain went away and stayed away.”
From that experience, Nichols was inspired to create the “Run Ready” program at NW Mobile PT to help other runners get stronger. The program is customizable, for new to experienced runners to those who have nagging pains or just want to prevent injury. Sessions focus on hip and ankle/foot strength and stability; core and shoulder strength and stability; and plyometrics.
When you examine the movement of running, it’s a single-leg sport, so the exercises are geared toward strengthening that motion. “Our joke is that unless you run like a frog or kangaroo, you’ve got to train like you perform—and that’s on one leg,” says Nichols.
The Run Ready PT program can help runners run their best and feel their best while doing it. One patient came to Nichols because he couldn’t reach his hands above his head without pain shooting down his leg, and after a few months was able to complete the obstacles of a Spartan Race and finished pain-free. Another was an experienced marathoner who had hip and pelvis issue that were leading to repeated injuries and had tried other PT approaches; after the Run Ready program, he was able to put in 26 weeks of training and complete his first-ever 100k race, stating he was healthy and strong for the first time in years.
This year, the Run Ready program can also cater to hikers and backpackers as they prepare for hiking season. NW Mobile PT values individual fitness goals and provides wellness tools to stay healthy, active and pain-free. NW Mobile PT has two locations at wellness centers in the Spokane area and can also come to your home with their mobile unit. Visit Nwmobilept.com for more and look for one of two free Run Ready workshops on March 19 or 26.
